Florida really is America's Sunshine State

Published on: February 3, 2020 / Update from: October 3, 2021 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

After years of rapid expansion, U.S. solar employment peaked at 260,000 in 2016 before stalling amid tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. These tariffs on crystalline silicon modules and cells were among the factors that led to a decline in jobs for two consecutive years, with the number of employees falling to 244,340 in 2018. The Solar Foundation has released its latest National Solar Job Census, which contains good news for the industry after this period of uncertainty: Employment in the solar industry has increased again, increasing 2.3 percent to 249,983.

31 states saw solar employment increase in 2019, led by Florida. Proving that Florida truly is America's Sunshine State, it has seen an expansion in residential and utility solar installations, as well as an increase in the availability of solar leasing, allowing installers to offer more attractive financing options to their customers. The solar industry added 1,843 jobs, the highest absolute number of any US state. The Southeast was generally a bright spot in this year's count, with strong job growth driven by utility expansion and new manufacturing jobs.

Accounting for 40 percent of cumulative U.S. solar capacity and 74,255 jobs, California remains America's largest solar job market. The count showed the workforce shrank by 3.4 percent, but that was a much slower decline than the declines of 13.6 and 11.1 percent in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Despite the Trump administration's support for fossil fuels Fuels, solar energy is beginning to grow again thanks to the technology's falling costs and its increasing popularity among individuals, businesses and electric utilities. According to federal data, the solar industry accounts for 2.6 percent of total US electricity generation.

After years of rapid expansion, US solar employment hit a peak of 260,000 in 2016 before stalling amid tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. Those tariffs on crystalline silicon modules and cells were among the factors that caused a contraction in jobs for two consecutive years with the number of people employed in the sector falling to 244,340 by 2018. The Solar Foundation has released its latest National Solar Job Census which has good news for the industry after that period of uncertainty. Employment in solar has grown once again, climbing 2.3 percent to 249,983.

31 states experienced gains in solar employment in 2019 with Florida leading the charge. Proving that it really is America's sunshine state, Florida experienced an expansion in installations for residential and utility solar along with an increase in the availability of solar leasing which allowed installers to offer customers more attractive financing options. That saw its solar sector add 1,843 jobs, the highest absolute number in any US state. The Southeast of the country was a bright spot in general this year's census and its strong job growth was driven by utility-scale expansion and new manufacturing jobs.

Accounting for 40 percent of cumulative US solar capacity with 74,255 jobs, California is still America's largest solar job market. The census found that its workforce contracted by 3.4 percent, although that was a much slower decline than the 13.6 and 11.1 percent decreases it experienced in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Despite the Trump administration's support for fossil fuels, solar is starting to enjoy a resurgence thanks to the plummeting cost of the technology and its increased popularity among individuals, businesses and electical utilities. The solar industry accounts for 2.6 percent of total US electricity generation according to federal figures.

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