Solar industry creating more jobs in L.A. County
February 11, 2016
City News Service
Los Angeles County was home to the most jobs in the solar industry in the U.S. last year, and Orange County wasn't far behind, according to a report released Wednesday.
More than 15,000 people worked in the solar industry in Los Angeles County in 2015. The Solar Jobs Census listed 6,100 solar jobs in Orange County, placing it fourth behind San Diego and Santa Clara counties.
Statewide, California tallied nearly 75,600 solar jobs, an increase of 38 percent over 2014, according to the report.
More than half the jobs statewide involved installation of solar systems, while others were in sales and distribution, and manufacturing.
“Solar power is a bright spot in California's economy, bringing jobs and economic development to every corner of the state,” said Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of the California Solar Energy Industries Association. “While conventional energy industries are losing jobs, we are seeing record growth, and bringing clean air and climate solutions along the way.”
Clark County in Nevada and Maricopa County in Arizona were the other regions with more than 5,000 solar jobs.
In Los Angeles and Orange counties, more than one-third of the solar employees were women and minorities, according to the report.
The census found that 32 states and the District of Columbia added solar jobs last year. Half the states in the U.S. have doubled solar employment since 2012, said Andrea Luecke, president and executive director of The Solar Foundation.