Where Are All Those Energy Jobs?

Actually, the number of workers in the field, so to speak - mining coal, drilling for oil and natural gas - are relatively few, as we will see. But the peripheral businesses, such as gas stations and oil delivery companies, involve hundreds of thousands of employees throughout the nation. Some examples:

Coal

There are approximately 175,000 “blue collar”, full time, permanent jobs related to coal in the United States. (84,000 mining, 31,000 transportation and 60,000 power plant employees) This amounts to 0.12% of the U.S. workforce. One can see the decline of coal when comparing this data to the fact that in 1920, coal mining alone amounted to 1.89% of the total U.S. Workers.

Oil and Natural Gas

The data for these two categories tends to get “lumped” together, since a number of firms deal in the producing and distributing of both energy forms. According to R. Skip Horvath, CEO of the Natural Gas Supply Association: “Roughly 5.8 million Americans are employed in and supported by the natural gas and oil industries.” The so-called “blue jobs” are those taking the image of the blue flame of natural gas burning.

Renewable Energy

A recent ASES (American Solar Energy Society) report stated that “..in the U.S. 8 million people were employed in renewable energy and energy efficiency industries in 2006. Three years later, that number has increased by at least 10%. Renewable energy includes wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, biofuels and hydropower generation.

Hydropower

Once again we return to the cleanest, least expensive and most accessible source of clean power on earth. It is available from falling water, flowing water and tidal movements in the seas. It is replenished by rainfall, snowfall and occasionally sleet.

As hydropower replaces fossil fuels, the number of employees needed to provide additional services will equal, if not exceed, the number of employees no longer needed by the oil and gas companies.

The vast number of hydropower sources that will not require connection to any grid is the subject of Hydropower 106, to be published in the near future.

Meanwhile, we are pleased to pass on a headline that appeared in a recent Renewable Energy World publication which stated: “New Developments in Hydropower Can Supercharge Obama’s Green Jobs.” Let’s hope Obama drops the coal in favor of water!

The BOTTOM LINE IS HYDRO JOBS CAN REPLACE FOSSIL JOBS