Critical Research to Support Illinois Workers and Communities Navigating the Clean Energy Transition
The Illinois Climate Jobs Institute’s research agenda aims to support the state’s transition to a clean energy future, with a focus on the needs of workers and communities. We identify ways to minimize job loss, maximize high-quality job creation, promote economic development, and facilitate an equitable transition to a clean energy economy. Explore our main areas of research below.
Federal Policy Impacts
Recent federal policies have rolled back clean energy tax credits, funding, and environmental protections. Our Institute is researching how these policy changes are impacting Illinois workers and communities.
Illinois Coal Workers and Communities Listening Project
Coal has powered Illinois for generations–and in many towns it still does. We’re listening to people who’ve lived through coal plant and mine closures–or are preparing for them now. We’ll use what we learn to honor workers’ stories and help communities plan for the future.
CJI is conducting research and developing tools to better understand clean energy job and training needs, helping to inform the state’s clean energy workforce programs.
Reducing on-site building emissions from natural gas is necessary to reach Illinois’ climate goals. CJI is conducting research on residential and commercial building electrification to explore barriers to adoption, policies, workforce and labor concerns, and the economic impacts of building electrification.
Our Institute is exploring job quality and working conditions in the solar industry in Illinois, from workers’ perspectives. While the solar workforce is growing, we don’t yet know who is doing this work, under what conditions, and whether workforce investments are delivering the high-quality jobs promised by Illinois policy.
The Illinois Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) established a variety of programs to incentivize clean energy development, grow the clean energy workforce, and support workers and communities transitioning away from fossil fuels. Our research explores the impact of these investments.
The Climate Jobs Institute produces research reports, tools, and resources to support the state’s transition to a clean energy economy. Check out our most recent publications below or click on “All Research” to access our entire research library.
Interested in staying informed on what CJI is doing? Sign up to receive our newsletter and other research updates. We’ll share summaries of our research findings, links to publications and tools, and opportunities for collaboration.
Want to learn more about how you can use CJI’s tools? In this webinar, Linda Larsen, Associate Director of Research at the Climate Jobs Institute, shares CJI’s tools that have been developed to help with planning and grant applications for Clean Energy projects.
