The Future Workforce of the Clean Energy Economy

The clean energy transition is reshaping the workforce. The rapid pace of technological change is creating both uncertainty and opportunity for workers and businesses around the world. Shifting policies and markets are affecting careers in the United States, while India is quickly deploying renewable energy, creating new opportunities for investment, manufacturing and skilled workers.

In this E4C Webinar in our Catalyze Series, Bob Keefe, Executive Director of E2, and Dr. Amol Phadke, Faculty Director of the India Energy and Climate Center at UC Berkeley, will examine the future workforce of the clean energy economy and the forces shaping the global transition. The webinar will include case studies from the United States and India, along with new insights from E2’s Clean Jobs America 2026 report.

Mr. Keefe will draw on findings from E2’s report to discuss clean energy workforce trends in the United States and emerging opporunties around the world. Dr. Phadke will offer a perspective on India’s clean energy transition, including the role of renewable energy technologies, their sharply declining costs and policies that favor their deployment.

And we have a late-breaking announcement that a third special guest will join us. Efrem Bycer, who leads LinkedIn’s climate and workforce policy, will drop in to highlight findings from the newly published LinkedIn Global Green Skills Report 2026. Mr. Bycer will take questions and offer his LinkedIn perspective on the future workforce.

Join us to:

• Explore trends shaping the clean energy workforce in the United States and globally
• Examine case studies from the United States and India, looking at what they reveal about clean energy growth
• Gain new data insights from E2’s Clean Jobs America 2026 report
• Learn about emerging workforce, investment and manufacturing opportunities in the clean energy economy
• Consider how engineers and other technical professionals can contribute to the growing clean energy sector

This presentation is part of the CATALYZE Series, connecting to themes of the CATALYZE Summit. The Summit is a two-day, in-person gathering in April, 2027, in Detroit, Michigan, where engineers, researchers, and practitioners will convene to accelerate climate solutions across industry. CATALYZE is co-produced by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Constructive, a nonprofit reshaping cross-sector collaboration to advance clean energy and climate solutions.

Explore the Catalyze Webinar Series

Presenters

Bob Keefe is Executive Director of E2, where he leads the organization’s efforts to advance the business and economic case for policies that are good for the economy and the environment.

Since joining E2 in 2011, Bob has overseen the organization’s growth into a national network of more than 12,000 business leaders across every region of the country, and helped establish E2 as the nation’s leading business voice for the clean economy.

Recognized as one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential Climate Leaders, Bob has testified before Congress and numerous state legislatures on the clean economy and the economic opportunities of clean energy and climate action. His insights have been featured in leading media outlets including CNN, Fox News, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and many others.

Bob is the author of two acclaimed books on the economics of climate change: Climatenomics: Washington, Wall Street, and the Economic Battle to Save Our Planet (2022) and Clean Economy NOW: Stories from the Frontlines of an American Business Revolution (2024). He has also co-authored several other business-related books.

In addition to his work at E2, Bob serves on the boards of the Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) and the international nonprofit conservation group Nature and Culture International.

Before joining E2, Bob spent more than two decades as an award-winning journalist covering business, politics, technology, the environment, and national affairs. He was the Washington correspondent for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a California-based national reporter for Cox Newspapers/Cox News Service, technology editor for the Austin (TX) American-Statesman, and business and investigative reporter for the St. Petersburg (FL) Times and The Greenville (SC) News.

He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was a Fellow at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

Dr. Amol Phadke is Faculty Director of the India Energy and Climate Center at the University of California Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy and a staff scientist in the Electricity Markets and Policy Department at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. His research focuses on energy technologies that  support the clean energy transition, and on methods for optimizing existing grid infrastructure for their deployment. He also studies the electrification of trains and ships.

Dr. Phadke has led influential studies, advised senior policymakers worldwide, and testified before the U.S. Congress. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and reports, and his work has been featured in major media outlets including the New York Times and the Times of India. Previously, he worked at TATA Motors and the Prayas Energy Group.

Efrem Bycer leads climate and workforce policy for LinkedIn. Leveraging LinkedIn’s Network Data, he works closely with government agencies, multilateral organizations, and NGOs to improve reemployment services, promote a skills-based labor market, and grow the workforce we need for the climate transition. Efrem has more than 15 years of experience in workforce and economic development across business, government, and NGOs. Prior to joining LinkedIn, Efrem launched Code for America’s Economic Development Team and held positions at the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation and City of San Diego. Efrem lives in San Diego with his wife and three daughters.

Moderator

Iana Aranda is the Managing Director of Sustainability in the Engineering for Sustainable Development division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the outgoing President of Engineering for Change. In these roles, Ms. Aranda leads cross-functional efforts to develop sustainability business strategy focusing on advancing engineering knowledge, enhancing technical workforce readiness, facilitating the energy transition, and accelerating innovation to improve the quality of life for people and the planet. She also oversees ASME’s emerging climate technology and sustainability stakeholder engagement groups.