2017 U.S. Solar Industry Diversity Study: Current Trends, Best Practices, and Recommendations

2017 U.S. Solar Industry Diversity Study: Current Trends, Best Practices, and Recommendations

  • Quantitative and qualitative findings of the solar industry workforce
  • Diversity parameters were defined and determined for solar industry positions, wages, career development, and other indicators
  • Best practices and case studies of diversity programs included

The business case for diversity

As numerous reports show, companies with more employee diversity see higher profit margins, enjoy greater market share, and record better employee well-being than their less-diverse competitors. To better understand the current diversity landscape of the solar industry workforce as compared to other industries, this Solar Foundation report – funded in part by SEPA – was issued in 2017. The ultimate goal was to explore how the solar industry could increase the diversity of its workforce.

What’s in the study

The 2017 U.S. Solar Industry Diversity Study was based on a survey with ethnographic responses from 375 employer and 279 employee perspectives. The results generated a set of demographic data profiles in categories such as:

  • Position and wage
  • Career development and mentor experience, and
  • Other factors leading to career success

The survey compared key findings of the solar workforce to other industries, including the composition of women, people of color, and veterans. The report offered action items and recommendations for recruitment and other strategies to increase workforce diversity.

2017 U.S. Solar Industry Diversity Study: Current Trends, Best Practices, and Recommendations

Research report