The number of jobs in the alternative energy industry has grown 6.4 percent in Massachusetts since 2003, according to the report.
“The Boston area is one of the real clean-technology pulls in America,’’ said Brookings senior fellow and policy director Mark Muro. “Massachusetts has a very balanced, strong clean-tech set of clusters that are reaching critical mass and fertilizing each other, propelled by outstanding research institutions and a history of entrepreneurial prowess.’’
California, with about 30,000 jobs in the industry, and New York, with about 15,000 jobs, topped the ranking among states. The leading metropolitan areas were San Francisco; Albany, N.Y.; and Knoxville, Tenn.
A study released by Governor Deval Patrick’s administration this week said the prospects for job growth, lower energy bills, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions justify state-mandated investment by utilities - a projected $5.37 billion through 2015 - in alternative energy, including energy efficiency. Utilities that operate in the state are required to purchase at least 6 percent of their supply from renewable sources such as wind and solar.
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, a quasi-public agency aimed at accelerating growth in the industry, estimates that the state’s alternative energy sector is significantly larger than Brookings estimates. The council counts 400 companies in manufacturing, energy efficiency services, and research and development in the sector employing about 11,000 workers - a 65 percent increase from 2007.
The numbers differ because Brookings takes a narrower view of which firms constitute the industry, counting jobs only at companies that solely produce alternative energy goods and services. Nonprofits and university researchers, for example, are excluded from the Brookings estimates. Brookings also excludes firms with fewer than five employees.
