According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), in 2018, about 17% of the electricity generated was from renewable sources (primarily wind, solar & hydropower), with 1.6% coming from solar.
In early 2019, the Solar Foundation released its National Solar Census, which shows that, since 2017, the total number of jobs in the industry has now fallen for the second year in a row. 242,343 people were employed in solar jobs in 2018, a 3.2% decline on the previous year. That comes after the industry contracted by 3.8% in 2017, primarily as a result of tariffs.
The outlook for jobs in the industry is expected to improve in 2019 due to a backlog of utility-scale projects and new policy incentives in key U.S. states. The Solar Foundation has forecast a 7% increase in jobs for this year, bringing the total to 259,400.
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Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory, October 2021
By Nichola Groom 01/27/23
A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday introduced a resolution to repeal President Joe Biden's suspension of import tariffs on solar panels from four Southeast Asian nations, according to…
By Sri Taylor 01/26/23
John F. Kennedy International Airport’s New Terminal One will get the largest rooftop solar array on any US airport — part of a set of sustainability features aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and blunting…
By William Ralston 01/23/23
A BACKLASH AGAINST industrial-size solar farms is brewing. At least 75 big solar projects were vetoed across the United States last year, compared to 19 in 2021. And between January 2021 and July 2022, planning…
01/19/23
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP) today launched a slate of initiatives to support the deployment of equitable community solar projects and recognized projects exemplifying best practices in community solar.…
01/09/23
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the New York State Office of Renewable Energy issued three siting permits that will deliver enough clean energy to power over 69,000 New York homes for at least 20 years.…
By Jael Holzman 01/05/23
Relying on Asia for imports could pose a risk to U.S. solar growth, a top Department of Energy official told Axios in an interview. Why it matters: The department is shedding light on where it…
By Sammy Roth 12/15/22
California sharply reduced incentive payments for rooftop solar power Thursday, taking a sledgehammer to a program that helped 1.5 million homes and businesses put solar panels on their roofs and made the state a leader…
By Diana DiGangi 12/15/22
US solar industry is building domestic manufacturing capacity as it awaits a tariff decision by Commerce Department.
By Phred Dvorak 12/15/22
A startup backed by investors including Bill Gates is racing to build what could be the first silicon wafer factory for solar panels in the U.S., the latest example of the influence of recent legislation…
By Diana DiGangi 12/15/22
Solar capacity added in the U.S. declined by 17% in Q3 2022 compared to Q3 2021, with the market adding 4.6 GW, according to the 2022 U.S. Solar Market Insight by Wood Mackenzie and the…
By Rachel Pannett 12/12/22
The global energy crisis sparked by the war in Ukraine has sped up existing growth in renewables, particularly solar power, a new report says....
By Derick Lila 12/12/22
MIT researchers have developed a printable fabric solar cell that can generate 18 times more power per kilogram than conventional solar cells.
06/08/22
In Q1 2022, the US solar market installed 3.9 GWdc of solar capacity, a 24% decrease from Q1 2021 and a 52% decrease from Q4 2021. This represents the weakest quarter for US solar installations…
05/03/22
Since 2005, the federal government has incentivized homeowners to switch to solar through the solar investment tax credit (ITC), also known as the federal solar tax credit. Currently, this tax credit lets you claim 26%…
02/11/22
Solar energy is quickly becoming a more popular and affordable power source for homeowners and businesses. With residential solar energy, you can lower your carbon footprint and see substantial cost savings.
09/13/21
The immediate need for action on climate change has been made clear in the recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Limiting the rise in global temperatures would help avoid future catastrophic…
03/10/21
Solar power has expanded dramatically in recent years, becoming the leading technology installed for new power generation around the world. In 2019, it accounted for 45% of global capacity added. Last year, solar power became…
10/01/20
Scientists say we must cut global carbon emissions in half by 2030 to avoid catastrophic climate impacts.
04/25/20
While a typical carport or patio cover provides shading and is undoubtedly a value-add for a home or automobile owner, its one-dimensional simplicity is a missed opportunity. If you’re a PV fanatic following emerging technologies in the solar industry,…
04/20/20
Businesses rely on policy certainty to make long-term investment decisions. SEIA supports smart tax policy that drives continued innovation in the solar industry. Depreciation is one aspect of the tax code that facilitates greater investment…
03/28/20
California has the largest solar market in the U.S. and has been a longtime champion of solar because of the many economic and environmental benefits it provides, including $57 billion in investment in the state.
02/22/20
Use this solar panel calculator to quickly estimate your solar potential and savings by address. Estimates are based on your roof, electricity bill, and actual offers in your area.
01/15/20
Scientists estimate that more than enough solar energy strikes the planet every hour to power the entire globe for a full year.
01/06/20
Solar Power Events, the premier events series for the North American solar & storage markets, is presented by Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) & Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA). Alongside North America Smart Energy Week,…
12/06/19
There are many reasons why homeowners go solar, but improving the environment and cutting energy costs are the most common. Many people are aware that solar is a great home efficiency upgrade and are eager…
07/08/19
The Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA) is a national Coalition of businesses and non-profits working to expand customer choice and access to solar to all American households and businesses through community solar. Community solar…
07/04/19
Since 2002, Vote Solar has been working to lower solar costs and expand solar access. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Vote Solar advocates for state policies and programs needed to repower our electric grid with clean…
12/15/18
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA®) is the driving force behind solar energy and is building a strong solar industry to power America through advocacy and education. As the national trade association in the U.S.,…
03/01/19
The United States has enough solar energy installed to power over 11 million American homes. America’s cities and towns play a key role in driving the adoption of clean, renewable energy. Yet, most have only…
By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes 12/09/22
In September of 2020, the smoke from major wildfires in California made the skies so dark that the state’s solar power production was reduced by 10 to 30 percent during peak hours, according to a…
By Lee Harris 12/07/22
Gary Bylander has spent the last four years traveling the country in his camper installing solar panels, mostly through the temp staffing agency Aerotek. His last job was in San Antonio, where he worked for…
By Sammy Roth 12/01/22
Ending the climate crisis will almost certainly require putting solar panels and wind turbines on huge amounts of land — some of it valuable wildlife habitat, some of it now used for food production, some…
By Dan Gearino 12/01/22
It makes sense that someone buying an electric vehicle would also want to buy a charging system and get it installed. But how about solar panels, and home battery storage?
By John Paul Helveston 11/11/22
As world leaders gather this week in Egypt for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP27, extreme weather events like hurricanes, heat waves and drought continue to increase in intensity and frequency.
By Jeff St. John 11/10/22
California regulators want to promote equity and boost batteries to shore up the grid. Critics on both sides say the latest net-metering plan misses the mark.
By Sammy Roth 11/10/22
California is poised to reduce payments to homes and businesses that go solar for clean electricity they supply to the power grid — a landmark shift in how the state promotes a crucial technology for…
By Ivan Penn 11/10/22
For a second time in less than a year, regulators in California moved on Thursday to roll back the compensation that homeowners receive from utilities for the excess electricity their rooftop solar panels send to…
By Dan Gearino 11/03/22
“Don’t panic,” said Heather Mirletz at the Colorado School of Mines, lead author of a recent paper that challenges several assumptions about what could happen when today’s generation of solar panels near retirement age.
By Sarah Horvath 10/27/22
The major deterrent for solar panel installation is usually the upfront cost. While solar panel systems can save you thousands of dollars on your energy bills over time, they often present major installation costs. Thankfully,…
By Jane Marsh 10/20/22
Many people in the agriculture sector and elsewhere balk at opportunities to do things differently unless they have strong assurances those changes will bring benefits. An Oregon State University team investigated the effects of co-developing…
By Noor Adatia 10/18/22
Researchers examined how much more expensive electricity would have been if the Texas grid did not use wind and solar power.
By Will Lockett 10/17/22
Solar power is fantastic. It is by far the cheapest energy we have ever had at only $0.06 per kWh and has one of the lowest carbon footprints of any energy source at only 6g/kWh.…
By Adam Minter 10/02/22
In rural America, the shoulder-high corn is increasingly competing with a new cash crop: solar power. Acres of solar panels shine brightly in fields along interstates and rural byways, signaling a change in how America's…
By Gabriel Popkin 09/21/22
In Charlotte County, population 11,448, forests and farms slope gently toward pretty little streams. The Roanoke River, whose floodplain includes one of the most ecologically valuable and intact forests in the Mid-Atlantic, forms the county’s…
By Gabriel Popkin 09/21/22
CHARLOTTE COURT HOUSE, Va. — In Charlotte County, population 11,448, forests and farms slope gently toward pretty little streams. The Roanoke River, whose floodplain includes one of the most ecologically valuable and intact forests in…
09/19/22
When Carvey Ehren Maigue’s transition glasses darkened as rain clouds blanketed the sky, he realized something that the creator and manufacturers of solar panels have been missing for decades. Apparently, ultraviolet light still comes through…
By Julian Spector 09/08/22
California leads the nation in rooftop solar installations by a long shot. But it has never managed to craft a viable community solar market for people who can’t put panels on their own roofs. That’s…
By Alex Fitzpatrick 09/01/22
An innovative plan to conserve water by covering aqueducts with solar panels is about to undergo testing in drought-stricken California. Why it matters: Water is becoming more precious by the day in the Golden State…
By Ivan Penn 08/30/22
First Solar, a big solar panel manufacturer, said on Tuesday that it would invest up to $1.2 billion to build its fourth factory in the United States, in large part because Congress this month passed…
By Naureen S Malik 08/29/22
US households will install a record amount of solar this year to help slash electricity bills, according to a BloombergNEF analysis. Residential solar installations will increase by about 5.6 gigawatts in 2022, led by Florida,…
By Maria Gallucci 08/16/22
Puerto Rico’s troubled electric grid was recently thrust into the national spotlight yet again — not because of an islandwide blackout, but over blistering remarks made by one of the world’s biggest pop stars. Puerto…
By Eric Wesoff 08/12/22
Now that the Democrats’ major climate and tax bill has been passed, the United States might actually end up with an effective industrial policy for the clean energy and electrification sectors. The Inflation Reduction Act…
By Todd Woody 08/05/22
If signed into law as written, the climate bill before the US Congress would change the calculus for American households thinking about going solar. The legislation stands to make that transition more affordable while also…
By Dan Gearino 07/29/22
Ohio—Mark Schein sings from the back row, aware that many of the people in the other pews view him as their enemy.His wife, Toni, stands by his side, but the rows around them are all…
By Dan Gearino 07/28/22
The tantalizing idea behind solar windows is that the vertical surfaces on the outside of just about any building could unobtrusively generate electricity.
By Rachel Frazin 07/27/22
The Biden administration is announcing several initiatives aimed at boosting the deployment of solar energy. A fact sheet from the administration framed the measure as a way to cut energy costs and create jobs —…
By YCC Team 07/21/22
Installing solar panels can reduce your carbon pollution and save you money on energy bills. But John Hay, an extension educator at the University of Nebraska, says it’s not a perfect solution for everyone.
By Nichola Groom 07/19/22
The collapse last week of legislation that includes subsidies for domestic solar panel output is a blow to nascent efforts to wean the solar industry off major reliance on China, the chief executive of the…
By Danny Spewak 07/18/22
Three Minneapolis neighborhoods will implement "resilience hubs" in the near future, outfitting buildings with solar rooftops and battery storage to create microgrids that can generate power even in the event of a natural disaster.
By Ernest Scheyder 07/15/22
Efforts to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 are likely to remain out of reach as copper supply fails to match demand amid growing use of solar panels, electric vehicles and other renewable technologies, data from…
By Reuters 07/14/22
The Biden administration on Thursday said it would pour $56 million into programs aimed at spurring domestic manufacturing of solar energy products as the U.S. seeks to move its clean energy sector away from a…
07/14/22
Engineers at Princeton University, supported by a grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation, have developed a new class of renewable solar energy technology. The team successfully manufactured a perovskite solar cell that can operate…
By Kari Lydersen 07/12/22
The sites for the installations were recently announced, along with five other former coal plants that will host standalone energy storage projects. Vistra, which owns the solar-plus-storage sites, will receive a premium for renewable energy…
By Sonal Patel 07/01/22
The City of White Plains in Westchester County, New York, a densely populated outer suburb of New York City that serves as the county seat and commercial hub of Westchester, had fostered a vision for…
By Kennedy Maze 07/01/22
Singer-songwriter Paul Simon once advised that one of the 50 ways to leave your lover is to “hop on the bus, Gus.” But on Martha’s Vineyard, the popular vacation destination off the Massachusetts coast, hopping…
By Julian Spector 06/28/22
Sunrun never collapsed; instead, it grew steadily through the ups and downs of the industry’s famously volatile “solar coaster.” On Tuesday, the company announced that it has installed a total of 5 gigawatts of solar…
By Lauren Kaori Gurley 06/27/22
Thomas Shade got his first job in a solar field at age 41. "I fell in love with it. I left a job where I didn't feel like a human," Shade told Motherboard. At 16,…
By David Laconangelo 06/22/22
Several large U.S. solar developers have announced a new coalition that will buy up to $6 billion in made-in-America panels, in a move that could more than double the country’s panel-manufacturing capacity. The new US…
By Mark Jaffe 06/19/22
A race to meet state climate goals — and to get expiring federal tax credits along the way — has led to a flurry of wind and solar activity.
By Tim Sylvia 06/15/22
One of the country’s most historically healthy and active solar markets, New Jersey has perennially been a top-10 state in terms of installed capacity and projects in construction. The state’s new incentive program, passed in…
By Ana Swanson, David Gelles and Jim Tankersley 06/06/22
The Commerce Department had been considering whether to impose the tariffs as part of a trade case against Chinese companies.
By Ben Geman and Andrew Freedman 06/06/22
President Biden will shield solar project developers from the costs of potential trade penalties and offer new federal support for domestic panel manufacturing, the White House said Monday.
06/06/22
Today’s clean energy technologies are a critical part of the arsenal we must harness to lower energy costs for families, reduce risks to our power grid, and tackle the urgent crisis of a changing climate.…
By Daisy Simmons 06/02/22
Solar energy could play a big role in reducing carbon pollution from the U.S. electricity grid over the next few decades. According to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Energy and the affiliated…
By Jim Wyss 05/31/22
On a given sunny day in Puerto Rico, more than 37,100 rooftop solar installations—mounted atop homes, gas stations, malls and hospitals—churn out 255 megawatts of electricity.
By Nichola Groom 05/27/22
The Biden administration on Thursday gave final approval to a 416-mile electric transmission line that will help connect more wind and solar energy to the Western U.S. grid.
By Eric Wesoff 05/26/22
The fate of the entire U.S. solar industry could hinge on the whims of one small company in California. If the tariffs being demanded by San Jose–based panel manufacturer Auxin Solar are enacted, it could…
By Ladimir Garcia 05/22/22
According to a new report by clean energy nonprofit Generation180, the amount of solar installed at K-12 schools in Pennsylvania almost doubled from 2020-2022, with Pittsburgh’s Woodland Hills School District listed as one of its…
By Kelsey Brugger 05/19/22
Sam Berger — who recently joined the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs after serving on the White House pandemic response team — said the office is “putting regulatory modernization at the center of what…
