The Clean Economy Tracker (CET), a collaboration between Utah State University and Atlas Public Policy, collects data on clean energy industry jobs and investments across the United States. This brand-new tool allows users to track everything from critical mineral extraction and processing to battery technology, as well as electric vehicles (EVs), heat pumps, transmission and grid materials, and zero-emission electricity generation technologies of all kinds. Data collected from the tracker includes investments in coal, oil, and gas communities and rural and low-income areas.
The tracker is a way to visualize and follow the clean energy funding given to private investments throughout the U.S. It is currently tracking $232 billion in committed private investments in clean energy manufacturing.
Photo Courtesy Clean Economy Tracker
“It is hard to keep track of the breadth of investments in clean energy manufacturing in the United States, so we built a tool to help decision-makers,” Tom Taylor, senior policy analyst at Atlas Public Policy, said in a press release. “When you see it all together, you can grasp the significance of the economic shift that is happening right now across the country.”
According to Atlas Public Policy, the tracker is a “one-stop shop for information on this growing industry and how the clean economy is creating jobs across the country.”
The tool also allows users to drill down to a local level — including by congressional district — to understand where the clean energy economy is growing. The tracker is extraordinarily valuable for that data, giving clarity and a broad view of the transition to clean energy.
Photo Courtesy Atlas Public Policy
According to the CET, clean energy has led to more than 300,000 announced jobs for Americans to date. Atlas Public Policy says that over 75% of new private funding investments in clean energy tracked by the tool came after the federal bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was passed in November 2021. More than 80% of announced manufacturing investments have been in EVs and batteries, including stationary batteries.
The tracker also provides critical information in specific sectors, including demonstrating that 2023 was a breakout year for solar. Atlas Public Policy points to more than 70% of the total announced solar manufacturing investments since 2009 coming in 2023.
“The clean energy economy is growing fast and bringing big opportunities for job growth in local communities around the country. But the scale of these changes isn’t readily visible,” Peter Howe, Utah State University professor, said in a statement.
“The Clean Economy Tracker gives decision-makers from the local to the national level a view of where these clean energy investments are happening and their impacts.”
Photo Courtesy Clean Economy Tracker
The tracker showcases projects for emerging technologies supported by the U.S. Department of Energy. American energy independence from China and Russia can be secured by investing in domestic energy production. Being able to readily see the transition’s progress via tools like the Clean Economy Tracker is critical as the U.S. and the world move closer to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The tool is updated weekly.
