LAS VEGAS and WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) is launching a new survey to track key demographic and workplace experience metrics in the U.S. solar and storage industry.  

The U.S. solar and storage workforce is expected to double in size over the next decade as clean energy policies in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) take hold. This survey will capture the information needed to help industry leaders make data-driven decisions as the clean energy sector scales and its workforce grows as a result of the IRA.

The survey includes questions about job satisfaction, individual workplace experience, and whether survey respondents feel they have an equitable opportunity for promotion or advancement. The tight labor market requires prospective employers to take proactive steps to attract and retain workers, and this survey will help benchmark how the solar and storage industry compares with competing sectors.    

“When we last surveyed the solar and storage workforce in 2019, the results showed we had a lot of work to do to improve representation, close wage gaps, and boost job satisfaction across the board,” said SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “Since then, we have taken several steps to level the playing field by launching new DEIJ programs, building an equity and workforce development team, and creating easy pathways for our 1200+ members to follow suit. Critical measurement tools like this give us the data we need to ensure we’re creating equitable economic opportunity while we reach our ambitious clean energy goals over the next decade.”

The U.S. Solar Industry Diversity Study 2019 is the most recent analysis of demographics and worker sentiment in the solar and storage industry. The survey launched today builds upon the 2019 study, which found the industry had significant room for improvement on a range of workforce metrics.  

SEIA is launching the survey on the first day of a record-setting RE+ 2023 and is challenging every worker in attendance to participate in the survey, which will remain open until October 6th.  

SEIA aims for solar to account for 30% of all U.S. electricity generation by 2030, which will require employing more than one million American workers.  

Take the survey and learn more about SEIA’s workforce development and DEIJ efforts.