While overall jobs declined in Indiana between 1998 and 2007, jobs in the clean energy sector grew nearly 18 percent in the same period, according to a national research study.

The Pew Charitable Trusts released a study Wednesday defining what a clean energy economy is and analyzing across all 50 states the jobs, companies and venture capital investments supporting the demand for environmentally-friendly products and services.

Job growth in the clean energy economy grew 17.9 percent, while overall jobs declined 1 percent between 1998 and 2007. In the same period nationally, jobs in the clean energy sector grew at a rate of 9.1 percent, while traditional jobs grew by 3.7 percent.

"While Indiana has been hit hard by job losses overall, the state's clean energy sector grew by nearly 18 percent between 1998 and 2007," said Jodi Gibson, Indiana representative for the Pew Environment Group, in a statement. "Jobs in renewable energy and energy storage and transmission have helped drive the growth in Indiana's clean energy economy. In fact, Hoosiers are a dominant force in wind power, with the fastest growth in wind power generation nationwide in 2008."

The study said in 2007 there were nearly 17,300 jobs in Indiana's clean energy economy. The study defined a clean energy economy as on that "generates jobs, businesses and investments while expanding clean energy production, increasing energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, waste and pollution and conserving water and other natural resources."

The study also created five categories for the clean energy economy: clean energy; energy efficiency; environmentally friendly production; conservation and pollution mitigation; and training and support.

Venture capital investment in the state for clean technology totaled $26 million over the past three years, showing that the private sector sees this as an expanding market opportunity, the study said.

The study said Indiana will receive a boost from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which allocated nearly $85 billion nationwide in direct spending and tax incentives for energy- and transportation-related programs.