A key source of employment growth in Georgia is now at risk from federal cuts
Clean energy jobs in Georgia grew more than five times faster than the rest of the state’s economy in 2024, raising the total number of clean energy workers in the state to over 85,500, according to a new report released Wednesday by E2, a national, nonpartisan business group, and its partners at Georgia Solar Energy Association, Black Owners of Solar Services and Georgia Cleantech Innovation Hub.
The third annual Clean Jobs Georgia report showed the state added nearly 3,300 clean energy jobs in 2024, ranking the Peach State the sixth in the nation, according to the report.
Jobs in energy efficiency, renewable power, energy storage and grid improvements grew faster than the rest of the economy, making up a large share of Georgia’s workforce.
The energy efficiency sector hosts more than two-thirds of Georgia’s clean energy jobs, supporting over 61,000 jobs in 2024, according to the report. Clean energy now makes up nearly 39% of all energy and vehicle-related jobs in the state and roughly 2% of all jobs overall. About two-thirds of those positions, nearly 57,000, are in construction or manufacturing, according to the report.
“The momentum in clean energy job growth over the past several years is largely the result of significant investment in local manufacturing,” said Andy Marshall, executive director of Georgia Cleantech Innovation Hub. “The need for energy capacity, which will be met via all sources including efficiency, renewables, and energy storage will be the driver of jobs in these sectors for years to come.”
However, new federal actions in 2025 — including revoked tax credits, canceled permits and stalled projects — have already led to substantial clean-energy job losses, even though those impacts aren’t visible in the 2024 data.
“These numbers demonstrate that clean energy continued to be an outsized source for job growth in Georgia in 2024,” said Zach Amittay, E2’s Southeast advocate. “Unfortunately, that growth is threatened by backsliding in 2025 on the federal policy front, but we hope Georgia’s policymakers will take action to maintain clean energy’s momentum as a job engine.”
Georgia’s clean energy workforce, scrapped projects
Since January, companies have scrapped more than $2.9 billion in planned clean-energy factories and other projects in Georgia that were expected to generate nearly 1,100 jobs, according to separate E2 research.
“The job growth highlighted in this report confirms that clean energy is now a cornerstone of Georgia’s economic competitiveness,” said Adam Hoyt, GSEA Board Member. “These projects strengthen local economies, attract private investment, and save consumers money. Georgia’s policymakers must be clear-minded about maintaining a business climate where clean energy companies can keep creating high-quality jobs across the state.”
Fulton County is home to nearly 16,000 clean energy workers — the highest in Georgia — with Cobb, Gwinnett, DeKalb and Henry following, in that order.
Veterans made up 10.6 percent of the clean energy workforce for Georgia in 2024, the report said.
The E2 report draws on employment data from the 2025 U.S. Energy and Employment Report, which combines federal labor statistics with a national survey of 42,800 businesses conducted by BW Research. The methodology, approved by the Office of Management and Budget and the U.S. Department of Energy, identifies energy-related jobs across sectors, with full details available in E2’s Clean Jobs America report.
This story was originally published November 19, 2025 at 10:10 AM.
