California Ranks #1 As Top U.S. State in Solar-Related Jobs
An eco-awesome state, California just climbed a few notches on the green scale with the release of The Solar Foundation's National Solar Jobs Census 2011: A Review of the U.S. Solar Workforce. The report, released by Environment California, shows that CA boasts the most solar-related jobs in the U.S. According to the study, over 3,500 Golden State establishments employ an estimated 25,000 Californians in solar-related roles.
Also included in the report is a list of more than 50 state and local elected officials who support Governor Brown's vision to build 12,000 megawatts of clean energy by 2020. Per today's release, said amount of energy is enough to cover one million solar roofs. Building solar on houses, apartment buildings, offices, schools and warehouses will create green jobs, battle air pollution and generate clean energy. "We applaud Governor Brown and the growing number of California leaders who are working to ensure that California continues to be a solar leader, accelerating the environmental and economic benefits of further growth in the industry," said Michelle Kinman, clean energy advocate for Environment California, as stated in the release.
Kinman also added that "this report shows that the solar industry has maintained strong growth over the past 12 months and is projected to keep growing at a much faster pace than the overall U.S. economy." America employs over 100,000 solar workers at more than 17,000 locations, representing an overall growth rate of 6.8% over the past year. The national average employment growth rate is 0.7%. The solar industry is expected to increase solar workers by almost 24%, or by approximately 24,000 jobs, in 2012. Solar growth represents new jobs from all sectors of the industry, including installation, sales, manufacturing and trade jobs.
Local officials who have endorsed Brown's pioneering solar mission are as follows.
Congresswoman Judy Chu - Los Angeles
Assemblymember Betsy Butler - El Segundo
Assemblymember Steven Bradford - Inglewood
Congresswoman Janice Hahn - Los Angeles
Congressman Henry Waxman - Los Angeles
City Council President Eric Garcetti - Los Angeles
Council President Pro Tempore Jan Perry - Los Angeles
Councilmember Paul Krekorian - Los Angeles
Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky - Los Angeles County
Senator Fran Pavley - Santa Monica
Assemblymember Ricardo Lara - South Gate
Congressman Howard Berman - Van Nuys
"The sky's the limit when it comes to what California can do with solar power," concluded Kinman. "As local and state leaders voice their support for solar, there's every reason to believe that California can get past the special interest opposition to a robust, consumer-oriented solar power market for the long-term."
