California Ranks 1st in Solar Jobs
Media Contacts
Solar Now Employs Over 75,000 Californians, Up 38 Percent in 2015
Environment California Research & Policy Center
Los Angeles, CA – The Solar Foundation released its 2015 solar jobs census today, showing 208,859 Americans now work in the solar energy sector, including 75,598 people in California. The national solar jobs number represents a 20.2 percent increase from the previous year – the third consecutive year that solar jobs have grown by 20 percent or more nationwide. In California, the state’s solar employment grew 38 percent in 2015, adding over 20,000 new jobs.
The top ten states for total solar jobs are California, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, New Jersey, Texas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and Colorado.
Environment California Research & Policy Center’s Michelle Kinman released this statement:
“As today’s census shows, when we place solar on the rooftops of homes, businesses, schools and places of worship, we not only reduce pollution, but also create jobs in communities across California.
“The detractors of solar power, including California’s big utilities, should take note – solar is growing, it’s employing real people and it’s here to stay.
“This census shows that progress toward a 100 percent clean, renewable energy future can go hand in hand with economic progress.
“We urge leaders in California to maintain and strengthen the policies that have made California the nation’s top solar state, so that more and more Californians can realize the economic and environmental benefits of this clean, virtually limitless energy source.”
