As of the second quarter of 2024, the U.S. solar industry employed approximately 250,000 individuals across the solar supply chain, encompassing roles in manufacturing, engineering, research and development, and installation (source: Syncarpha Capital, 2024).
The Alliance’s seven member and supporter companies are leading the 34,000-worker strong solar manufacturing industry, with plans to add thousands more good-paying, long-term jobs to the U.S. economy in the coming years (source: Syncarpha Capital, 2024).
Challenges and Market Risks
In February 2024, CubicPV Inc., a solar manufacturing upstart backed by Bill Gates, canceled its plan to construct a 10 GW wafer factory just 14 months after announcing the plans, citing disintegrating market conditions (source: S&P Global, 2024). Solar cell manufacturer Heleine, postponed leasing a building for its previously announced solar cell plant in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area (source: PV Tech, 2025)
Potential Job Growth with Domestic Sourcing
Chinese-owned companies dominate the market, producing 99% of wafers, 80% of cells, and 90% of polysilicon globally. A study by Dartmouth University, Princeton University, and the BlueGreen Alliance found that sourcing 55% of solar goods domestically could support 900,000 jobs by 2035, up from the current 34,000 solar manufacturing jobs in the U.S. (source: Dartmouth University, Princeton University, and BlueGreen Alliance, 2023).
Direct and Indirect Job Creation
Manufacturing facilities contribute significantly to local economies, creating 27,800 indirect jobs. S&P Global projects that enforcing trade laws and increasing domestic manufacturing could create an additional 100,000 solar industry jobs by 2030 (source: S&P Global, 2024).
Diversity in the Solar Workforce
The solar industry offers a range of careers for individuals from engineers with PhDs to manufacturing roles without requiring a college degree. As of 2024, 31% of the solar workforce consists of young people aged 18-29, with efforts ongoing to attract more diverse candidates (source: Syncarpha Capital, 2024).
Labor Protections and Compliance
The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, passed in December 2021, prohibits imports of goods made with forced labor. Since its enactment, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials have stopped $3.17 billion worth of imports. In 2022 alone, CBP intercepted 2 GW of Chinese-made solar panels valued at nearly $710 million (source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 2022).
Current Production and Capacity
The U.S. produced 4.2 GW of photovoltaic modules in 2024, reflecting a 75% increase from 2023 (source: U.S. Department of Energy, 2024).
Total current jobs: 33,993 jobs (6,120 direct jobs and 27,873 indirect jobs) (source: Syncarpha Capital, 2024).
Projected Investments and Job Growth
Planned expansion projects by domestic and foreign-owned companies aim to add 40,600 MW of capacity.
Over 80,580 new jobs are projected (14,650 direct planned jobs and 65,930 indirect planned jobs) (source: U.S. Department of Energy, 2024).
Major investments in states like Georgia, Ohio, and Texas are expected to contribute significantly to regional economic growth (source: S&P Global, 2024).
