Numbers are misleading in census that ranks Utah No. 1 in solar jobs growth, officials say

Numbers are misleading in census that ranks Utah No. 1 in solar jobs growth, officials say

(Courtesy of Solaroo)


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SALT LAKE CITY — Solar jobs in the Beehive State grew 40 percent in 2017, making Utah No. 1 in the nation for solar job growth, according to a census from the Solar Jobs Foundation.

But that statistic might be slightly misleading, according to Utah Solar Energy Association President Ryan Evans.

According to Evans, installation of residential solar in Utah dropped about 25 percent in 2017, and the state would be hard-pressed to see 40 percent job growth with that kind of decrease, he said.

Evans believes the high growth percentage may be due, in part, to the unification of the solar industry in Utah. The Solar Jobs Foundation most likely had better access to and knowledge of the solar companies in the state after the organization of the Utah Solar Energy Association in late 2016, he said.

“Clearly, we do have a significant number of employees in the state now in the solar industry, and I think this (census) reflects a much better realization of what those numbers really are,” Evans said.

The solar industry in Utah currently employs 6,170 residents and had an increase of 1,762 new solar jobs in 2017, according to the census. The state ranks fourth in the nation for total solar jobs per capita and 12th in the nation for total solar jobs. The census predicts a 1.6 percent growth of solar jobs in 2018, an estimate Evans said sounds much more realistic.

“I think, in the future, we’re fine on job growth. We’re going to continue to grow, it’s just a matter of how much,” he said. “Fortunately, we have really good things happening on the horizon, both in utility-scale solar and commercial solar. … So I think we’re going to increase employment in the state in the solar industry, it’s just a matter of how much.”

Utah was second in the nation for most solar capacity installed in 2016 and is ranked eighth in the nation for total solar installed. The Beehive State has 111 solar companies and 6.11 percent of the state’s generated electricity comes from solar, the census said.

The top metropolitan area for solar jobs is the Provo-Orem area with 3,798 jobs, followed by Salt Lake City with 1,602 and the Ogden-Clearfield area with 248.

“I don’t see that number falling back down. Solar’s moving forward both locally and nationally, despite a few roadblocks every once in a while,” Evans said.

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