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Solar Energy Industry Workers

Outlook

Opportunities in solar energy should be good in the next decade. According to The Solar Foundation, approximately 5,600 new jobs were added to the solar workforce from 2018 to 2019. Over the previous 10 years, solar-related jobs increased 167 percent, creating 156,000 new positions. The pace of growth between 2014 and 2019 totaled 44 percent, outpacing the U.S. economy's overall expansion by a factor of five.

Several states were leading the way in new job opportunities in 2019, according to The Solar Foundation. These included Florida, Georgia, Utah, New York, and Texas.

Solar energy use is already well established in high-value markets such as remote power, satellites, and communications. Industry experts are working to improve current technology and lower costs to bring solar-generated electricity, hot water systems, and solar-optimized buildings to the public. The manufacturing of photovoltaic cell systems also presents many employment opportunities.