Boston, MA Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) interim CEO Stephen Pike presented the results of the 2015 Massachusetts Clean Energy Industry Report, which found that the Massachusetts clean energy sector has grown by double digits for the fourth consecutive year and now employs 98,895 workers at 6,439 employers across the Commonwealth.
The report finds that clean energy employment grew by 11.9% between 2014 and 2015 – the largest increase of any year since MassCEC began collecting data in 2010. In total, the number of clean energy jobs in Massachusetts has increased by 64% since 2010.
“With steady job growth over the past five years, the Massachusetts clean energy industry is robust,” said Pike. “The clean energy sector is fueling small businesses and paying workers high wages across the state from Beverly to Pittsfield.”
The report, prepared for MassCEC by BW Research Partnership, found that clean energy is an $11 billion industry in Massachusetts, and represents 2.5% of the Commonwealth’s Gross State Product. Clean energy jobs represent 3.3% of the overall workforce in the state, the report found, with three quarters of workers earning more than $50,000 per year.
The clean energy industry is employing residents of every county in Massachusetts, and has grown over the past year in each of the state’s regions, with the largest growth coming in Northeastern Massachusetts (16.8%) and Central Massachusetts (13.6%).
As clean energy jobs have grown, so has the installation of clean energy technologies across the Commonwealth. In July, Massachusetts passed 1 gigawatt of installed renewable energy capacity – enough to power more than 152,000 average Massachusetts homes annually.
“The Clean Energy Industry Report demonstrates the Commonwealth’s commitment to foster and encourage innovative ideas and technologies while creating a strong job market within the state,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) secretary Matthew Beaton. “The Commonwealth will continue to leverage the state’s robust, cutting-edge clean energy sector with Massachusetts’ world-class universities and research institutions to work to balance and diversify the state’s energy portfolio while positioning Massachusetts to achieve our greenhouse gas reduction goals.”
The report also found Massachusetts to be the national leader in early-stage clean energy investment. Massachusetts companies attracted more than twice the amount of early-stage investment per capita than second-place California. Overall, public and private investment in the industry exceeded $549 million.
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Industry Report, primarily based on survey data gathered directly from clean energy employers in Massachusetts, is an in-depth breakdown of clean energy deployment, gross state product, employment, investment data and innovation, classified by technology sector and geographic region. The report’s methodology has been replicated in 10 other states – California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Vermont.
State energy officials today announced the results of the 2015 Massachusetts Clean Energy Industry Report at events at Groom Energy in Beverly and the South Middlesex Opportunity Council’s Green Jobs Academy in Worcester.
“With five years of consistent job growth, the clean energy sector is an economic engine that is putting Massachusetts on the map for global leadership in clean energy,” said NECEC president Peter Rothstein. “Private sector innovation and investment combined with public sector leadership on forward-thinking clean energy policies are continuing to prove to be a strong formula to drive the flourishing of this industry.”
“The business ecosystem in Massachusetts continues to support our growth,” said Powerhouse Dynamics CEO Martin Flusberg. “We’ve been fortunate to have access to funding, expert guidance and even interns thanks toMassCEC, and we’ve also benefited from the abundant talent and many prospective customers in Massachusetts. Massachusetts also has a cluster of smart building technology companies, which has helped us connect with potential partners and share best practices with others who are addressing similar challenges.”
“In the last decade, clean tech has moved from being adjacent to the traditional hardware, software and networking communities, to being an integral and high-growth part of the technology landscape in Massachusetts,” said Tom Pincince, president and CEO of Digital Lumens. “This community is developing technology-driven solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges, and we are grateful to the MassCEC for their continued leadership and vision.”
“As the global specialist in energy management and automation, we uniquely understand the transformative power clean and reliable energy has to improve lives in Massachusetts and around the globe,” said Laurent Vernerey, CEO of Schneider Electric North America. “Energy is life, and by helping to enable access to energy that is efficient and sustainable, we help ensure that life is on for people in this state, our region and our world.”
“We are very pleased with our decision to get our business up and running here in Massachusetts,” said Menck Windows CEO Todd Bachelder. “We’ve found a very receptive market for our energy-efficient windows, doors and curtain walls here in the Northeast, as well as well-trained, experienced and enthusiastic employees to add to the Menck team.”
“Massachusetts’ forward-thinking policies have helped develop the market for highly-efficient, clean energy Combined Heat and Power within the State,” said Lee Vardakas, president of Aegis Energy Services, Inc. “We in Western Massachusetts have benefitted from the state’s innovative approach to clean energy and have been able to continue expanding our business with double-digit growth year over year. This has led to increase in employment and has benefitted the local businesses that support our manufacturing in the area.”
Created by the Green Jobs Act of 2008, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) is dedicated to accelerating the success of clean energy technologies, companies and projects in the Commonwealth—while creating high-quality jobs and long-term economic growth for the people of Massachusetts. Since its inception in 2009, MassCEC has helped clean energy companies grow, supported municipal clean energy projects and invested in residential and commercial renewable energy installations creating a robust marketplace for innovative clean technology companies and service providers.