The world is shifting towards sustainable and clean power sources, resulting in a significant change in the energy infrastructure sector. This shift has created many career opportunities for individuals who are passionate about making a difference in this field. (Photo stock credit: Depositphotos).

The adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies into the US power system has led to an increase in clean energy jobs, which is good news for the economy. Currently, there are almost 8 million jobs in the renewable energy sector, and in 2021, the employment rate in the energy industry grew at a faster rate than the overall US employment rate.

Recently, US Black Engineer magazine’s Top Supporters List celebrated its 20th anniversary, which involves a survey completed by engineering deans at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and AMIE, a corporate-academic alliance.

The list includes energy and energy-related companies and organizations that appeared on it in the last decade, contributing to these schools’ institutional missions. These organizations are committed to diversity and invest in working with HBCUs.

The energy industry offers job opportunities in various sectors, making it an attractive field for individuals interested in STEM. According to the International Energy Agency, the regional distribution of energy jobs depends on multiple factors, including the concentration of energy facilities being built and the labor-intensive nature of building new facilities.

The energy industry presents diverse employment options in traditional and renewable sectors. Although the energy industry has a higher percentage of non-white workers, at 26 percent, there is still a lower-than-average representation of Black and Latino workers. Furthermore, no energy technology industries have a proportional representation of Black workers compared to their overall representation in the US workforce.

In June, The Energy Transition Show with Chris Nelder celebrated its 200th podcast with a retrospective episode. During the episode, they reflected on the progress of the energy transition since the show’s launch in 2015.

Topics included the “war on coal,” the concept of the “energy transition,” advancements in wind and solar power, changing perspectives on natural gas, the diminishing role of “baseload” power, the surge in popularity of electric vehicles, and evolving views on nuclear power.

Jeff St. John, an experienced energy journalist and director of news and special projects at Canary Media, conducted the interview with Nelder, providing a broad perspective on the energy transition’s progress. Click here to listen.