A recent report by The Solar Foundation ranked Wisconsin fifth in the nation in solar jobs.
Many of those estimated 6,000 jobs are in manufacturing of solar components, which seems to fit the state’s emphasis, according to the foundation’s director.
“Manufacturing always has been an important part of Wisconsin’s economy,” said Andrea Luecke, who is well acquainted with the state. She is a native of Dodgeville and was with Milwaukee Shines, the city of Milwaukee solar initiative, before she took the Washington D.C.-based Solar Foundation job.
“Since Wisconsin is not in the Sun Belt, it ranks near the top of the study because of companies involved in solar manufacturing. Those products can be sent anywhere.
“Meanwhile, the awareness of solar in Wisconsin is high. There are two Solar America cities (Madison and Milwaukee) there, so they are demonstrating that solar energy can work in places where the sun doesn’t shine all the time.”
California ranked first in the study with an estimated 36,000 solar jobs and 1,072 solar firms. Pennsylvania was second with 6,700 and 282 respectively, followed by Texas, Michigan and Wisconsin, which had an estimated 6,000 jobs and 89 firms involved in solar energy.
Read more on Wisconsin’s solar industry in a new Green Biz column
