This post first appeared on Juan Cole’s website. 

1. The Christian Science Monitor says that in 2016, US solar businesses employed 260,077 workers – up 25 percent from 2015.

2. That is, the solar energy sector alone employs more people than Apple, Google and Facebook combined!

3. Solar also employs more people in U.S. electricity generation than oil, gas and coal combined!

4. Solar energy sector jobs grew at a rate 17 times faster than the economy in 2016.

5. SC Times reports that wind jobs grew 9 times faster than the economy as a whole in 2016 and adds,

6. “Wind turbine technician is the fastest-growing job in the country.”

7. Each day, US workers erect 10 new wind turbines around America. Each creates 44 years of full-time employment. So at an average of 30 years per worker, that is the equivalent of generating over 200,000 full time jobs that last for a lifetime every year.

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#green energy#Juan Cole#labor day#politics#renewable energy#solar energy#wind#wind power