The future is looking bright for green jobs in the solar industry. According to the latest National Solar Jobs Census, published by the nonprofit Interstate Renewable Energy Council, solar jobs in the U.S. grew by nearly 6% in 2023.
By Paige Bennett
With this growth, U.S. solar industry jobs reached 279,447 last year, a record high, Reuters reported. From 2022 to 2023, solar jobs increased by 15,564, a 5.9% increase.
The most recent report is the 14th edition of the National Solar Jobs Census, and since its inception, solar industry jobs in the U.S. have nearly tripled, Interstate Renewable Energy Council noted.
“This year’s Solar Jobs Census found a record number of Americans working in solar energy and battery storage,” Larry Sherwood, president and CEO of Interstate Renewable Energy Council, said in a press release. “Federal policies like the Inflation Reduction Act are helping drive a historic level of clean energy deployment and job creation. We can help ensure future job growth with supportive policies at the federal and state level, along with an industry-wide commitment to a skilled and diverse workforce.”
Utility-scale solar in particular has been increasing, following a dip in utility-scale solar jobs from 2022. Since then, jobs in this sector increased by 6.8% for 2023. Meanwhile, jobs in the residential solar market grew by 6.3%, although this was actually lower than the high 11% growth marked for 2022.
The report follows similar findings from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA)’s Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory published in August, which had found that new utility-scale solar projects made up the majority of new electric generating capacity in the U.S. added throughout the first six months of the year.
Further, a recent report from the U.S. Department of Energy also revealed strong clean energy job growth, with jobs in clean energy — particularly solar and wind — have been growing at twice the rate of overall jobs around the country.
The latest solar industry job census broke down the increase in solar jobs by state, noting that jobs in this field increased in 47 states last year. States with the highest percentages of growth include Arizona (16.7% growth in solar industry jobs for 2023), Florida (15% growth), Nevada (13.6% growth) and Texas (10.4% growth).
This year’s report included industry interviews for the first time to gauge diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts in the field. These interviews revealed increases in the representation of women and Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) workers in the solar industry, but it also highlighted that there is more work to be done to make the industry more inclusive.
“Our ability to grow the U.S. solar and storage industry depends entirely on our ability to grow our workforce,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). “The solar industry continues to outpace the rest of the economy when it comes to employing Gen Z, veteran, and union workers, but only a quarter of the surveyed firms have a strategy in place to hire more women and people of color. As demand for clean energy continues to grow, the industry must invest in workforce development strategies that support equitable growth and create new economic pathways for all Americans.”
