Solar energy is ballooning across the United States with California and Massachusetts leading the way, according to a Solar Foundation report unveiled Wednesday.
The U.S. solar industry now employs slightly over 200,000 workers, representing a growth of 20 percent since November of 2014. What’s more, last year the industry added workers at a rate nearly 12 times faster than the overall economy.
The sixth annual report is based on nearly three months of data collection and evaluated figures of 19,000 companies. California has five times more solar jobs than Massachusetts, the second highest ranking state.
California — which last year implemented a law requiring utilities to get 50 percent of their energy from renewables by 2030 — not only maintained its leadership position; it also created over 20,000 solar jobs. Meanwhile, Nevada, Florida, Maryland, Tennessee, Oregon, Michigan, and Utah are among the top 20 solar jobs states growing by 30 percent or more.
Still, solar companies expect to expand nearly 15 percent this year, and hire about 240,000 new workers. According to the report, that job growth is 13 times faster than the U.S. workforce as a whole. The exponential growth of solar energy is happening as coal use declined 25 percent in the United States since 2005. Moreover, solar technology is becoming cheaper. Since 2010, U.S. average installation costs declined 35 percent for residential use, and 67 percent for utility-scale installation.
— source thinkprogress.org