The census found that 32 states and the District of Columbia added solar jobs a year ago. The number of jobs is up from 5,900 in 2014, when Nevada ranked seventh nationally for total solar jobs. “While conventional energy industries are losing jobs, we are seeing record growth”. “California’s 20,000 new jobs marks an industry milestone – but states like Utah, Colorado, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Virginia demonstrate the regional diversity of the industry’s growth”, says Andrea Luecke, president and executive director of The Solar Foundation.
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Almost 2,000 people were employed by the burgeoning solar industry in New Mexico a year ago, and experts say the state is on the verge of major growth.
A new study released Wednesday by a renewable energy advocacy group shows that Connecticut’s solar industry is lagging well behind the rest of the country in terms of the number of people it employs.
The solar industry has almost doubled in size since the foundation’s first census in 2010.
Dennis Schain, a spokesman for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said the new survey “show’s CT to be a leader in developing forward-looking clean energy programs and in job growth related to the increased deployment of solar systems”. San Diego County placed second with more than 8,300 jobs.
Most Solar Jobs: 1.
Solar City expanded its presence in New Mexico by opening an 18,000-square-foot operations center in Albuquerque in April 2015.
“Massachusetts is home to a thriving clean energy economy with innovative companies, world-class research institutions and a skilled workforce, and we’re proud that the commonwealth continues to maintain its national clean energy leadership position”, adds Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker. The jobs saw a 9 percent growth rate in 2015.
In December, state regulators increased the fixed service charge solar customers pay NV Energy and slashed the value of credits customers can earn for generating excess energy.
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Most Solar Jobs Per Capita: 1.
