Commentary_Clean energy workforce in Georgia

To gain a deeper understanding of the current energy landscape in Georgia and the southeast, this blog series examines emerging topics in the energy sector, provides timely information on key energy challenges and opportunities, and discusses how Georgia and the southeast are adapting to meet growing energy needs while embracing sustainable energy goals and supporting healthy, resilient, and prosperous communities. 

Blog #86-2408-01 This post is part of a series focusing on the Georgia’s Clean Energy workforce and challenges the state faces in meeting its growth.

GEORGIA’S CLEAN ENERGY WORKFORCE

Across the nation, the clean energy sector has received a major boost following the passage of key legislation, notably the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which collectively invested over $97 billion to achieve a net-zero economy by 2050, and are spurring private investment in clean energy industries. 

According to the database maintained by the Department of Energy, Georgia stands out in the clean energy race, with the private sector announcing nearly $30 billion in new manufacturing investments since the start of 2021, more than any other U.S. state (Figure 1). These manufacturing investments are concentrated in three primary clean energy sectors as shown in Figure 1, with battery manufacturing capturing most of the new investment.  

Figure 1. Announced Private Sector Clean Energy Manufacturing Investments since 2021 ($ billions).

_{Notes: Data was last updated in May 2024. Investment in nuclear energy is excluded from the calculations. Numbers may not sum to total due to rounding. In Georgia, investment in HVAC represents a single, relatively small dollar amount investment which is not shown in the chart.} 

_{Source: EPIcenter analysis of data from the Department of Energy} 

With these investments, companies expect to create approximately 200,000 new clean energy jobs across the country. Private sector projects in Georgia expect to create about 29,000 new jobs, with more than half these new Georgia jobs being in electric vehicle manufacturing, followed by battery manufacturing and solar panel manufacturing as shown in Figure 2. 

Figure 2. Reported New Jobs Expected from Private-Sector Clean Energy Manufacturing Investments

_{Notes: Data was last updated in May 2024. Investment in nuclear energy is excluded from the calculations. Numbers may not sum to total due to rounding. Investment in HVAC in Georgia represents a single, relatively small dollar amount investment which is not shown in the chart.} 

_{Source: EPIcenter analysis of data from the Department of Energy} 

The projected growth in Georgia’s clean energy workforce is expected to exceed the above numbers since job growth is being stimulated by other programs. For instance, the Department of Energy has awarded $250 million to Georgia power cooperatives for grid resiliency and clean energy projects and $178 million to Solvay to support a new battery components facility in Augusta, GA. Another example is the US Environmental Protection Agency award of $156 million to the Georgia BRIGHT Communities Coalition for solar deployment in low-income areas of Georgia. These investments in Georgia all create new jobs and economic opportunities. 

Georgia’s Current Clean Energy Workforce 

In 2022, approximately 66,000 people in Georgia were employed in clean energy jobs, per an EPIcenter analysis of data from the Department of Energy and E2 (see Table 1). Compared to other southeastern states, Georgia ranked #5 in terms of overall clean energy jobs, with Florida topping the list with 144,300 clean energy jobs. Across all states, energy efficiency jobs were by far the largest share of clean energy employment, which includes jobs in areas like high-efficiency HVAC, renewable heating and cooling, advanced building materials, and ENERGY STAR appliances. Table 1 shows that in Georgia, renewable generation (primarily solar) and clean vehicles are the largest employment areas after energy efficiency, followed by energy storage and biofuels employment. 

Table 1. Southeastern States Employment in Clean Energy, 2022

State	Total Clean Energy Employment	Employment by Clean Energy Sector
		Renewable Generation	Storage and Grid	Biofuels	Clean Vehicle	Energy Efficiency
Florida	144,372	25,913	5,851	2,815	12,374	97,419
North Carolina	85,999	12,606	3,857	1,520	9,049	58,967
Virginia	78,502	10,203	2,740	401	7,782	57,375
Tennessee	73,451	6,558	7,993	1,210	16,367	41,322
Georgia	66,151	10,500	4,369	476	7,452	43,356
Maryland	56,204	9,002	2,173	256	2,967	41,807
South Carolina	42,611	6,760	1,979	608	6,724	26,540
Alabama	37,780	4,140	1,940	245	8,323	23,132
Kentucky	31,870	2,662	1,412	301	9,440	18,055
Mississippi	17,169	1,763	843	530	3,292	10,742
District of Columbia	12,435	2,333	337	42	458	9,266
West Virginia	8,936	1,154	863	45	1,049	5,826
Delaware	8,714	861	236	79	482	7,056

_{Note: For a detailed explanation of the methodology and the specific jobs included in each sector, please refer to the U.S. Energy & Employment Jobs Report. In our analysis, traditional HVAC jobs have been excluded from the calculation of energy efficiency jobs.}

_{Source: EPIcenter analysis of data from E2, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Department of Energy}

Map 1 illustrates that, not surprisingly, most clean energy jobs are in the 11 county Atlanta region which holds about 38,500 clean energy jobs in 2022, which is nearly 60% of the total for the state. Fulton and Henry Counties are clear hot spots, with Henry County recording over 12% of its non-farm workforce employed in energy efficiency jobs. 

Map 1b presents the number of clean energy jobs per 1,000 non-farm workers for every county in Georgia, which adjusts for overall employment by county. As indicated in the map, the proportion of the local workforce that clean energy jobs represent is more distributed across the state. For instance, Burke and Jefferson Counties are hotspots in the eastern part of the state, with employment in energy efficiency and renewable generation representing between 9 and 13 percent of their county’s non-farm employment.  

There are similar examples across the state, such as Pulaski County in Middle Georgia, which recorded nearly 600 jobs in renewable generation. This represents roughly one in five non-farm workers in the county in 2022. On the central western section of the state, Troup County recorded an employment level of about 1,400 in energy efficiency, storage, and clean vehicles employment, representing more than 3% of non-farm employment for the county.  

Map 1. Georgia’s Clean Energy Employment by County, 2022

a. Employment Level                   b. Employment per 1,000 non-farm workers  

_{Note: Counties with less than 1,000 non-farm workers in total are excluded in the density calculation due to the relatively small size of their workforce, which can distort statistical representations.} 

_{Source: EPICenter analysis of data from E2, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Department of Energy.} 

Compared to other southeastern states, Georgia ranks lower in clean energy job concentration. In 2022, only 16% of Georgia’s counties with at least 1,000 non-farm workers had a clean energy job density of at least 21 workers per 1,000 non-farm jobs. This places Georgia behind Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama, North Carolina, and Kentucky, which all have a higher percentage of counties with such job concentrations. However, Georgia outperformed West Virginia and Florida in this metric. Additionally, Atlanta, Georgia’s largest metro area, lags behind peer regions like Nashville and Charlotte in clean energy job concentration.

Map 2. County-level clean energy workers per 1,000 non-farm jobs, Southeast region, 2022

_{Note: Counties with less than 1,000 non-farm workers in total are excluded from the calculation due to the relatively small size of their workforce, which can distort statistical representations.} 

_{Source: EPICenter analysis of data from E2, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Department of Energy.} 

Workforce Development Challenges Ahead 

Georgia is gearing up for a surge in job creation within the clean energy sector, adding extra pressure to an already heated job market.  According to the 2023 U.S. Energy & Employment Jobs Report (USEER), Georgia employers are struggling to find qualified candidates to fill energy-related job openings. It is worth noting that while the report focuses on all energy industries beyond just the clean energy sector, the survey still reveals valuable insights on hiring and workforce needs.  

According to the report, Georgia ranked sixth in the U.S. and second in the Southeast region in 2022 terms of employers in the energy sector reporting overall hiring difficulty. More than half of surveyed Georgia employers (55%) indicated it was “very difficult” or “somewhat difficult” to find potential workers, with nearly a third reporting it “very difficult” in particular.  And these hiring difficulties are not new for the state. While the overall hiring difficulty in Georgia has decreased in line with the national trend over the past few years, Georgia’s energy-sector employers have consistently ranked Georgia among the top 10 states facing hiring challenges, placing #8 in 2021 and #9 in 2020.  

Overall, the state’s high ranking in hiring difficulty suggests that while the post-pandemic energy sector job market has been thriving, especially when compared to other states, workforce challenges remain to fulfill the expected fast-paced employment growth ahead.  

To address these challenges, training and upskilling the local workforce are crucial for meeting the growing labor demand in the clean energy sector. Localized training programs can help local workers retool and meet industry demand.  Examples include programs offered by WorkSource Fulton/Goodwill of North Georgia, City of Savannah, and Georgia’s QuickStart program that provides customized workforce training that meet the needs of major companies like Qcells and Hyundai and have helped develop the skilled workforce needed in Georgia’s battery, EV, and solar panel manufacturing sectors.   

Given the expected growth rate in clean energy jobs, continued investment in Georgia’s clean energy workforce is not just beneficial but necessary. In the next blog of this series, we’ll take a closer look at Georgia’s challenges and explore potential opportunities to improve its readiness and skilled workforce for future advanced clean energy industries.