Texas’ advanced energy industry employs at least 143,000 workers, according to a new report released by the Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance (TAEBA).
The report says that’s more people than are employed in chemical manufacturing and petroleum refining, twice as many as employed by airlines, and nearly as many working in building construction in the Lone Star State. Employers engaged in advanced energy business expect to increase their workforce by 7% this year, which would bring Texas’ advanced energy industry to over 152,000 jobs.
The report, titled “Advanced Energy Jobs in Texas,” was prepared by BW Research Partnership and covers full-time and part-time permanent employees of businesses that are engaged in making or deploying advanced energy products and services for all or a portion of their revenue. In the report, the term “advanced energy” includes energy efficiency, advanced electricity generation (including wind, solar and natural gas), biofuels, advanced grid technology and advanced vehicles.
“Advanced energy is a large and growing industry in Texas, and it’s paying off in real jobs for Texans,” says Suzanne Bertin, executive director of TAEBA. “The reliability and cost benefits of advanced energy technologies are driving growth in the industry, and employers expect to add jobs in the coming year. That’s good news for our companies and for the Texas economy.”
Key findings of the report include the following:
- Workers engaged in advanced energy make up 1% of the state workforce overall;
- The largest share of advanced energy jobs is in energy efficiency – about 73,000 workers, or 51%;
- At nearly 39,000 workers, employment in Texas advanced electricity generation makes up 27% of the advanced energy workforce, with wind accounting for about 44% of these jobs and solar accounting for 28%;
- Texas is also home to a significant advanced fuels industry, with an estimated 9,500 workers in total, the majority of whom work on corn ethanol;
- Advanced transportation employs 19,000 workers (13% of total advanced energy employment) who spend some or all of their time on hybrid, plug-in hybrid and natural gas vehicles; and
- One in 10 advanced energy workers in Texas are veterans.
The TAEBA jobs report follows “Advanced Energy in Texas,” a market report published last year that found advanced energy represented a $16 billion industry in the state.
