US trails Brazil, China in 'green energy' jobs

Fuel Fix:

China and Brazil lead the world in renewable energy employment, hosting nearly half of the world’s green energy jobs, according to a new research report.

Worldwide, about 5.7 million people worked in the renewable energy sector in 2012 directly or indirectly, the International Renewable Energy Agency estimates. Of those, nearly one in three is based in China. Another 14 percent are in Brazil.

The United States is home to the world’s third largest renewable energy workforce, with about one in 10 of the world’s green energy jobs.
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The renewable energy industry in the United States is more diversified. The largest portion of green energy workers — about 35 percent — are employed in the biofuels sector. Biomass employs the next largest share, about 25 percent, IRENA found.

“The United States has seen overall expansion in renewable energy jobs, although wind and bioethanol employment have fluctuated,” the report said. “During 2012, a combination of factors led to antoher drop in [bioethanol] employment — among them soaring feedstock prices, withering yields under severe drought conditions, and lower demand due to the economic crisis.”

The solar industry — including photovoltaics, heating/cooling, and concentrated solar power — employs about 119,000 people in the United States, or 19 percent of the nation’s renewable energy workforce. The rest of U.S. green energy jobs are in wind (13 percent), geothermal (6 percent) and small hydropower (1 percent), according to the report.
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Despite wasting a lot of money on "renewable" energy investments, there is still a limited market for the inefficient energy produces by this sector and many companies have gone out of business despite the billions poured down these sinkholes.  The ethanol business is a byproduct of the artificial scarcity strategy imposed on the country by Democrats who still resist drilling for oil on federal control sites.  They are trying to manipulate the market for energy in order to make these dogs look more competitive.  Until there are more breakthroughs in producing alternative energy, the current technology will continue to be a loser.  It should also be noted that China has also lost a significant amount of money with this unwise investment.