Solar worker at Renewable Energy Jobs Tour event in Bedford, Va.
This is a guest post by Dan Shugar, CEO of NEXTracker, and an AEE board member
Most folks working in the U.S. wind and solar industries already know that both are creating jobs all across the country. These industries now employ over 360,000 workers, and have the two fastest growing job categories in the nation: solar photovoltaic installers and wind turbine technicians, according to a US Department of Labor report released earlier this year. Over the next 10 years, the demand for the two positions is set to essentially double. But data points alone are not always enough to convince the public and policymakers about the tremendous job creation of these sectors. That’s why, earlier this fall, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the Wind Energy Foundation (WEF), and NEXTracker, Inc. launched the Renewable Energy Jobs Tour.