Economics

Renewable energy and energy efficiency (RE&EE) technologies and programs have been around for decades and are well understood. However, the literature review the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) and Management Information Services, Inc. (MISI) conducted as part of the research collected in the report titled Defining, Estimating,
and Forecasting the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Industries in the U.S. and in Ohio revealed deficiencies in the existing analyses of the economic and jobs impacts of RE&EE technologies and initiatives.

For one thing, there are no consistent definitions of either the RE or the EE industry. In addition, there are no aggregated industry data, because the analyses and forecasts usually deal only with a specific sub-element of the RE&EE industry (wind, photovoltaic or PV, vehicle fuel efficiency, etc.).

Virtually all of the studies we reviewed use different assumptions, scenarios, base years, forecast time horizons, and other parameters, making it difficult or impossible to compare one to another. And many of the forecasts take the form of “If we spend $X billion on technology Y over the next … years, then Z will be the result.” Because all of the important variables differ significantly among the forecasts, in the aggregate they are less useful than they might be.

In our report, we remedied these deficiencies. First, we developed working definitions of the RE&EE industry. Next, we established a baseline of 2006 data describing the size and scope of the RE&EE industry that analysts can use to make forecasts meaningful and easy to compare. And finally, we forecast the growth of the RE&EE industry to 2030 under three different scenarios. Download the complete 68 page report