Issue: Solar

With the IRA’s 2nd anniversary, we’ve seen the positive ripples of the IRA spread across the nation. The Climate Jobs National Resource Center announced that over 6,200 IRA-eligible clean energy projects are planned, in development or already complete. CJNRC estimates the sum of all projects across the country will create over 3 million jobs that can boost pay and job quality by meeting IRA labor provisions, and generate over 1 million megawatts of clean power.

Workers in clean energy in Texas experience difficult labor conditions. This research finds that many workers across sectors in Texas face dangerous and even deadly working conditions; lack access to benefits like health insurance, workers’ compensation, and retirement plans such as a pension or 401(k); and have experienced pervasive income, wealth, race, and gender inequality. This field study examines the conditions of 1,224 individuals working in utility-scale solar, wind and clean energy manufacturing. Texas has emerged as a national leader in wind production and solar energy installation, with renewable energy accounting for 86% of the state’s planned energy generation through 2030. This growth is in part due to unprecedented funding provided by historic federal climate investments such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).