Advanced Energy Perspectives

American offshore wind has been just over the horizon for years, but it wasn’t until recently that we could point to real, tangible movement. Last summer, off the coast of Rhode Island, Deepwater Wind “broke water” on a relatively small demonstration project. In July, the company delivered the foundations that will eventually support five wind turbines about 12 miles from the Rhode Island coast. As Deepwater prepares to kick off their second construction season, we find ourselves asking, wait… Wasn’t Massachusetts supposed to win the race for offshore wind?

For years now, AEE has been tracking the growth of the advanced energy industry in terms of dollars. Since 2011, U.S. advanced energy revenue has grown 29%, reaching $200 billion in 2015. While market growth has been impressive, we have struggled to pinpoint the number of jobs supported by the industry given the complexity of industry surveys. But now, thanks to newly available data, we can say definitively that advanced energy is a major source of employment in the U.S. How does advanced energy measure up compared to other employment sectors? Let’s look at the numbers.

This is a guest post from AEE Member Navigant Consulting. 

The energy industry is undergoing significant changes. From the adoption of renewables to energy storage, technology is changing how energy is generated and supplied. Navigant Research estimates that in 2015, global advanced energy markets reached $1.4 trillion in revenue. As AEE put it in the Advanced Energy Now 2016 Market Report, this means the advanced energy industry is as “big as fashion, twice the size of airlines, and close to worldwide spending on media and entertainment.” These numbers are impressive for illustrating the momentum in advanced energy adoption, but what does this mean for commercial buildings? It means it’s time for buildings to get smart.

This week, advanced transportation was making headlines across the country… but this week it’s not just electric cars and charging infrastructure. The news was full of solar planes, storage trains, and automated automobiles, as well as some of those EVs we love (though not everyone is loving them). Read on for this week’s advanced energy news update.