Employment in US Solar Sector Soars above Coal, Gas and Oil Combined

In one of its report, The US Department of Energy stated that the solar energy industry in 2016 employed almost 43 percent of the workforce in the Electric Power Generation sector. In contrast, fossil fuels, including natural gas, oil, coal, accounted for only 22 percent. This is a huge win for alternative energy in different US cities like Tampa, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, and shows just how important green energy projects are to the American economy.

Reasons Behind Solar Job Growth

As per the report, the solar power industry employed nearly 374,000 people in 2016, while the total workforce in the oil, coal, and gas power sectors combined was a little over 187,000. The sudden rise in the number of US solar employees can be attributed to a surge in the country’s solar energy generation capacity. Rooftop solar panel installation is a highly labor-intensive process. Also, skilled workforce is needed to design and build the panels. The next step involves the introduction of the panels to the market. As a result, more workers are hired to market these panels to businesses, utilities, and homes. Those who purchase the solar PV systems then hire professional installers to fix the device properly on their premises. This is how, from their birth in a manufacturing facility to their installation in the buildings, solar panel systems go on creating jobs.

Net generation of electricity from coal reportedly dropped by 53 percent in the course of the past ten years. In the same span of time, the amount of electricity generated by natural gas has risen 33 percent while solar generation has surged a tremendous 5,000 percent. This changing power generation pattern has also increased employment opportunities in the solar sector.

How Did the Solar Fare Against the Other Power Generation Industries?

The sectors involved with electricity generation and fuel production together hired 1.9 million workers in 2016. Out of this number, 1.1 million or 55 percent were linked to fossil fuels. The solar industry saw almost 25 percent increase in the employment, adding a total of 73,615 new job positions in the US over the course of the last year. The employment in the wind energy industry also witnessed a 32 percent surge, bringing the number of workers in the sector to 100,000. This makes wind the third-biggest staffer in the Electric Power Generation industry.

People’s Growing Interest in Energy Efficiency Boosts Job Growth

The report published by the US Department of Energy indicates an upward trend when it comes to the demand for energy efficiency positions across different industries. According to the data present in the report, nearly 32 percent of the construction industry projects in the United States are related to the building projects that are highly energy efficient. At the same time, out of the 2.4 million workers in the Motor Vehicles Department, the report mentioned that 260,000 jobs were in support of vehicles that ran on alternative fuels -- a fact that represented a marked rise by 69,000 employees in the year 2016.

The Future Looks Bright

According to a survey conducted among US energy employers, different industries within the energy sector will witness a steady growth in hiring in 2017. Among them, the energy efficiency employers are projecting the biggest growth rate, indicating a 9 percent rise which amounts to approximately 200,000 more openings. However, the fuels industry is expected to decline by 3 percent.

Several factors have contributed to the growth of alternative energy in Tampa and many other places across the USA. It is expected that with the further drop in the production cost as a result of using new, innovative solar technologies, growing demands for fuel-efficient vehicles and people’s increasing reliance on smart grids will drive the rapid growth of solar through the upcoming years. The proliferation of solar, in turn, will be instrumental in maintaining the high rate of employment in the country.

Whenever you want to install a new solar panel or replacing the existing one, Coast to Coast Solar Inc is the right place where you can sort out all your solar related issues.