Solar Jobs In Colorado Stay Steady, Amid Nationwide Drop

A new report shows that solar jobs remained flat in Colorado amid a nationwide decline. The Solar Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit dedicated to improving understanding of solar energy, released its ninth annual “National Solar Jobs Census” report this week.

The researchers found that solar jobs decreased 3.2 percent across the country last year — just the second time since 2010 the nation saw fewer solar jobs than the year before. The industry employed about 242,000 workers as of November 2018, about 8,000 fewer than 2017.

Colorado saw solar jobs grow by 1 percent. Here’s a breakdown:

• 2018 solar jobs: 6,847
• 2017 solar jobs: 6,789
• Solar jobs rank: 8th
• Solar jobs per capita rank: 8th

Nevada, where one in every 211 workers has a solar job, ranked No. 1 in the country last year in solar jobs per capita, followed by Vermont and California. The rankings included Washington, D.C. as a state. In Colorado, one in every 389 workers has a solar-related job.

Here are the top 10 states for solar jobs:

1. Nevada
2. Vermont
3. California
4. Utah
5. Washington, D.C.
6. Hawaii
7. Massachusetts
8. Colorado
9. Arizona
10. New Mexico

Alaska, Arkansas, Alabama, West Virginia and Oklahoma, meanwhile, comprised the bottom five in solar jobs per capita. States in the west and along the East Coast tended to see jobs decrease, while states in the Midwest and South tended to see the jobs grow.

The authors noted two key factors as to why solar jobs fell overall: uncertainty over a trade case, as well as state policy and economic hurdles. The decline reflects a slowdown in installed solar capacity, with companies pushing back many utility-scale projects at the end of 2017 while they waited to see the outcome of a petition for new tariffs on solar panels and cells.

But the recent decline notwithstanding, the report highlighted that solar employment has seen dramatic growth over the past decade, as installation costs have, uncoincidentally, plummeted. They researchers are also optimistic about the future of sun power.

“Despite two challenging years, the long-term outlook for this industry remains positive as even more Americans turn to low-cost solar energy and storage solutions to power their homes and businesses,” Andrea Luecke, the organization’s president and executive director, said in a release. “However, it will take exceptional leadership at the federal, state, and local levels to spur this growth and address the urgent challenge of climate change. Expanding solar energy and storage across America will create high-quality jobs, reduce carbon emissions, boost local economies, and build resilient and adaptive communities.”

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

Photo credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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