CALPIRG Green Power and Jobs Study

According to a California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) Charitable Trust report,

energy produced from renewable sources is cheaper over the long term and creates far more jobs than energy from natural gas power plants. The report

, Renewables Work: Job Growth from Renewable Energy Development in California, combines the results of economic studies with the findings of operating renewable-energy facilities. According to the report, building 5,900 MW of renewable energy capacity (including wind, geothermal, solar PV, solar thermal, and landfill/digester gas facilities) would generate 120,000 person-years of employment over 30 years of operation. Building the same capacity of natural gas power plants, by comparison, would create only one-fourth as much employment and require $10.3 billion in gas purchases. Additionally, because renewable power sources do not require continual fuel purchases, a higher percentage of their generating costs stays in the local economy as wages. For the complete report, including a breakdown of employment rates by type of renewable energy, visit

www.calpirg.org/reports/renewableswork.pdf.