U.S. Solar Industry Passes Oil, Coal and Gas for Job Creation
January 24th, 2017Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand.
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Via: ComputerWorld:
Solar employment now accounts for the largest share of workers in the U.S. power generation field, surpassing coal, gas and oil, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
In 2016, the solar workforce increased by 25% over the previous year to 374,000 employees, compared to 187,117 electrical generation jobs in the coal, gas and oil industries combined, according to the DOE’s “Energy and Employment Report for 2017”.
Employment in the wind turbine industry increased to 102,000 workers, a 32% increase over the previous year, the report said.
In all, 2.2 million Americans are employed in the design, installation and manufacture of energy efficiency products and services, according to DOE.
Solar employment, which includes both photovoltaic electricity and concentrated solar steam generators, accounts for 43% of the electric power generation workforce — the largest share of workers in that market. Fossil fuel generation employment now accounts for 22%.
