Solar: According to Environmental Entrepreneurs, the solar industry was the top performer in 2013 for generating clean energy jobs. The Solar Foundation estimated there were close to 143,000 solar jobs in the United States in 2013, including 24,000 new jobs announced that year. The rate at which jobs were added in 2013 was more than 20 percent over 2012 levels.

Wind: In a 2014 report, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) indicated that the wind energy industry directly supported 50,500 full-time-equivalent jobs in 2013. AWEA cited a Navigant Consulting study it commissioned which predicted that if the Federal Production Tax Credit (PTC) were extended for four more years, it would support 54,000 additional jobs over that period, representing a 33 percent growth rate. The study also predicted a 50 percent cut in wind industry jobs in the absence of a PTC.

Hydropower: According to a 2014 report from the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE), the hydropower industry supports 200,000 to 300,000 jobs in the United States, as well as a supply chain of more than 2,500 companies. A Navigant Consulting study found the industry could support an additional 230,000 to 700,000 direct and indirect jobs by 2025 and expand its capacity by 23-000-60,000 megawatts (MW) with policies supportive of hydropower development.

Geothermal: In a May 2014 report, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) found that the geothermal industry supported 35,000 direct and indirect American jobs from 2012-2013. The Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) estimated in a 2013 report that the geothermal industry is able to generate about 25,000 more jobs than the natural gas industry at a capacity level of 500 MW.

Wave & Ocean Power: The Brookings-Battelle Clean Economy Database found 371 people working in the wave and ocean power sector in 2010. The Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, published a roadmap for wave and ocean power in 2011 which found that if the industry grew to a capacity of 15 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, it would support 36,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Biomass: According to IRENA, the biomass industry supported an estimated 152,000 direct and indirect jobs in the United States during the 2012-2013 period, including 15,500 direct jobs. According to the Biomass Power Association (BPA), the power section of the biomass industry employs 18,000 people in the United States, mostly in rural areas. BPA estimates biomass power can generate 10 times as many well-paid jobs as a comparable conventional natural gas facility.

Waste-to-Energy: A 2014 report from ACORE on renewable energy in America reported that the waste-to-energy industry, defined as "energy generated from the sustainable management of municipal solid waste," directly supported 5,350 jobs and indirectly supported 8,600 jobs - a total of close to 14,000 jobs. Government Advisory Associates estimated that each direct waste-to-energy job supports 1.6 additional jobs.

Fuel Cells: Fuel Cells 2000 estimated in 2011 that 10,845 jobs were supported by the fuel cell industry, including 3,615 direct and 7,230 indirect jobs. The U.S. Department of Energy estimated that with the rapid increase in the adoption of fuel cells, 180,000 new domestic jobs could be created by 2020, and 685,000 jobs by 2035.

Biogas: The American Biogas Council (ABC) estimated in 2014 that there are currently 2,000 operational biogas systems, with a market potential for 12,000 additional systems. In June 2012, ABC Executive Director Patrick Serfass estimated there were more than 2,200 biogas-producing sites operating, including 186 digesters on farms, 1,500 digesters at wastewater treatment plants, and 576 landfill-based energy projects. Although there is no data available for current employment, ABC estimated in 2014 that the biogas industry could support 300,000 construction jobs and 20,000 permanent jobs.   

Renewable Fuels: According to the Fuels America coalition, the renewable fuels industry - which includes biodiesel, conventional and cellulosic ethanol, as well as advanced biofuels and their suppliers - supported 852,056 jobs in 2014. Among these jobs, 292,166 are direct jobs, 226,098 are induced jobs, and 333,792 are jobs in supplier chains. The following is a job breakdown for the three main sectors of renewable fuels.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) did a separate estimate of jobs in the renewable energy industry in the United States, finding a total of 625,000 direct and indirect jobs in the solar, biofuel, wind, biomass, hydropower and geothermal industries.

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In the quest to make wearable electronics useful, researchers take a close look at the neck. 

Microsoft researchers have created a scarf that can be commanded to heat up and vibrate via a smartphone app, part of an exploration of how the accessory could eventually work with emerging biometric- and emotion-sensing devices. It could, perhaps, soothe you if a sensor on your body determines you're down-a function that could be particularly useful for people who have disorders such as autism and have trouble managing their feelings.

A paper on the project, called Swarm (Sensing Whether Affect Requires Mediation) was presented on Sunday at the Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction at Stanford University.

Michele Williams, a paper coauthor and graduate student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, who worked on the project while she was an intern at Microsoft Research, says the group chose to focus on a scarf in part because it can be a discreet way to house technology, unlike, say, a medical device.

The current prototype-which the researchers made after consulting with people with autism and hearing and visual disabilities-is a flexible laser-cut garment made of hexagons of industrial felt overlaid with conductive copper taffeta. Some of the modules can heat up, while others can vibrate.

All the modules are controlled by one master module that is also responsible for communicating with the smartphone app over Bluetooth. The modules link together with metal snaps and are interchangeable; if you want a heat-producing module closer to your stomach and a vibrating one on your neck, you can unsnap the chain and reconfigure it, says Asta Roseway, a principal research designer at Microsoft Research and a paper coauthor.

Roseway demonstrated for me over a video call how the scarf works. She pulled it off a mannequin and wrapped it around her neck, unsnapping one module and then snapping it on to the end of the chain. She turned it on and paired it with a Swarm app on a smartphone, then turned on the vibration function.

Though the metallic design of the scarf might appeal to some, it's meant to fit inside a sleeve when worn, researchers say. That way, "you don't have to show everyone, 'Hey I've got tech all over me," Roseway says. "It's subtle."

Williams would like to add the ability to cool the wearer-potentially useful for calming you down since sweat can be an indicator of stress-and add a music player so people could activate custom playlists based on their moods.

For now, though, the project is more concept than creation. Because Swarm was a project undertaken during Williams's internship, it's unclear whether work on it will continue. 

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