Solar jobs attracting industry veterans

January 27, 2014 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

The Solar Foundation (TSF) has released its fourth annual National Solar Jobs Census, which found that the U.S. solar industry employed 142,698 Americans in 2013, including the addition of 23,682 solar jobs over the previous year -- a 19.9 percent growth in employment since September 2012.

President Barack Obama at the DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center. Credit: White House photographer Jesse Lee/Wikimedia Commons

Solar employment grew 10 times faster than the national average employment growth rate of 1.9 percent in the same period.

"The solar industry's job-creating power is clear," said Andrea Luecke, executive director and president of The Solar Foundation. "The industry has grown an astounding 53 percent in the last four years alone, adding nearly 50,000 jobs. Our census findings show that for the fourth year running, solar jobs remain well-paid and attract highly-skilled workers. That growth is putting people back to work and helping local economies."

Solar employers expect to add another 22,000 jobs in 2014. By comparison, the fossil fuel electric generation sector shrank by more than 8,500 jobs, or 8.7 percent, and jobs in coal mining grew by just 0.25 percent during the same period, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Current Employment Survey.

Solar companies are also reporting that cost savings are driving their clients' decision making, as 51.4 percent of customers report going solar to save money, and another 22.9 percent because costs are now competitive with utility rates.

"The study shows both aggressive hiring and clear optimism among U.S. solar companies," said Philip Jordan, vice president at BW Research Partnership, who conducted the research. "Of particular interest was the continued high wages among solar installers, who earned an average of between $20.00 and $23.63 per hour. We also found higher than average employment of veterans in the solar industry, a sign that their high-tech skills are valued in this sector."

Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) said that 2013 was a "record-shattering" year for solar.

"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 megawatts of solar capacity, generating enough clean, reliable and affordable electricity to power more than 2 million homes; and tens of billions of dollars pumped into the U.S. economy," Resch said. "That's a remarkable return on investment for the smart public policies, including the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), 1603 Treasury Program and Net Energy Metering (NEM), that are helping to drive our country's deployment of solar across the United States, making solar the fastest-growing source of renewable energy nationwide."

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