PROVIDENCE – The solar economy has rebounded from its pandemic slump, with solar jobs nationwide and in Rhode Island increasing above pre-pandemic levels as of 2021, according to a new report by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council.
The 1,067 solar jobs in Rhode Island in 2021 marked a 5.6% jump over the prior year, below the 9% increase nationwide but still reflective of the industry’s post-pandemic turnaround, according to the National Solar Jobs Census report published on Tuesday.
Indeed, solar employment nationwide dipped 6.7% in 2020, hitting its lowest level since 2015 thanks to pandemic lockdowns, budget cuts and supply chain shortages, according to the IREC report.
Rhode Island was not immune to the pandemic’s blows, with jobs across renewable energy sectors – including solar – declining in 2020, according to a separate report published last year by the R.I Office of Energy Resources.
OER and IREC each offered slightly different estimates for 2020 solar employment in Rhode Island – IREC’s estimates are lower because they only count workers who spend at least half of their time on solar-related jobs, while the OER report includes workers who spend any amount of time on solar energy jobs, according to Gwendolyn Brown, a spokesperson for IREC.
However, the two analyses show the same trend when it comes to a drop-off in solar jobs during the onset of the pandemic. While OER has not yet published its annual report assessing 2021 employment, the IREC data suggests that the industry is making a comeback.
The 255,027 solar workers nationwide in of 2021 also marked a 2% rise over pre-pandemic levels in 2019, coupled with a record 24 gigawatts of solar energy installed, according to the report. Lower costs for solar installations, combined with rising electricity prices and the increasing availability of solar has driven demand across all types of customers, but particularly residential, the report stated.
This echoes the anecdotal experiences of at least some Rhode Island residential solar companies, who are experiencing skyrocketing demand this year.
Growth has been slightly suppressed by supply chain slowdowns and inflationary price hikes, although solar energy still costs less than fossil fuels, according to the report. In Rhode Island, tensions between developers and local governments over siting and taxation of large solar arrays has also stymied progress, according to some local companies.
Rhode Island is also lagging behind other states when it comes to solar jobs. The Ocean State ranked 36th out of states nationwide for total solar employment in 2021, according to the IREC report, although its per-capita employment was the 10th highest.
In contrast, neighboring Massachusetts boasted the second-largest annual increase in solar jobs, adding 1,053 new jobs in 2021. Massachusetts also ranked third in total solar employment as of 2021, with the seventh-highest amount of jobs per capita, according to the report.
The National Solar Jobs Census report reflects survey data from the U.S. Department of Energy, which is based in part on third-quarter numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Nancy Lavin is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Lavin@PBN.com.
