“The solar industry has been one of America’s leading job creators over the past decade, as evidenced by our annual National Solar Jobs Census. In just ten years, despite facing many challenges, solar has grown from a niche product to a mainstream energy source that provides a quarter of a million high-quality jobs. This is great news, but it’s only a fraction of what can be accomplished if we are truly committed to solving the climate crisis and expanding the use of solar and storage. It’s past time for us to unite as a nation and create even more jobs by harnessing the power of the sun.” — Andrea Luecke, President and Executive Director, The Solar Foundation
“South Carolina’s economy is booming and the growth of our renewable energy industry is a significant part of our success. As our state grows, we must continue to look for new ways to generate clean, affordable energy and make it accessible to our citizens. We look forward to doing all that we can to enhance the economic impact of the solar industry in our state.” — South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster
“The rapid growth of the solar industry across all corners of our Commonwealth is key to building the clean energy economy of the future. I am thrilled to see the momentum continue as we prioritize policies that will accelerate these solar investments and help us achieve our goal of reaching 100% carbon-free energy generation within the next thirty years.” — Virginia Governor Ralph Northam
“Under Governor Cuomo’s unmatched leadership on climate action, solar has become an increasingly cost-competitive resource in New York’s pursuit of 100 percent clean electricity, with 2019 as our most productive year ever for solar installations. As New York maintains its status as one of the fastest growing solar markets in the nation, we expect our progress to continue to be an economic catalyst for growing solar investment and jobs across the state.” — New York State Energy Research and Development Authority President and CEO Alicia Barton
“There’s no doubt about it: The solar industry is a major employer and an increasingly important part of our economy. It would benefit lawmakers to remember the hundreds of thousands of Americans who now work in solar in every state in our country as they consider policies that can keep these good-paying jobs growing for a long time to come.” — Bob Keefe, executive director, E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs)
“The outlook for solar in America has never been brighter. The 2020s are beginning with record installations, stellar job totals, and strong workforce diversification. Q CELLS could not be prouder to be a leading U.S. solar manufacturer during these exciting times.” — Scott Moskowitz, Q CELLS, Director of Market Intelligence and Public Affairs
“With solar development continuing to gain momentum, as more utilities and businesses commit to clean energy goals, rural and urban communities across the nation are realizing the economic development potential of including solar into their clean energy mix. As a result, recruiting, training and retaining a robust skilled workforce has been a growing priority for us and others in our industry. Thanks to the efforts by our team to refine and expand our workforce development programs, we’re introducing new workers to promising careers in solar construction. It’s an exciting time in solar!” — Scott Canada, Sr. Vice President of McCarthy Building Companies Solar Energy and Storage group
“It’s exciting to see employment in the solar industry continue to grow, which we see as part of a long term secular shift to renewable energy. We are humbled to support the growth of this market by making solar easier and cheaper to design and sell.” — Samuel Adeyemo, Co-founder of Aurora Solar Inc.
“Nautilus Solar is excited to contribute to America’s solar jobs expansion with community solar projects under development and construction across the country. In Maryland, we are making a difference in LMI communities with the addition of nine community solar projects that will make affordable solar accessible to low-to-moderate income households. We’re proud that these projects are contributing to Maryland’s overall growth in solar jobs and support job training programs that benefit local communities.” — Laura Stern, Co-CEO, Nautilus Solar Energy
“The solar industry is an American success story, and NEXTracker is proud to contribute to American solar jobs growth as the world’s leading solar tracking company. As the new decade begins, we look forward to building the pipeline of new solar projects that will help revitalize local economies and put even more people to work.” — Bruce Ledesma, President, NEXTracker
“As innovation enables the mainstreaming of solar, we’re met with a progressively diverse customer base that needs to be matched by an equally diverse workforce. This drives us to hire forward-thinking contributors with a range of skills and experiences to deliver even more intelligent solar, storage and energy services to businesses and homeowners nationwide.” —Tom Werner, SunPower CEO and chairman of the board
“U.S. Bank does all of its tax investing through its subsidiary, U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation. As the name would suggest, our group is heavily focused not just on the return to shareholders but the economic and social returns to the communities we serve. That is why we find jobs impact data to be so compelling and we are grateful to play a small but meaningful role in what has been an amazing economic success story all across the country.” — Dan Siegel, Senior Vice President, U.S. Bank
“As one of the leading providers of renewable energy, RWE has ambitious plans for continuous investment in solar energy. Our expertise, skill and experience allows us to proudly contribute to the exciting opportunities that lie ahead in this fast-growing business.” — Silvia Ortin, COO Onshore Wind and Solar PV Americas, RWE Renewables
“With a diverse workforce, Sunnova strives to find the best and brightest team members to provide excellent service to its customers, solve the technology and service challenges of an evolving industry, and support long-term growth and profitability as a leader in the residential solar energy space. We look forward to contributing to future solar job growth.” — William J. (John) Berger, Chief Executive Officer, Sunnova Energy International Inc.
“As we continue to build toward our Solar + Decade goals, we need to remain focused on increasing diversity within the solar industry. The solar industry has jobs and growth potential for everyone, and through united recruitment and training efforts, we’ll continue to provide more opportunities for more Americans.” — George Hershman, President of Swinerton Renewable Energy and Board Chair of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)
“At Southern Current, we’re excited to contribute to job growth in the U.S. solar industry, including within the growing regional market in the Southeastern United States. With women making up only 26% of the solar workforce, the latest Solar Jobs Census data is a reminder that the industry needs to double its efforts to recruit women and promote them to leadership roles.” — Steffanie Dohn, Director of Government Relations, Southern Current
The National Solar Jobs Census also found:
