June 30, 2015
DBL Investors’ May 2015 policy brief today shows that job growth in the U.S. clean energy sector is surging, with the solar workforce growing almost 10 times the average national job growth rate. Other conclusions include:
- Solar employment is up 86% since 2010, with 210,000 employees anticipated in 2015.
- States such as Texas, New York, and Maryland are leading with 30% to 70% growth rate in solar jobs.
- Solar is beating the technology sector in employment levels—SolarCity has outpaced high growth start-ups such as Twitter and Dropbox by three to nine times in terms of employee growth.
- The solar workforce is far more diverse by gender and ethnicity than the coal industry. For example, 7.4% of the coal workforce are women compared to 17.7% in solar.
- Clean energy employees potentially earn more than statewide averages. For example, in Minnesota, clean energy workers make about $21,000 more per year, which translates to covering the cost of a mortgage for two-and-a-half years or two years of state-based college tuition.
To download the brief, go to bit.ly/1DUmdjb.