Massachusetts’ Renewable Energy Opportunity: Insights from the Cornell Climate Jobs Report Launch at IBEW 103
Last week at IBEW 103, members of the CCC joined Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, MA Senator Mike Barrett (a CCC supporter and previous guest speaker), MA Representative Marjorie Decker, and hundreds of labor leaders and supporters at the launch of the much-anticipated Cornell Climate Jobs Institute report, Building the Clean Energy Commonwealth. The launch was organized by leading CCC participant and Executive Director of Climate Jobs MA Ryan Murphy.
The new report, sponsored by Massachusetts labor, outlines ambitious recommendations to support MA in meeting climate, jobs, and equity goals through greater investment in the clean energy economy. Particularly interesting are the insights on pages 32 and 33, where the report outlines strategic recommendations for ramping up renewable energy production to meet 2040 goals alongside notable environmental benefits.
Strategic Recommendations to Boost MA’s Clean Energy Economy
The report recommends “dramatically increasing renewable energy production by 2040.” Specific targets include:
Installing 20 GW of solar energy by 2030 and a total of 30 GW of solar energy by 2040
Installing 10 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and a total of 26 GW of offshore wind by 2040
Installing 4 GW of battery storage by 2030 and a total of 6 GW by 2040
According to the Cornell researchers, meeting these goals will create immense opportunities for direct job creation and regional avoided emissions. Specifically:
Job Creation: Total Direct Jobs
Solar: 293,664
Offshore Wind: 30,634
Energy Storage: 3,636
Emission Reduction: Regional Emissions Avoided
Solar: 33,895,999 MT CO2eq
Offshore Wind: 77,315,161 MT CO2eq
Energy Storage: 160,358 MT CO2eq
More details from the IBEW event can be found in the Boston Globe article covering the event: Massachusetts Democrats pitch energy transition to union workers.
In our monthly meetings of the Commonwealth Climate Coalition, we've been building new and needed coalition value between MA climate tech, labor, academia, and municipalities. In our previous meetings, we’ve been joined by Ryan Murphy of Climate Jobs MA, who was instrumental in driving the Cornell Jobs Institute Report across the finish line with the support of a coalition of MA unions.
The CCC has been working to provide conclusive evidence that the clean energy revolution is an outstanding business opportunity, an unparalleled workforce opportunity, and a much-needed equity opportunity — a "win-win-win" for the Commonwealth. The Climate Jobs Institute Report underscores this immense opportunity, and outlines innovative pathways for MA to build an equitable and resilient clean energy economy — allowing us to unlock the "triple win."
We are looking forward to continuing the conversation at our next meetings (May 14th & June 6th), focused specifically on strategic partnerships between over a dozen leading MA higher education institutions and State officials, including Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer and the Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
President of the AFL-CIO Chrissy Lynch; Sustainability Roundtable Inc. CEO & Founder Jim Boyle; and Ryan Murphy, Executive Director of Climate Jobs MA
