NREL Response to the Report 'Study of the Effects on Employment of Public Aid to Renewable Energy Sources' from King Juan Carlos University (Spain) (White Paper)

Lantz, E. ; Tegen, S.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (U.S.)

关键词: Re;    Job Development;    Job Impacts;    Enegy Sources;    Renewable Energy;   

DOI  :  10.2172/963557
RP-ID  :  NREL/TP-6A2-46261
RP-ID  :  AC36-99-GO10337
RP-ID  :  963557

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

Job generation has been a part of the national dialogue surrounding energy policy and renewable energy (RE) for many years. RE advocates tout the ability of renewable energy to support new job opportunities in rural America and the manufacturing sector. Others argue that spending on renewable energy is an inefficient allocation of resources and can result in job losses in the broader economy. The report, Study of the Effects on Employment of Public Aid to Renewable Energy Sources, from King Juan Carlos University in Spain, is one recent addition to this debate. This report asserts that, on average, every renewable energy job in Spain 'destroyed' 2.2 jobs in the broader Spanish economy. The authors also apply this ratio to the U.S. context to estimate expected job loss from renewable energy development and policy in the United States. This memo discusses fundamental and technical limitations of the analysis by King Juan Carlos University and notes critical assumptions implicit in the ultimate conclusions of their work. The memo also includes a review of traditional employment impact analyses that rely on accepted, peer-reviewed methodologies, and it highlights specific variables that can significantly influence the results of traditional employment impact analysis.