Solar Employs More People Than Oil, Coal, And Gas Combined In The US

 According to the U.S. Department of Energy's second annual U.S. Energy and Employment Report, solar energy employed more people than the traditional coal, gas, and oil combined.

The report says, 6.4 million Americans now work in the energy industry. In 2016 alone, the energy sector created 300,000 new net jobs, which made up 14 percent of the nation's job growth.

"This report verifies the dynamic role that our energy technologies and infrastructure play in a 21st-century economy," said DOE Senior Advisor on Industrial and Economic Policy David Foster. "Whether producing natural gas or solar power at increasingly lower prices or reducing our consumption of energy through smart grids and fuel efficient vehicles, energy innovation is proving itself as the important driver of economic growth in America, producing 14 percent of the new jobs in 2016."

Solar employed 374,000 people over the year 2015-2016 while the traditional fossil fuels combined employed 187,117 within the Electric Power Generation sector.


"Proportionally, solar employment accounts for the largest share of workers in the Electric Power Generation sector," the report, released on Jan. 13, states. "This is largely due to the construction related to the significant buildout of new solar generation capacity." Overall, the U.S. solar workforce increased 25 percent in 2016.