If Communities Can Own Their Clean Energy Infrastructure, They Should Also Own the Jobs That Come With It

Decarbonization and clean energy solutions have massive growth potential — thanks in large part to the fact that these projects can be decentralized. 

Communities embrace these projects for their ability to produce net energy savings, shrink greenhouse gas emissions, and make them less dependent on a handful of energy and utility players. That final benefit also happens to be a boon for local jobs.

The Underdog Can Finally Have His Day

For decades, the clean energy sector has been an underdog. Everyone remembers how Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the White House roof in 1979. Yes, they were later removed in 1986, but they found a new life heating water for a dining hall at Unity College from 1991 to 2010. 

The past decade and a half has been different, though. Manufacturing costs have plummeted compared to where they were at the start of the new millenium. Interest in clean energy projects, meanwhile, has soared.

A Deloitte analysis found that 93% of new power-generating capacity in the U.S. added in 2025 came from renewable sources. Of these, 83% came from new solar and storage installations. 

And, unlike most forms of infrastructure development, these projects aren't concentrated within a few regional hubs. They can be seen everywhere: in cities, along highways, looking out onto the prairie, and in neighborhoods all around the country.

Clean Energy Jobs Stall But May Not Have Fallen Much in 2025

Make no mistake, the emerging clean energy industry is one of the biggest jobs growth and success stories of the 21st century.

A report on 2024 clean energy jobs calculated that "more than 3.5 million Americans now hold jobs related to clean energy, more than are employed as nurses, cashiers, servers, or elementary school teachers."

The development marks a rapid expansion, with over half a million clean energy sector jobs added from 2019 – 2024 — surpassing the growth of jobs in fossil fuels and internal combustion motor vehicles over the same period.

Addressing the elephant in the room: yes, a lot has changed in the clean energy sector over the past year. Financial incentives were repealed and funding was clawed back for projects in every region of the U.S. Everything from executive orders to tariffs to creative policy interpretations have been used to create a hostile environment for new clean energy starts.

While these developments are devastating, the majority of job losses have been hypothetical. Canceled projects that were currently in the mix were expected to bring 16,500 new jobs. Estimating further out, a total of 760,000 jobs that could have been created may never materialize.

All that unfortunate news notwithstanding, employment in the clean energy industry continues to stand at all-time highs. Employment figures aren't readily available yet for 2025, but any losses that did occur only threaten to bring down employment from those historic heights. 

Crucially, many of these jobs aren't being created in big multinational companies, either. Instead, they are often associated with startups, regional operations, and contract services providers in communities all across the country. 

When job growth happens in small and medium-sized projects or incubators like this, it creates a system where it's not just energy production that's being made more self-determining and resilient — it's also local employment.

How Conserve™ Helps Fuel Jobs and Expertise in Local Communities

Communities, building owners, and developers alike open up worlds of opportunity when they decide to invest in clean energy infrastructure. Solar, battery installations and other forms of renewable energy generation can form microgrids. Clusters of these build emergent clean energy structures that decarbonize communities while powering their own independence.

One of the biggest barriers to getting projects like these off the ground, though, is feasibility: stakeholders need to know what it might cost, what the total scope will be, what equipment is needed, and how much it will actually impact their total emissions and energy cost-savings.

Conserve™ is a technology platform that standardizes this process. It helps deliver assessments more quickly, more cheaply, and in a format that allows for apples-to-apples comparisons. The platform also creates revenue-generating opportunities for auditing engineers, specialized assessment teams, and consultants.

The goal is for people to work with others in their community they can trust. Local dollars can then stay in the community longer, helping fuel economic growth and other infrastructure improvements. Co-financing, municipal bonds, and taking advantage of state and local incentives amplifies this positive feedback loop further. 

In the end, communities can grow and flourish. Thriving clean energy businesses, jobs creation, and infrastructural improvements all collectively contribute to positively change the way we consume energy.

It may not be enough to start a revolution overnight, but it's all part of a solid start. And it's already making a difference in communities around the U.S.

Learn More About How Conserve™ Supports Communities' Clean Energy Projects and Jobs Creation

The Conserve™ platform was built to give clean energy projects a boost by reducing assessment costs and other barriers to planning. With more projects getting off the ground — supported by in-community expertise — we can improve climate resilience and promote independence from a centralized energy infrastructure.

On an emergent scale, these smaller projects have the ability to compound, driving renewable energy capacity and investments in areas that have so-often been overlooked by existing infrastructure. It's all a part of thinking big by starting small, and it has the potential to truly transform lives.

Learn more about Conserve™ by reaching out to Gemini Energy Solutions today.