Report: Solar jobs up 20 percent in Colorado

WASHINGTON D.C. — Colorado is one of the top 10 states for jobs related to the solar industry, according to a new report by The Solar Foundation.

The Washington D.C.-based group released its Solar Jobs Census 2016, which found that employment in solar nationwide increased 25 percent from 2015 to 2016, with 260,077 solar workers across the country.

Colorado contributes just over 6,000 of the workers, making it the 10th-largest solar employing state in the United States.. California has the lion’s share, with 100,050 solar workers. Massachusetts and Texas round out the top three.

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But within Colorado, Boulder County has some of the most solar-related jobs, with 1,144 in the county. Denver has slightly more, with 1,491 solar workers. There are 167 solar jobs in Larimer County, 109 in Weld County and 31 in Broomfield County.

Of Colorado’s 6,004 solar jobs, nearly 3,000 of them are installation jobs. About 1,120 jobs are project development.  Manufacturing counts for 748 jobs and sales or distribution count for 530. There were 322 solar companies in the state in 2016.

More than 1,000 new solar jobs were added in Colorado since 2015 — a 20 percent increase. Sixteen percent of the state’s solar workers are women and 10 percent are veterans.