Featured News from TSF

Data collection underway for Census 2014

The survey of solar employers that will inform TSF's forthcoming National Solar Jobs Census 2014 is now open. The following link should be shared with employers who are involved, in any way, in the U.S. solar industry - Take the Census survey now.

Findings released from National Solar Schools Census

On September 18, 2014, The Solar Foundation and its research partners at SEIA released the most comprehensive database known of K-12 schools that have gone solar throughout the United States. Most notably, the research team found over 3,700 K-12 schools have gone solar - reaching over 2.7 million students. TSF’s National Solar Schools Census serves as a starting point for sharing ideas and best practices between schools experienced with solar energy and those seeking to join their ranks. Find out more about this effort, including a detailed report and interactive pin map of 125,000 K-12 schools.

National Solar Schools Consortium Launched

On April 3, 2014, nonprofit organizations and solar companies from across the nation announced the launch of the National Solar Schools Consortium at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) conference in Boston, Massachusetts. The Consortium is designed to act as unified voice for the growing solar schools movement, promoting the use of solar energy on K-12 and post-secondary schools. TSF is proud to serve as co-chair of the Consortium. Find out more about the Consortium, its efforts, and its members at www.solarschools2020.org.

Veterans in Solar: Securing America's Energy Future

On February 26, 2014, The Solar Foundation and Operation Free released a joint report on veterans working in the American solar industry. The report, Veterans in Solar: Securing America’s Energy Future, highlights the contributions of veterans to the solar industry, using data derived from the National Solar Jobs Census 2013. The first-of-its-kind report shows that veterans are employed within the solar industry at higher-than-average rates. In addition, the brief report finds that the growth in the industry is continuing; nearly 62 percent of solar companies that employ veterans plan to add more solar workers within the next 12 months.

Read more in the full report.

Press Release

State Solar Jobs Map 2013 and State Solar Jobs Census Reports

On February 11th, 2014, The Solar Foundation provided updated solar jobs figures for each of the fifty states through its State Solar Jobs Map. This year's investigation into solar employment in each state reveals that solar jobs were added in 43 states and the District of Columbia. As with last year, each state has its own shareable profile that contains up-to-date information on: state jobs figures, rankings of industry sectors by employment, key state policies supporting solar, and much more.

In addition to this update, The Solar Foundation also performed its first-ever "deep dive" into district-level solar employment in select states using the same survey-based methods employed in our award-winning National Solar Jobs Census series. Download the full reports for California, Arizona, and Minnesota, or check out our state fact sheet for a lighter read.

Explore the State Solar Jobs Map.

National Solar Jobs Census 2013

On January 27th, 2014, The Solar Foundation released National Solar Jobs Census 2013, which found that the U.S. solar industry currently employs over 142,000 Americans. This figure represents the addition of nearly 24,000 additional solar workers over the previous year. The industry's nearly 20% growth in employment since 2012 shows that - for the first time ever - the solar industry exceeded the growth projections made in the previous year's report. During the period covered by Census 2013, average employment in the national economy great at only 1.9%. Between September 2012 and November 2013, the U.S. solar industry added an average of 56 solar workers each day.

Read a statement of support from U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz. Check out this slide from the White House with our Census data used during the State of the Union.