DYK: Small scale solar creates 10-times more jobs per megawatt than utility scale solar?
Solar power creates a lot of jobs, more than any other type of energy (see how they compare here). But some types of solar projects create a lot more jobs than others. According to the Solar Foundation National Solar Jobs Census for 2020, small-scale solar projects, including residential, commercial, and community solar, supported a total of 124,594 jobs in 2020. Utility-scale installations only supported 30,017 jobs.
In 2020, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) recorded 5,268 megawatts installed through local solar projects. That means there were 23.7 local energy jobs per megawatt installed. In comparison, there were 14,000 megawatts of utility-scale solar installed in 2020 for a total of 2.1 utility energy jobs per megawatt, one-tenth of the 23.7 jobs created by local solar projects.
Just how many jobs can local energy create? A recent report by ILSR and SUN called The National Impact of 30 Million Solar Homes: A Vision for an Equitable Economic Recovery Built on Climate Protection and Energy Democracy provides an exciting answer. According to the report, adding rooftop solar to 30 million homes will create 1.77 million new jobs and reduce energy bills by $69 billion within the first 6 years. In addition, the amount of air pollution avoided would be equivalent to closing 48-coal burning power plants or taking 42 million cars off the road for a year. But 30 Million Homes and its sponsors have another mission, which is to help low-income families benefit from solar via the long-term financial relief it provides through granting them energy independence. This is significant because the federal government currently spends billions of dollars a year to help low-income families pay their energy bills, yet this approach aids less than 20% of the eligible population. Under the 30 Million Homes plan, 100 gigawatts of the total 151 gigawatts of new solar capacity installed would be placed in marginalized communities, providing power to approximately 20 million low income households.*
SOURCE: https://www.freeingenergy.com/rooftop-small-solar-creates-more-jobs-employment-utility/