Clean energy jobs

The Center for Microgrid Research at the University of Saint Thomas provides students and clean energy industry leaders with unique opportunities to participate in cutting-edge research and the development of state-of-the-art microgrid technologies.

To meet the moment the state is in, Minnesota needs a network to support and cultivate new energy technologies. Minnesota Energy Alley will provide critical connections and training for entrepreneurs and energy innovators paired with seed funding to commercialize new energy technologies faster.

There are many careers in the clean energy industry and more are being added every day. Alex Poster and Carl Ludewig, interns with TruNorth Solar, are learning just how many different ways there are to contribute to this growing industry. We talked to them each about their time with TruNorth, how their internships have evolved over the past months and what they look forward to in their futures.

According to the 2021 Clean Jobs Midwest Report, advanced transportation was the fastest growing sector of jobs in the clean energy economy in Minnesota in 2020. Currently there are 3,252 Minnesotans employed in advanced transportation.

There are over 55,000 jobs in Minnesota’s clean energy industry. Of these jobs, nearly 75 percent are in energy efficiency. Work in Minnesota’s energy efficiency sector reduces greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and energy costs across the state. To better understand the responsibilities of an energy efficiency worker, we’ve looked at the impacts our member businesses have in this sector.

I decided I couldn’t be an electrical engineer because that’s what both my parents do. So I went with aerospace – I went way rogue. I loved my major and I really enjoyed what I did. When you break it down, aside from the really cool stuff like launching rockets into space and airplanes, aerospace engineering is really all about air flow and how air is actually a liquid. I have been in the HVAC and technologies industry for 13 years, my whole career. When I first came out of school, I started out as a sales engineer, working out of the…

Colton Koch is an installer/apprentice at TruNorth Solar. He graduated from the ETS (Energy Technical Specialist) program at Century College where he earned a NABCEP certification at the associate level. Every day, Colton works in the field gaining the experience needed to fulfill his goals of helping our planet. We talked with Colton about his interest in the field and what his job entails. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Minnesota’s clean energy sector has consistently added jobs at a faster rate than overall statewide job growth. In 2019, clean energy jobs grew 2.5 times faster than all other sectors of Minnesota’s economy. Before the pandemic hit, clean energy employers projected 7 percent growth in 2020 — or adding more than 4,500 new jobs. Over 10,000 clean energy workers lost their jobs during the pandemic, but with Minnesota’s history of solid growth, we expect to see them and more come back as the economic recovery begins.

Considering a career in clean energy? You’re not alone. In 2019 Clean Jobs Midwest reported that there were more than 61,800 people working in clean energy jobs across the state—1 in 3 of them in Greater Minnesota—an increase of over 1,000 jobs just that year.