Photo voltaic power jobs had been up in 47 states and elevated 9% nationwide from 2020 to 2021 to a complete of 255,037 photo voltaic staff. These findings are within the annual “National Solar Jobs Census” launched in the present day by the Interstate Renewable Vitality Council (IREC), an impartial nationwide nonprofit group. This job progress occurred in a 12 months of file photo voltaic installations pushed by elevated demand for renewable power amongst residential prospects, municipalities, companies, and electrical utilities.
General, the photo voltaic business added 21,563 jobs in 2021, with greater than two-thirds of those new jobs (14,350) at set up and venture improvement corporations.
“America’s photo voltaic business got here again sturdy from the pandemic to develop the clear power workforce throughout all areas of the nation,” stated Larry Sherwood, President and CEO at IREC. “The longer term stays unsure in mild of the provision chain disruptions, commerce points, and stalled federal coverage within the first a part of 2022. There may be potential for unprecedented job progress within the coming years if federal, state, and native leaders take motion to develop clear power use and deal with local weather change.”
Over the previous decade, U.S. photo voltaic employment has greater than doubled from 105,145 jobs in 2011 to 255,037 jobs in 2021. Probably the most important progress has taken place within the set up and venture improvement sector, the place employment greater than tripled since 2011 to achieve 168,960 jobs in 2021.
On the state stage, California continues to steer within the complete variety of photo voltaic jobs with 75,712 jobs as of 2021, adopted by Florida (11,761 jobs), Massachusetts (10,548 jobs), New York (10,524 jobs), and Texas (10,346 jobs). These are adopted by Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and Ohio, every with 7,000 to 9,000 jobs. California additionally led for the variety of jobs added in 2021 (7,035 new jobs), adopted by Massachusetts (+1,053 jobs), Nevada (+1,019 jobs), and Arizona (+932 jobs). Different sturdy progress states had been Ohio, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Georgia, every with 800 to 900 new jobs. An entire desk of photo voltaic jobs by state and job progress from 2020 is available online.
“Photo voltaic power is an financial progress engine, creating new jobs whereas it helps us confront the local weather disaster,” stated Dan Reicher, Senior Scholar, Stanford Woods Institute and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Vitality. “There may be huge and untapped potential to develop photo voltaic installations and associated jobs throughout the US, in an environmentally sustainable method, as we assist companies and households entry this renewable power supply.”
Credit score: Nextracker
The photo voltaic business nonetheless has extra work to do to fulfill its targets for variety, fairness, and inclusion and prolong the advantages of the clear power financial system to underrepresented teams. The report discovered that ladies made up slightly below 30% of the photo voltaic workforce in 2021, whereas Black workers made up 8% of the workforce, Latino or Hispanic staff made up 20%, and Asian staff made up 9%. Fewer than one-third of photo voltaic corporations reported methods to extend feminine, ethnic or racial minority, or LGBTQ+ hires.
The photo voltaic business can provide a path to development and a family-sustaining profession, together with for these and not using a two- or four-year school diploma. Lower than one-third of entry-level photo voltaic jobs (31%) require a bachelor’s diploma, whereas 65% of corporations present on-the-job coaching. In a 12 months with a good labor market, 89% of corporations reported problem discovering certified candidates, together with 35% that stated it was “very tough.”
This report analyzes information from the U.S. Division of Vitality’s U.S. Vitality and Employment Report 2022 and a supplemental followup survey of photo voltaic institutions. Each surveys had been administered by BW Analysis Partnership. The Nationwide Photo voltaic Jobs Census defines a photo voltaic worker as somebody who spends 50% or extra of their time on solar-related work. The Nationwide Photo voltaic Jobs Census was first printed in 2010 by The Photo voltaic Basis, which merged with IREC in 2021.
Information merchandise from IREC
