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Renewables will lead recovery

From tragedy often rises opportunity. While the pandemic has and continues to take a massive toll on our global and local economy, there are a few lights at the end of the tunnel. Some of those lights are powered by renewable energy.

Though often fodder for political debates, the undeniable truth is that renewable energy and the jobs it creates are now a vital part of our economy, with plenty of room to grow.

Before the pandemic hit at the close of 2019, approximately 3.3 million people worked in the renewable-energy sector in the United States — an increase of 800,000 industry workers since 2015. But that fiveyear pattern of consistent growth hit the covid brick wall, resulting in a net loss of nearly 500,000 industry jobs in 2020.

While covid remains a health-care and economic threat that requires our continued diligence, recent improvements in our covid-19 statistics encourage optimism that we might be headed for better times. Similar optimism for a turnaround in the renewable-energy job sector is abundant, as more communities and industries realize the economic and environmental benefits of renewable energy.

Many communities in Arkansas have already adopted a clean- or renewable-energy plan with ambitious goals and objectives. Clean-energy companies such as the company I work for, Johnson Controls Inc., are engaged with school districts, counties, municipalities, universities, and even state agencies. All of these entities have an ever-growing interest in reducing their costs of power while also preserving the natural resource consumption across their taxpayer-owned facilities.

As technology evolves, communities can become 100% reliant on renewable energy to power their operations — and in only a fraction of the time once believed necessary.

Take the city of Fayetteville, for instance. Three years ago, the city council adopted an ambitious energy action plan including a goal to make all municipality-owned facilities powered 100% by renewable solar energy by 2030. Due to advancements in technology, resources, and reduced legislative or regulatory hurdles, that 2030 goal could be met in 2022, eight years ahead of schedule.

As a bonus, it’s possible that 100% of the costs associated with the transition to renewable energy can be achieved through energy savings, with no need to raise new public revenue through taxes or bond initiatives.

Private industry, likewise, is moving away from fossil-fuel usage to renewable energy sources such as solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, and largescale energy storage. (Go Google the term “Tesla Megapack” and see what you find.)

Therefore, employment opportunities abound.

Most renewable-energy jobs are well-known occupations for which only career and technical education (CTE) is required. Such trades include electricians, HVAC technicians, mechanics, welders and fabricators. Each of these skilled trades is essential to modernizing our grid infrastructure and developing new or improved energy technologies.

Specific clean-energy sub-sectors, such as solar, pay some of the highest wages, at an average of $24.50 per hour, which is approximately 25% higher than the median hourly wage in Arkansas.

As the industry grows and the need for skilled workers increases, it will be important for renewable-energy companies to begin to cultivate their own skilled workforce. Johnson Controls, for instance, is working in conjunction with Greenbrier Public Schools to develop an innovative curriculum for high school students. By earning solar- and renewable-energy-focused CTE credits while still in high school, students can be prepared for careers in solar energy as soon as they graduate. That sounds like the Hallelujah Chorus to Arkansas’ local solar developers and installers.

Renewable energy has numerous benefits for economic development. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, almost every county in the United States has demand for renewable-energy jobs. That’s important for communities currently striving to keep native residents from leaving their hometowns in search of jobs elsewhere.

Projections call for acceleration in the growth of renewable-energy opportunities in 2022, as the United States rejoins the Paris Climate Accord and pledges to invest $2 trillion in clean energy. The overarching goal is for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

For that goal to become reality, we will have to build more solar parks, develop more efficient building technologies, design and build more high-performance, electric powered vehicles, and invest in other clean-energy infrastructure innovations.

The state of Arkansas is clearly on board when it comes to advancing renewable-energy initiatives. The General Assembly recently passed bipartisan legislation which will provide grant dollars for the construction of electric-vehicle-charging stations throughout the state.

The renewable-energy revolution is here to stay. Leaning into that revolution will propel Arkansans into a leading industry driving our global economic recovery efforts.

Come join us. There’s plenty of work to be done.