Last year, California added nearly 7,500 new solar energy jobs, with another 10,000 expected for 2015, according to The Solar Foundation's California Solar Jobs Census. The 16 percent growth in the solar market last year brought California's total number of solar jobs to 54,690, 31 percent of all solar employment in the U.S. 

The growth of California's solar economy is closely tied to its meteoric adoption of solar energy. Last year alone, the Golden State installed more solar capacity than the entire country from 1970-2011, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). In keeping up with the proliferation of photovoltaic solar panels in its homes and businesses, California was responsible for nearly a quarter of all new U.S. solar jobs in 2014. 

"California's solar industry has once again proven to be a powerful engine of economic growth and job creation," said Andrea Luecke, President and Executive Director of The Solar Foundation. "California solar jobs have grown quite rapidly over the last few years, and the solar industry is continuing to attract highly-skilled, well-paid professionals. That growth is putting people back to work and strengthening California's diverse economy."

While nationally the solar industry sprawls across several technological fronts including photovoltaics (PV), concentrating solar power and water heating, 98 percent of all solar installers in California work on photovoltaic solar panels, according to the census. Of those PV installers, about 70 percent work primarily in the residential market, which grew nationally by 76 percent during the first three months of 2015, according to SEIA. 

The census also found that the majority (62 percent) of all solar systems in California were financed or leased as opposed to purchased outright. To learn more about solar financing programs that could help bring the benefits of solar power to your home, contact SolarMax Technology today.

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