This Veterans Day, the solar industry wants to express our sincere gratitude to those who have served and are serving in our nation’s military. The sacrifices that these men and women make for our country give us the freedoms and ability to build and grow prosperous industries like the 200,000+ strong solar industry.

Not only do we thank veterans for their sacrifice, but solar is ready to employ and prepare skilled veterans for successful careers in this industry. Programs like the Department of Energy’s Solar Ready Vets provide an opportunity for veterans to find meaningful careers after their time in service, while still serving their country by helping build a clean energy economy. The skills acquired during a veteran’s time in the military can be honed into the skills needed to succeed as a solar installer, manufacturer, developer or in a management position.

According to The Solar Foundation, there are 16,835 veterans working for companies in the solar value chain. This makes up roughly 8.1 percent of the U.S. solar workforce, one that has grown by 123 percent since 2010 and expects to double to 420,000 by 2020.

While the solar industry is hiring, programs like Solar Ready Vets are in place to help grow the solar workforce with some of the 190,000 veterans who will be leaving the U.S. military each year over the next few years.

Solar Ready Vets has committed to the goal of employing 50,000 veterans by 2020, as they are such a critically important part of a diverse solar community. A diverse industry is a strong industry, which is why SEIA released a Diversity Best Practices Guide for the Solar Industry – a guiding tool for organizations and solar companies looking to implement diversity goals.

“The solar industry has thrived because of the diversity of its 209,000 employees and the individual talents they bring to their jobs each day,” said Tom Kimbis, SEIA’s interim president. “We believe expanding upon that success is integral to our future as an industry, and this guide is the perfect launching pad.”

SEIA looks forward to expanding the solar industry’s workforce and diversity in the coming years, and working with veterans to help drive that expansion. Thank you to our former and current military members, for your sacrifice and courage, on this Veterans Day.