South Carolina ranks 2nd in % solar job growth nationally
February 10, 2016
The Solar Foundation (TSF), an independent nonprofit research and education organization, today released state-by-state data from its annual National Solar Jobs Census series via the State Solar Jobs Census Map (www.SolarStates.org). This year’s State Census provides the most detailed solar jobs information for every state including data on solar jobs per state and federal congressional district.
The new data show that South Carolina ranked 2nd in percentage solar job growth nationally in 2015—and led the nation in estimated solar capacity.
California not only maintained its leader position, but created over 20,000 new quality jobs in one year, and became the first state to surpass the 75,000 solar jobs benchmark. Massachusetts solidified the number two-position while becoming the second state to have more than 15,000 solar jobs. In addition to California and Massachusetts: Nevada, Florida, Maryland, Tennessee, Oregon, Michigan, and Utah are among the top 20 solar jobs states that grew by 30% or more.
Thirty-three states, including the District of Columbia, saw positive solar jobs growth over the past year, and many states experienced double-digit growth.
The Census reports also show parallel growth in the total amount of installed capacity – the amount of electricity that solar projects are capable of generating – since 2014.
This is the first year that The Solar Foundation has tracked solar jobs by Congressional District for all 50 states —providing information for nearly all 436 federal Congressional districts and more than 6,000 state legislative districts. This year’s greatly expanded State Census effort shows that there are now 61 federal Congressional districts with at least 1,000 solar jobs; 132 districts with more than 500; and 222 districts with 250 or more solar industry jobs.
Key data from TSF’s State Solar Jobs Census:
Most Solar Jobs:
- California
- Massachusetts
- Nevada
- New York
- New Jersey
Highest % Solar Jobs Growth:
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Nebraska
- Tennessee
- Louisiana
Most Solar Jobs Per Capita:
- Nevada
- Vermont
- Hawaii
- California
- Massachusetts
Highest % Solar Capacity Growth 2014-15 (estimated):
- South Carolina
- Utah
- Georgia
- Oregon
- New Hampshire
The State Census effort was conducted by The Solar Foundation and BW Research Partnership and is a valuable addition of The Solar Foundation’s National Solar Jobs Census 2015. The state results derive from data collected from more than 19,000 U.S. businesses. The results from the Census are based on rigorous survey efforts that include 287,962 telephone calls and over 44,220 emails to known and potential energy establishments across the United States, resulting in a total of 2,350 full completions for solar establishments in the U.S. The sampling rigor in the known and unknown universes provides a margin of error for national employment at ±1.99% at a 95% confidence interval.
About The Solar Foundation:
The Solar Foundation® (TSF) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to increase understanding of solar energy through strategic research and education that transform markets. Since 2010, TSF has published its annual National Solar Jobs Census, which established the first credible solar jobs base line for the U.S. TSF is considered the premier research organization on the solar labor workforce, employer trends, and the economic impacts of solar and advises many organizations on the topic. TSF is also a leading provider of educational materials on the economic impacts of solar for local governments through its work with the U.S. Department of Energy. In addition, TSF chairs the National Solar Schools Consortium, a group of stakeholders seeking to make solar a larger part of the national K-12 system. More at TheSolarFoundation.org
About BW Research Partnership:
BW Research is widely regarded as the national leader in labor market analysis for emerging industries and clean energy technologies. BW Research provides high quality data and keen insight into economic and workforce issues related to renewable energy, energy efficiency, transportation, recycling, water, waste, and wastewater management, and other environmental fields. The principals of the firm are committed to providing research and analysis for data-driven decision-making. More at bwresearch.com
