Alternative Energy Jobs

Alternative Energy is almost identical to renewable energy, and to most people, they are identical, and the terms are being used interchangeably. But, at The Green Job Bank, we think they're different, and here's why:

The term alternative energy was created to mean energy that is produced from an alternative source to high-polluting fossil fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas). So, any energy produced from sources other than fossil fuels is alternative, and that includes:

• Energy produced from renewable sources such as solar, wind, geo-thermal, hydro and tide/ocean driven.
• Energy produced by re-processing waste.
• Energy produced by agricultural products, such as corn and wood.

However, alternative energy doesn't necessarily mean clean or renewable energy. Re-processing waste is worthwhile because it saves precious other resources, and uses a source that would otherwise remain unused and potentially harmful, but it's not renewable because the source isn't in unlimited or infinite amount.

In our classification system, alternative energy jobs are included in both renewable energy jobs and clean energy jobs.