What the New Bill Means for Hiring in Renewable Energy

Clean Energy Hiring: What to Expect in the Next 18 Months

There’s been a lot of discussion recently about the new bill. Rather than rehash the details or its potential impact on the market, I want to share our observations from the field and our predictions for clean energy hiring over the next 6 to 18 months.

Incentive Uncertainty

One major concern is the President’s recent executive order, which proposes changing the incentive qualification from “commencing construction” to the more stringent “construction completed” requirement for tax credits.

If this change is implemented, our analysis will no longer be valid. However, for now, we’ll assume the industry will continue operating under the “commencing construction” rules.

A Compressed Construction Timeline

Projects will need to commence construction by the end of 2025. An exception exists for projects using equipment free of Chinese supply chain links or FEOC-restricted components, which may have until June 2026.

This will create a significant surge in activity. Every EPC will be extremely busy, leading to a surge in hiring for:

• Installers
• Site Managers
• Construction Managers
• Essentially, anyone who can help with getting steel in the ground.

Expect a major rush, similar to previous cycles when incentives were set to expire or decrease.

The 18-Month Talent Crunch

Demand for talent will remain high even after this initial wave of projects commences. Many projects originally scheduled for 2026, 2027, or even 2028 will likely be accelerated to meet the new deadlines. This will strain the available labor pool for months, if not years.

Simultaneously, we anticipate heavy pressure on the supply chain, affecting modules, inverters, racking, and other balance-of-system components. This will lead to increased hiring in:

• Engineering
• Sales
• Project Management, especially within manufacturing.

Key Talent Gaps:

• Applications and Project Engineering
• Utility-Scale Project Managers
• Construction Managers, Site Supers, etc.
• Skilled Electricians
• Experienced Installers

After the Rush: What Comes Next?

Once this extensive buildout concludes, the market will likely experience a slowdown as developers and investors reassess the economics and identify viable markets for late 2026 and 2027. Expect a noticeable downturn as activity decreases and the backlog clears.

Beyond that, we anticipate steady, but not explosive, growth as the market stabilizes into a new reality for renewables.

The Bottom Line

This industry is resilient. We’ve navigated challenging cycles before, and we will adapt, whether through cost reductions, accepting compressed margins, or optimizing deployment strategies.

Ultimately, solar and energy storage remain the most viable solutions for meeting the grid’s growing energy demand over the next three years. Even if they come at a higher cost.