US Solar Industry Adds Record Jobs, Reaching Nearly Half a Million Workers

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Solar Jobs,US Economy,Clean Energy

The US solar industry continued its growth trajectory in 2023, creating a record 15,564 new jobs and ending the year with 279,447 solar workers. Including those who spend less than half their time on solar-related work, the total number of solar jobs rises to 364,544. With energy storage workers included, the figure climbs to 454,136. The growth is attributed to factors like the Inflation Reduction Act and a surge in both utility-scale and residential solar projects.

Showing how much the solar industry is both 1) a major source of jobs in the US and 2) a fast growing segment of the economy, the 14th annualby the Interstate Renewable Energy Council was just published and includes two big stats: 15,564 solar jobs were created in 2023, and that means the year ended with a record 279,447 solar workers by the end of the year.

Naturally, there are many fundamental factors regarding solar power that make it competitive, make it dominate new power capacity, and lead to so many jobs. One has to note that the Inflation Reduction Act Biden and Democrats passed two years ago has been having a considerable effect. “Federal policies like the Inflation Reduction Act are helping drive a historic level of clean energy deployment and job creation,” Larry Sherwood, IREC President and CEO, noted.

“Solar jobs increased in 47 states in 2023, with notable increases in Florida, Texas, Arizona, and Nevada.Interestingly, the solar industry is also unionizing more and more. It’s not near a majority situation, but IREC notes that the percentage of unionized employees climbed three percentage points to 13.4%, which is almost twice as high as the unionization rate across the private sector in general.

 

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