Colorado ranks 10th in U.S. for solar jobs

Colorado’s solar companies added more than 1,000 workers last year, allowing the state to cling to its top-10 ranking as a hub of solar energy employment, according to the National Solar Jobs Census. The state’s solar employment rose from 4,998 workers in 2015 to 6,004 in 2016, a 20 percent increase. The state ranked 10th in the nation for the total number of solar jobs and 12th for its per capita concentration of solar industry jobs, according to the census, which is sponsored by The Solar Foundation, an industry nonprofit. “The growth of solar was substantial last year in Colorado,” said Rebecca Cantwell, executive director of the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association. Utility-scale solar projects were an important contributor to hiring last year, Cantwell said. Nationally, the census counted more than 51,000 solar jobs added last year, bringing the total to 260,077. The 25-percent increase was the largest measured in a given year since the census started in 2010. The foundation forecasts solar firms will add more than 26,000 jobs in the next year, representing a 10 percent growth rate. California, Massachusetts, Texas, Nevada and Florida have the most solar workers in the U.S., while Oklahoma, Nebraska, Alaska, Alabama and Maine reported the sharpest growth in employment.