3 Reasons Clean Energy Infrastructure is Good for Working Families
Affordable energy is necessary for a stable, thriving and sustainable economy, but we now know the need for clean, sustainable energy for our environment. Public and private investments in Wisconsin are moving towards cleaner alternatives like solar and wind power as primary sources of renewable energy. And while a historic investment in clean energy infrastructure can spur economic growth in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the transition to clean energy sources also has important implications for environmental health, public health and working families.
It’s vitally important for a successful transition that the clean energy sector does three things: creates good family-supporting careers, invests in registered apprenticeship programs, and upholds local construction standards. Fortunately, the current stats point to the fact that clean energy infrastructure will offer new opportunities and little negative impact on project costs:
- 83% of peer-reviewed economic studies have concluded that prevailing wage standards have no impact on the overall cost of traditional public works projects.
- Installation labor accounts for just 7-10% of total costs on solar and wind energy systems.
- Prevailing wage standards and project labor agreements on clean energy projects could only, at maximum, increase total costs by 1-3%, without factoring in changes in productivity, training, safety, and other contractor efficiencies that offset higher labor costs.
Overall, the clean energy sector is shaping up to be a rising star when it comes to a brighter future for our environment, economy and working families.
