Iowa’s clean energy workers can help speed up our economic recovery
Since founding a renewable energy business in rural Jefferson County nearly a decade ago, I’ve been fortunate to work alongside people whose grit, vision and ingenuity has helped our company grow and prosper. Although we started with just two workers, at the time of the coronavirus outbreak we employed about 40 women and men. All of us are part of a huge, diverse national clean energy workforce comprised of (as of the fourth quarter of 2019) a staggering 3.4 million people.
Over the past few weeks, our most urgent duties have changed dramatically. Instead of showing up to work each morning eager to install solar arrays on high school rooftops or at underused fields on small family farms, we’re now staying home to ensure healthcare professionals have the space and resources they need to fight coronavirus. We’re navigating major supply chain disruptions, caring for vulnerable loved ones, and just laying low. Needless to say, all this is taking a toll on my business and our employees.
We are hurting badly, and in the clean energy industry, we are not alone. Across the country, over 500,000 clean energy workers lost their jobs since the beginning of March and over 4,400 of the jobs lost were in Iowa.
Fortunately, Congress has recognized the need to protect America’s economy. In March, it passed trillions of dollars in relief packages that respond forcefully to the immediate economic and public health crises we face. In the coming weeks and months, the federal government and the State of Iowa will each have additional opportunities to help Americans get back to work.
Supporting clean energy businesses and workers is a proven way to jumpstart the economy. Congress can begin by reinstating the Section 1603 program that delivers payments directly to clean energy developers rather than having to claim them as credits in tax filings. Congress can also fund local community colleges to train a new generation of clean energy workers, and finally tackle bold initiatives like modernizing our electric grid to increase renewable energy carrying capacity, scaling up electric vehicle charging networks and funding federal clean energy research projects that can lead to technology breakthroughs.
There are three big economic reasons why clean energy businesses and workers deserve support:
First, history shows public clean energy investment is money well spent. One of the most successful parts of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — the stimulus legislation during the 2009 financial crisis — was the $90 billion the federal government invested in clean energy. That package helped send clean energy jobs soaring, from a few hundred thousand to the 3 million-plus we have today, including more than 32,000 in Iowa alone at the start of the year, according to E2. (This includes 14,000 clean energy workers in Iowa’s rural areas — one of the highest concentrations of rural clean energy jobs in all of America.)
Another investment of this size would send jobs soaring once again. E2’s latest report found Iowa would gain 11,540 new full-time jobs and add $4.1 billion to the state’s GDP if Congress directed $99 billion in federal stimulus to existing clean energy programs and funding vehicles nationwide.
Second, small businesses are the backbones of America’s economy. In the clean energy sector, they really punch above their weight, employing nearly two out of three clean energy workers nationwide. Supporting clean energy also supports veterans. Compared to the national average, clean energy employs a higher percentage of veterans like myself who view the sector as a good way to transition from active military service to the private sector.
Finally, while coronavirus caught many of us off-guard, scientists, business leaders, and investors have been warning us for years about another major economic threat — climate change. Rather than reacting to climate change when it’s too late, we can seize this moment to build a more resilient economy powered by clean energy.
I have faith in the American clean energy worker. Right now, these workers are hurting badly. At my company, we’re doing everything we can to keep our business viable and our teams intact. But we need help. Soon, we’ll all turn from economic and public health triage to planning for the long term. As elected officials lay the foundation for Iowa’s economic recovery, they must remember how clean energy and its millions of workers can help build a more prosperous, brighter, and more resilient future for all of us.
Troy Van Beek is founder and CEO of Ideal Energy Inc., a Fairfield-based solar company. Previously, he served in the U.S. Navy, including nine years on SEAL teams.
