The Future of The Solar Workforce is Bright

Thanks to President Biden’s recent announcement of his 2035 Clean Energy Target, the solar industry has the opportunity and responsibility to grow its workforce immensely. Here at 64Solar, we’re thrilled at the prospect of being part of this expansive vision. 

We stand with the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) in advocating for policies that will grow clean energy development and lay the groundwork to hire and train the 900,000 new workers needed to reach President Biden’s goal. That’s 4x growth for those keeping track. 

We’re especially encouraged by the words of Abigail Ross Hopper, President and CEO of SEIA.

“The solar industry continues to support hundreds of thousands of jobs across all 50 states, and even during a pandemic, our companies largely were able to keep workers on the job. We now have an opportunity to quadruple our workforce, adding diversity and supporting underserved communities by taking policy steps that incentivize solar and storage deployment and provide long-term certainty for solar businesses.”

According to the National Solar Jobs Census 2020 recently released by the SEIA, there’s been an increase in solar workforce diversity across nearly every demographic category. This includes workers identifying as female, which now represent 30% of the solar workforce. And representation among both women and minority demographic groups has improved significantly since 2015. These trending statistics mean the future is bright for solar in more ways than one.

In order to reach this ambitious vision, there are some immediate ways to get started. We need fast-tracked, hands-free permit and interconnection processes, the extension of tax incentives, and the addition of state-backed, performance-based incentives for solar. These types of packages will lay the foundation for this exciting and extensive growth.

Download the report today and stand with us in support of building a vibrant and diverse workforce for the future of solar.