US solar industry now employs more than 142,000 people

The US solar industry employed 142,698 people as of November 2013, according to a new report from the Solar Foundation, a US-based nonprofit and non-lobbying organization that funds solar research and education. The »National Solar Jobs Census 2013« found that the US added 23,682 solar jobs between September 2012 and November 2013, representing 19.9% growth in employment. During the period covered by the report, solar employment grew 10 times faster than the national average employment rate of 1.9%. Interestingly, the growth in solar employment exceeded projections made in last year’s census report.
During the census period, 1 in every 142 new jobs in the US was created by the solar industry, and many more jobs were saved by creating additional work opportunities for existing employees. Solar installers added the most solar workers during the period covered in the report, growing by 22%. The report forecasts that solar employment in the US will grow by 15.6% over the next 12 months, representing the addition of approximately 22,240 new solar workers. The census found that 45% of all US solar businesses plan to add solar jobs in the next year.
Commenting on the jobs report, US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said: »This is an exciting time for the solar industry in the US, made even more clear by the latest industry job figures… President Obama has set an ambitious goal to double electricity generation from renewable sources once again by 2020, and a vibrant US workforce is vital to achieving this.« Meanwhile, Rhone Resch, the president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, issued the following statement: »The Solar Foundation's latest national jobs census confirms that 2013 was a record-shattering year, with the solar industry creating more than 10 new jobs every hour of every work day throughout the year. Added together, solar’s final box score for 2013 is impressive by any measurement: Nearly 143,000 American jobs; 400,000 installed solar systems nationwide; an estimated 13,000 MW of solar capacity...; and tens of billions of dollars pumped into the US economy.«
© PHOTON