Nationally, the solar energy industry is now a $6 billion industry, up 300% from 2006. Officials say it has grown into "a major economic force" with a job base that expanded 6.8% in a recent 12 month period. That’s nearly 10 times faster than the overall economy.1
Further, solar employers expect their workforce to grow 24% during 2012, according to the Solar Foundation's National Solar Jobs Census 2011, completed in partnership with BW Research Partnership's Green LMI Consulting division and Cornell University.
California continued to be the national leader in solar employment, with 25,575 workers. Other states in the top 10 are Colorado, Arizona, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, Texas, Oregon, New Jersey and Massachusetts.2
As solar power becomes more cost-effective, it has the potential to make up a larger share of growing U.S. energy needs. And as it expands in usage, there will be a growing need for more workers—manufacturing workers to make solar panels, construction workers to build power plants, solar photovoltaic installers to install solar panels, and so on.3 Other solar energy jobs might include repairing solar energy systems or working with architects or engineers as they design and install solar projects.
Some workers concentrate primarily on installing solar panels. Others, especially those at small companies, do everything from sales to planning to wiring. Experienced installers in any size company may advance to lead installer, system designer, sales representative or other positions.
The applied theory and real-world training in the Solar Energy Technology associate's degree program at Ecotech Institute is designed to help students develop the needed experience and skills to work in this growing field.
1 From data collected August 2010 to August 2011. Source: Solar Foundation, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the solar energy industry, from their National Solar Jobs Census 2011, completed in partnership with BW Research Partnership's Green LMI Consulting division and Cornell University. The study identified 17,198 solar employments sites in the United States. The survey collected data from more than 2,100 companies. A news report about this data is here.
2 The full report, National Solar Jobs Census 2011, can be viewed here.
3 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Careers in Solar Power by James Hamilton, 2011