(Radio Iowa) – A new report shows well over 33-THOUSAND people were working in Iowa’s clean energy sector in 2024, nearly three percent more than the year before. Micaela Preskill) is director of state advocacy for E-2, a national group that advocates for environmentally-friendly policies and issued the report showing the number of jobs in clean energy businesses in Iowa set a record last year.

“The 12 Midwest states that we looked at all experienced growth in the clean energy industry several times faster than overall employment growth,” Preskill says. The report indicates the pace of job creation in Iowa’s clean energy sector last year was six times faster than in the overall job market. The group warns the clear energy industry is facing headwinds this year, however.

Preskill says the “One Big Beautiful Bill” President Trump signed in July phases out federal tax credits for renewable energy projects and the group estimates 22 BILLION dollars worth of clean energy projects in the United States have already been delayed or cancelled this year. “This comes at a time when we’re in an energy emergency,” Preskill says. “Demand is rising fast, so making it harder to deploy clean energy which is the cheapest, fastest source of new power is bad for the economy and, of course, bad for jobs.”

Preskill says action at the state level is key. “This report shows that clean energy is a bright spot in the Midwest economy,” Preskill said, “and the future of the Midwest’s clean energy economy depends on state leaders acting with urgency.” The group’s report says Iowa lawmakers should fast-track renewable energy deployment before the federal solar and wind tax credits expire and enact state tax incentives that help fill some of the void when the credits do go away.

The group says the rapid rise in data centers is contributing to unprecedented demand for electricity and states like Iowa should prioritize low-cost, clean options like solar and wind power to meet that demand. There are more than two dozen data centers in Iowa now and Microsoft, Google, Apple and Meta all plan to build more here.