As part of the breaking news coming out of SPI 2010 (Solar Power International) The Solar Foundation has released their 2010 National Solar Job Census, an 114 page document.
Right now if you go to their site and click on the top right where it says, "The National Solar Jobs Census 2010 report has been released!" you can download a copy of the report. I don't know how long this link will be live so get it while you can.
From the Executive Summary:
Solar companies can be found in every state, and solar companies of all kinds expect to experience employment growth over the coming year. As would be expected, California is home to about 30% of all solar companies in the U.S., but other states, such as Colorado, Pennsylvania, Texas, Michigan, and Arizona, report either large numbers of solar companies or large numbers of workers at solar-related firms.2 On a regional basis, the majority of the solar jobs are located in the West, followed by the Northeast, but jobs are growing quickly in all regions. By comparing the job growth expectations from our research and from existing secondary sources, we can draw several important conclusions. As of the end of August 2010: • There are 93,502 solar workers in the United States, roughly double the number estimated for 2009. • Solar job growth over the next 12 months is anticipated to be 26%, representing nearly 24,000 net new jobs. This expected growth rate is significantly higher than the U.S. economy-wide expectation of 2% growth over the same period. • Nearly half of all firms expect their solar revenue to increase as a percentage of their overall revenue over the next year. • Over half of all solar employers expect to increase their number of solar jobs in the next 12 months, while only 2% anticipate reducing solar staff. • Solar jobs exist in all 50 states. • Employers from all of the studied subsectors expect significant employment growth over the next 12 months. • The average solar installation firm employs 8 solar workers. • The average solar manufacturing firm employs 24 solar workers. • The average solar wholesale trade company employs four solar workers. • The average utility that generates solar electric power employs four solar workers. These findings clearly illustrate that the solar industry is a strong and growing cluster that is responsible for thousands of jobs across every state in the nation. The unprecedented growth of the industry is providing much needed job creation despite an historic economic and workforce downturn. The optimism of solar employers in the midst of these conditions illustrates that job growth should continue for years to come. I am very happy to get the news that solar jobs are on the increase, which means jobs for American's here in the US which can't be outsourced overseas. I live in Las Vegas where economically it's one of the hardest hit areas with the economy right now. Yet I keep hearing of people who are being hired by solar companies, so it's certainly a growing industry here. You can read more at my blog Buy Solar Powered Lights. Thanks for reading, Jill Olsen
Hopefully we will continue to see advances in this type of technology and the implementation of these types of lights in our neighborhoods, business and on our streets.
