Solar Jobs Surpass the Wind and Fossil Fuel Industry Combined

In April of 2019, renewable energy sources surpassed coal-generated energy in the United States for the first time in industrial history. The solar industry has also created more jobs in America than both the wind and fossil fuel industry combined. Projections and data show that this trend is only growing day by day.

The annual Solar Jobs Census provided by The Solar Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing the use of solar and solar-compatible technologies worldwide, has tracked the dramatic growth in solar jobs over the past nine years. The foundation’s 2018 report revealed over 242,000 solar workers employed in the United States. The U.S. Department of Energy reported nearly 190,000 people worked at oil, natural gas, and coal power plants. While the 2017 U.S. Energy and Employment Report shows us a decline in employment, with nearly 374,000 people employed in solar energy that year, The Solar Foundation reports the solar workforce has still grown by 159 percent since the first Census was released in 2010, adding nearly 150,000 jobs.

With the launch of The Go Solar California! campaign, a joint effort of the California Energy Commission and the California Public Utilities Commission, and implementation of the California Solar Initiative (CSI), it may come as no surprise that the state of California is the number one solar employer in the U.S. with over 76,000 jobs reported in 2018 – Florida came in second with roughly 10,300 solar jobs. California is also the number one in state ranking for installed solar capacity with enough solar energy generated to power nearly 6,400,000 homes. The California Energy Commission data shows about 34 percent of the state of California’s retail electricity was from renewable energy.

Even though California is the clear leader in the efforts to increase solar employment, solar jobs also increased in 29 other states in 2018, including many states that continue to emerge in the solar markets. States with the highest employment gains include Florida, Illinois, Texas, and New York State and new policy incentives in key states create a promising outlook for the number of solar jobs to rise in 2019. Solar Foundation’s survey respondents predict solar jobs will increase by 7 percent bringing the total to 259,400 jobs. This may be due in part to 2019 being the last year to receive the full 30 percent federal tax credit, along with the continuing decrease in solar panel pricing.

With more businesses and residences choosing to go solar it is uplifting to know they are helping to create jobs and participating in the continuing growth of a clean, abundant, reliable, and affordable energy source. It is important when going solar, however, to make sure to get all the facts. Much like the Solar Foundation, our team at Sungenia is committed to providing affordable access to a growing solar power community in hopes to improve people’s lives and encourage a future of clean, reliable and sustainable energy for all.

Many of our customers have expressed a positive experience with their choice to go solar. Douglas from Carlsbad, CA shares, “Sungenia did a great job for us! From explaining the intricacies of solar power and what to expect for schedule and sequence of events, to the installation and operation, they were patient, unusually knowledgeable, efficient, responsive, and courteous.”

At Sungenia, we turn friends into customers and customers into friends and have helped provide solar solution installations to many residential areas. See prices in your area and get a free solar quote today.