4) Spur Job Growth and Other Economic Benefits 
A nation-wide switch to 100% clean energy would result in thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars saved.

As clean energy production is a fast growing market, more jobs will inevitably be generated. In 2009, the Union of Concerned Scientists conducted a study to pinpoint exactly how much economic growth our nation would experience if we enacted a policy requiring only 25% of our total electrical generation to come from renewable sources by 2025. What they discovered was significant; such a policy would triple the current number of jobs in today’s energy production industry, all while producing the same amount of electricity.

The Solutions Project looked even further into the future, predicting the economic benefits of a nation-wide switch to 100% clean energy by 2050. Pennsylvania’s statewide economy, in particular, shows great promise in this scenario. Generating 100% clean energy in-state would create roughly 470,000 new construction and operation jobs, 435,000 more jobs than the coal industry provides today, according to the study. Furthermore, the state could potentially save almost 24 billion dollars in avoided health costs per year.

The effects of switching to clean energy can also be felt outside the energy industry. Keeping energy production in the U.S. means that the money you spend on energy stays in the U.S. This means more money goes to domestic workers and businesses, which in turn leads to stronger economic growth.