Michigan Solar Jobs Census 2015

2015
MICHIGAN
SOLAR JOBS
CENSUS
ABOUT THE SOLAR FOUNDATION

The Solar Foundation (TSF) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization whose mission is to increase understanding of solar energy
through strategic research and education that transforms markets. TSF is
considered the premier research organization on the solar labor workforce,
employer trends, and the economic impacts of solar. It has provided
expert advice to leading organizations such as the National Academies, the
Inter-American Development Bank, the U.S. Department of Energy, and
others during a time of dynamic industry growth and policy and economic
uncertainty.
While TSF recognizes that solar energy is a key part of our energy future,
it is committed to excellence in its aim to help people fairly and objectively
gauge the value and importance of solar technologies.
ABOUT BW RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP

BW Research is widely regarded as the national leader in labor market
research for emerging industries and clean energy technologies. In
addition to the Census series, BW Research has conducted rigorous solar
installation and wind industry labor market analysis for the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory, wind energy and energy retrofit studies for
the Natural Resources Defense Council, a series of comprehensive clean
energy workforce studies for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Illinois,
Vermont, Florida, Pennsylvania, Iowa, and California, as well as numerous
skills and gap analyses for community colleges, workforce investment
boards, state agencies, and nonprofit organizations.
ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Michigan State University has been working to advance the common good
in uncommon ways for more than 150 years. One of the top research
universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and
forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges
while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive
academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17
degree-granting colleges. The College of Engineering is one of the largest
and oldest colleges on the MSU campus, with nine academic programs and
nearly 200 faculty members serving more than 5,600 students through
undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The college supports a
strong research portfolio including a range of federally funded research
centers and international collaborations such as: the Fraunhofer Center
for Coatings and Laser Applications; the Michigan State University
Transportation Center on Highway Pavement Preservation; and the Vehicle
Applications component of the U.S. Department of Energy Institute for
Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI).
COVER IMAGE COURTESY OF PHOTO BY NREL - LELAND, MI
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Solar Foundation (TSF) is a national 501(c)
(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to
increase understanding of solar energy through
strategic research and education that transform
markets. In 2010, TSF conducted its first National
Solar Jobs Census report, establishing the first
credible solar jobs baseline and verifying that
the solar industry is having a positive impact
on the U.S. economy. Using the same rigorous,
peer-reviewed methodology, TSF has conducted
an annual Census in each of the last six years to
track changes and analyze trends.
This Michigan Solar Jobs Census 2015 report is

an offshoot of TSFs National Solar Jobs Census
2015 effort. Research partners for the Census
2015 effort include Michigan State University
for providing editorial guidance and peer
review, the George Washington University
Solar Institute for providing assistance and
support in reviewing and validating report
results and analysis; the Solar Energy Industries
Association (SEIA) for use of its National Solar

Database and peer review; and GTM Research/
SEIA for providing survey respondents with the
U.S. Solar Market Insight: 2014 YIR report.
Sponsors of this years Census effort include:

Energy Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett
Foundation, Tilia Fund, George Washington
University Solar Institute, SEIA, Recurrent,
SolarCity, First Solar, Sol Systems, E.ON,
Trina Solar, State of Minnesota Department
of Commerce, State of New Mexico Energy
Minerals and Natural Resources Department,
Utah Governors Office of Energy Development,
sPower, Standard Solar, CALSEIA, All Earth
Renewables, and groSolar.
Finally, we want to thank all the Michigan
employers that participated in the survey. Your
responses were critical in providing us with
accurate and timely data.
For questions or comments about this report, please contact either:

Andrea Luecke
President and Executive Director
The Solar Foundation
202-469-3750; aluecke@solarfound.org
www.TheSolarFoundation.org
Philip Jordan
Principal and Vice President
BW Research Partnership
508-384-2471; pjordan@bwresearch.com
www.bwresearch.com
Please cite this publication when referencing this material as Michigan Solar Jobs Census 2015,
The Solar Foundation, available at: www.tsfcensus.org and www.solarstates.org
Photo courtesy of GRID Alternatives
INTRODUCTION
The U.S. solar industry experienced
yet another record-breaking year
in 2015, with more than 7,400
megawatts (MW) of domestic
photovoltaic (PV) capacity expected
to have been installed an 18.5%
increase over the amount installed
in 2014 bringing total U.S. solar
capacity to nearly 27.5 gigawatts
(GW).1
As the rate of capacity installation has
accelerated, employers across the country have
continued to expand the size of their payrolls.

This years sixth annual National Solar Jobs
Census found that the U.S. solar industry
employed 208,859 workers as of November
2015, an addition of 35,052 jobs, and a 20.2%
increase in employment over November
2014. Since The Solar Foundation began
tracking these numbers in 2010, employment in
the industry has more than doubled, growing by
123% and adding over 115,000 jobs. Employers
nationwide expect this growth trend to continue
through 2016, projecting to add nearly 31,000
jobs to the solar workforce over the course of
the year.
U.S. PV Capacity Additions & Solar Jobs, 2010 - 2015E

250,000
8,000
Solar Jobs
200,000
173,807
100,000
6,000
142,698
150,000
93,502
105,145
7,000
5,000
119,016
4,000
3,000
2,000
50,000
Added Capacity (MW)
208,859
1,000
0
0
2010
2011
2012
PV Capacity Additions
2013
2014
2015E
Solar Jobs
Capacity Data Source: SEIA/GTM Research Solar Market Insight Q3 2015
Michigan Solar Jobs Census 2015
While annual installed capacity at the national

more respective capacity than in 2015, the lions
level has been growing since 2010, the solar share of capacity scheduled to be brought online
industry in the state of Michigan has only recently by the end of the year will likely come in from
begun to share in this trend, with capacity
utility-scale arrays. This represents a sudden
additions shrinking from 2011 to 2013, before
and seismic shift in the focus of the Michigan
beginning to climb again
solar
industry
through 2014 and 2015. As of November 2015, the toward
larger,
This return to growth is
more
centralized
Michigan
solar
industry
also reflected in the size of
projects. Interestingly,
the local solar workforce. employs 2,779 workers at Michigans two primary
As of November 2015, the
investor-owned
Michigan solar industry 1,144 establishments
utilities have already
employs 2,779 workers at
largely achieved their
1,144 establishments, representing a positive
obligations under the states renewable portfolio
reversal for an industry that experienced steady standard, meaning the explosive growth
contraction in the size of its workforce according projected for 2016 can potentially be attributed
to estimates from 2012 to 2014.2
to both the increasingly favorable economics of
solar and continually strengthening customer
As of September, approximately 3.5 MW of demand the latter of which was made
solar capacity had been installed in Michigan particularly apparent by the highly anticipated
during 2015, already surpassing the total
introduction of the states first community solar
capacity installed the previous year and nearly programs in 2015.7
doubling that installed in 2013, bringing
cumulative installed capacity in the state near
While it is likely that a portion of Michigans
the 20 MW mark a milestone that will have
solar job growth in 2015 is tied to 2016s
likely been reached by the end of the year.3 The capacity additions, the industry still expects
residential market segment accounted for the to add nearly 400 jobs in 2016, expanding
greatest portion of capacity added during the its workforce by more than 14% over the
year, continuing a trend of consistent growth
course of the year.8
following a significant reduction in installed
capacity by the segment from 2011 to 2012.4 By
the end of 2015, industry experts anticipate the
years residential capacity additions alone to
equal the total amount of solar installed in the
state throughout 2014. This year also witnessed
the states first utility-scale solar development,
with a 1.1 MW installation just outside of Ann
Arbor currently laying claim to the title of
Michigans largest.5
Industry projections for 2016 show capacity
additions in Michigan will increase dramatically
over 2015, potentially doubling the states
currently installed total capacity over the course
of the year.6 While both the residential and nonresidential market segments are expected to add
Michigan Solar Capacity Additions, 2011 - 2015E
Added Capacity (MW)
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
2011
2012
2013
Residential
Non-Residential
2014
2015E
Utility
Source: SEIA/GTM Research Solar Market Insight Q3 2015
ABOUT THE MICHIGAN SOLAR JOBS CENSUS 2015

This report includes information about all types
of Michigan companies engaged in the analysis,
research and development, production, sales,
installation, and use of all solar technologies
ranging from solar photovoltaics (PV), to
concentrating solar power (CSP), to solar water
heating systems for the residential, commercial,
industrial, and utility market segments.
The findings presented herein are based on
rigorous survey efforts throughout the months
of September, October, and November 2015 that
include telephone calls and emails to known and
potential solar establishments across Michigan.
Unlike economic impact models that generate
employment estimates based on economic
data or jobs-per-megawatt (or jobs-per-dollar)
assumptions, The Solar Foundations Solar Jobs
Census series provides statistically valid and

current data gathered from actual employers.
This analysis also purposefully avoids artificially
inflating its results with questionable multiplier
effects often found in analyses of other
industries.
The number of establishments included in this
report include all businesses that conduct any
solar activity. This includes many businesses
that play a very small part in a solar project,
or provide financing, legal services, or other
support services to solar firms. Employment,
however, is only counted for workers that spend
at least 50% of their time on solar.
A full explanation of this methodology can be
found on page 10 of this report.
3
MICHIGAN
SOLAR JOBS
Key Data Points
Total Solar Jobs, 2015
2,779
Cumulative Installed
Capacity thru Q3 2015 (MW)9
17.9
Projected Solar
Jobs Growth, 2016
397
(14.3%)
Capacity Installed in
2015 thru Q3 (MW)10
3.5
Detailed employment and demographic data for Michigans legislative districts, counties, and metropolitan statistical areas
can be found in the appendix of this report and on The Solar Foundations interactive jobs map at www.SolarStates.org.
WORKFORCE
OVERVIEW
Installation Jobs
1,897
Manufacturing Jobs
383
Sales & Distribution Jobs
24
Project Development Jobs
276
The Michigan solar industry employs 2,779

workers at 1,144 establishments throughout
the state, is ranked 18th nationally in solar
jobs, and 32nd in solar jobs as a share of the
states total employment. Employers expect
to add nearly 400 new solar workers to
payrolls over the course of 2016 a growth
rate of 14.3% while the states workforce
as a whole is projected to grow only 0.4%
during the same period.11
Installation firms employ the vast majority
more than 68% of the Michigan solar workforce.
Sales and distribution firms, on the other hand,
employ only a small percentage, at less than
1%. Interestingly, significantly more workers
(37.4%) across all sectors of the states solar
industry work in a management or professional
capacity than work directly on installing or
repairing solar systems (13.9%) in the state.
This represents a drastic departure from the
makeup of the industry nationwide, where only
20% of solar workers maintain management or
professional positions and more than 30% work
on installation or repair.
Solar Jobs Census 2015
Sector
Installation
Other Jobs
200
Manufacturing
Sales &
Distribution
Project
Development
Other
MI Solar
Workforce
U.S. Solar
Workforce
68.2%
57.4%
0.9%
11.7%
13.8%
9.9%
7.2%
14.5%
10.8%
5.7%
Difficulty Hiring in Michigan
Michigan
20.0%
East North Central
22.9%
National
24.2%
0%
40.0%
50.8%
Not Difficult
40%
Position
Solar Installer
Solar Sales Representative
24.2%
60%
Somewhat Difficult
Potentially related to this relative prevalence of

professional positions in the local industry, the
states employers reported greater difficulties
finding sufficiently qualified candidates to fill
openings on their payrolls than solar employers nationwide. The difficulties that Michigan
solar employers face come in spite of the fact
that, largely due to the automotive industrys
presence in the state, Michigan boasts the highest number of engineers per capita in the country.12 This is likely a result of the tendency by the
states solar employers and their counterparts
in states comprising the U.S. Census Bureaus
East North Central Division to prioritize previous solar experience over education during the
Solar Assembly Worker
26.3%
51.7%
20%
Solar System Designer
40.0%
80%
100%
Very Difficult
hiring process, with 30.9% of new solar positions in the East North Central Division requiring at least a bachelors degree, compared to
34.9% nationally, and 67.9% of new positions
requiring previous solar experience, compared
to 67.0% nationally.13
Wages paid by firms in the Michigan solar industry do not differ in a significant way from
those paid by solar employers across the East
North Central Division. Solar installers, sales
representatives, and system designers working
in Michigan and its neighboring states are generally paid better than their counterparts in any
other region of the country.
East North Central

Division Median Wage
U.S. Median Wage
$24.50
$21.00
$31.25
$26.92
$31.25
-
$28.85
$18.00
6
Michigan
Solar
Workforce
Michigan Overall
Employment14
U.S. Solar
Workforce
Women
20.5%
47.9%
23.8%
African-American
6.8%
11.5%
5.1%
Asian or Pacific Islander
6.8%
4.1%
8.6%
Latino or Hispanic
2.3%
4.6%
11.3%
Older Workers (55+)
18.4%
22.3%
18.6%
Union Members
2.3%
5.5%
4.2%
6.2%
8.1%
Veterans of the U.S. Armed

Forces
The Michigan solar workforce is less diverse

than that employed by the solar industry
nationally, though this does not come as a
surprise given the demographic makeup of
the states overall workforce. While 23.9% of
U.S. solar workers are women, they constitute
only 20.5% of the Michigan solar workforce.
Similarly, Latino or Hispanic workers make up
a substantially smaller portion of the Michigan
solar workforce (2.3%) than they do nationally
(11.3%). Conversely, African-Americans are
employed at a slightly higher rate by solar
companies in Michigan (6.8%) than by solar
companies nationwide (5.2%).
Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces represent a
uniquely valuable source of human capital for
solar employers. With a proven work ethic and

practiced discipline, veterans bring a wealth
of readily transferable skills and leadership
acumen to the industry. Through the Solar Ready
Vets program, the U.S. Department of Energy is
helping the industry capitalize on this resource
by facilitating the transition from military
service to employment in the civilian solar
workforce.15 Michigan solar firms have yet to
take advantage of this value proposition to
the same extent as their counterparts across
the country, with veterans comprising
only 4.2% of the states solar workforce,
compared to 6.2% of the states workforce
as a whole and 8.1% of the solar workforce
nationally.
Over 37% of Michigan solar establishments

reported that they receive all of their revenues
from solar, which is lower than the national
average of 45.1%, while over 33% reported that
they receive less than half of their revenues from
solar, compared to 26.6% nationally. Nearly
63% of Michigan solar establishments work
primarily with in-state customers, and less than
4% reported working primarily with customers
outside of the United States. Although still a
small percentage of Michigan businesses, this
international cohort is larger than the national
average, likely due either to its geographic
proximity to Canadian customers or a greater

focus on exports by Michigan manufacturers.
As part of the 2015 Census effort, employers
were asked about the impacts of specific existing, pending, and proposed policies on their
business prospects. Michigan employers overwhelmingly cite the federal investment tax
credit (ITC) as the single most important
policy to their firms success, with 55.6% of
respondents referring to it directly, more than
tripling the second most commonly cited policy,
the states renewable portfolio standard (RPS),
at 18.5%.
Businesses Citing Policy Contributions to Success

ITC
Other Tax Exemptions, Credits, & Rebates
State RPS
EPA Clean Power Plan
Grants & Loans
Utility Rebates
0.0%
Michigan
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
National
CONCLUSION
While only 3.5 MW of new solar capacity
were installed in Michigan during the first
nine months of 2015, the industry projects a
dramatic ramp-up throughout 2016, with the
residential, non-residential, and utility-scale
market segments all experiencing significant
growth, and employers in the state have begun
hiring accordingly. At 2,779 workers, the states
solar workforce is the 18th largest in the country,
ahead of its Midwestern neighbors Indiana
(1,567), Wisconsin (1,941) and Minnesota
(1,995), but lagging behind the larger regional
standouts, Illinois (3,483) and Ohio (4,811).
The workforce is expected to grow larger still
in 2016, with payrolls expanding by nearly 400
positions, or just over 14%, during the year.
Employers in the state perceive federal and

state policies to be generally beneficial to
their firms success, but interestingly attribute
a lesser degree of importance to policy on
their business prospects than do their peers
nationwide. This may be a function of the states
renewable portfolio standard having largely
been met in advance of its scheduled sunset
at the end of 2015 and the slowly progressing
legislative debate around energy policy at the
statehouse, expected to conclude at some point
in 2016. Regardless of the outcome in Lansing,
the extension of the federal investment tax
credit in December and burgeoning consumer
demand are nearly certain to drive growth for
the Michigan solar industry in the foreseeable
future.
candidates to fill open positions underscores

the need for more focused and comprehensive
solar training efforts, in-house, in-state, and
across the country. If sufficiently emphasized,
these efforts would reduce the companys
talent acquisition, training, and retention costs,
increasing efficiency across the solar value chain,
and ultimately reducing costs for Michigan solar
customers.
The workforce is expected

to grow larger still in 2016,
with payrolls expanding
by nearly 400 positions,
or just over 14%, during
the year.
This first-ever study establishes baseline solar

employment numbers for the state of Michigan
and shows that the local solar industry is a
growing source of economic opportunity,
creating jobs that pay living wages and are
largely available to individuals across the
state, at all levels of educational attainment
and regardless of previous experience in the
industry. Only regular reexaminations of the
states solar industry, its workforce, and the
employment opportunities presented herein
will confirm this remains the case in years to
come.
In order to sustain this future growth, it is

essential that Michigan employers have ready
access to quality talent and skilled labor or
enhance their on-the-job training offerings. As
previously reported, the significant difficulties
they currently experience in finding qualified
APPENDIX
STATE CENSUS METHODOLOGY AND DATA SOURCES
The Solar Jobs Census methodology is the most
closely aligned with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) methodology for its Quarterly
Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) and
Current Employment Statistics (CES). Like BLS,
this study uses survey questionnaires and employer-reported data, though ours are administered by phone and web, as opposed to mail.
Also like BLS, we develop a hierarchy of various categories that represent solar value chain
activities (within their broader NAICS framework), develop representative sample frames,
and use statistical analysis and extrapolation
in a very similar manner to BLS. We also constrain our universe of establishments by relying on the most recent data from the BLS or
the state departments of labor, depending on
which is collected most recently. We believe
that the categories that we have developed
could be readily adopted by BLS should it
choose to begin to quantify solar employment
in its QCEW and CES series.
The results from the overall 2015 Census effort

are based on rigorous survey efforts that include 287,962 telephone calls and over 44,220
emails to known and potential energy establishments across the United States, resulting in
a total of 2,350 full completions for solar establishments in the U.S. Unlike economic impact
models that generate employment estimates
based on economic data or jobs-per-megawatt
(or jobs-per-dollar) assumptions, the Solar Jobs
Census series provides statistically valid and
current data gathered from actual employers.
The survey was administered to a known universe of energy employers that includes 68,494
establishments and is derived from the Solar
Energy Industry Associations National Solar
Database, as well as other public and private
sources. Of these establishments, 2,118 identified as solar and completed full or substantially
completed surveys.
The survey was also administered to a stratified, clustered, random sampling from various
industries that are potentially energy-related (unknown universe) that include a total of
approximately 314,000 establishments nationwide. After an extensive cleaning and de-duplication process, a sampling plan was developed
that gathered information on the level of solar
activity (including none) from 12,765 establishments. Of these, 327 establishments qualified as solar establishments and completed full
surveys. The sampling rigor in the known and
unknown universes provides a margin of error
for establishment counts at +/-0.85% and
employment at +/-1.99% at a 95% confidence
interval.
This level of national sampling rigor is mirrored at the state level. In addition to the
known Census, the clustered sampling in the
unknown universe is representative relative to
establishment totals by size in each of the 50
states and the District of Columbia. This ensures that each states employment estimates
are accurate with a maximum margin of error
under +/-5% at a 95% confidence interval.
Due to the number of qualifying responses,

some smaller states have higher margins of
error for non-employment related questions,
such as workforce and policy related questions,
due to the small universe of solar establishments in each state. As a result, some state-level, non-employment data is reported using
regional averages or have footnotes denoting
small response sizes.
10
GEOGRAPHIC REPRESENTATION OF DATA

In addition to the statewide results detailed
herein, the Solar Jobs Census 2015 effort
compiled comprehensive information about
the distribution of solar workers across each
state. The Solar Jobs Census 2015 companion
website, SolarStates.org, houses solar jobs
data for each state and the District of Columbia.
Here, the employment data have been broken
out and represented in map form at the

state, federal congressional district, state
legislative district, metropolitan statistical
area, and county levels. What follows are
tables presenting the employment counts and
demographic breakdowns of the workforce at
each specified level of granularity previously
mentioned.
MICHIGAN FEDERAL CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS

District
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
District
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Total
AfricanWomen
Employment
American
Asian or
Pacific
Islanders
Older
Veterans of
Latino or
Union
Workers
the US Armed
Hispanic
Members
(55+)
Forces
299
61
20
20
55
13
218
45
15
15
40
289
147
143
166
279
176
295
160
201
128
170
109
59
30
29
34
57
36
60
33
41
26
35
22
20
10
10
11
19
12
20
11
14
9
12
7
20
10
10
11
19
12
20
11
14
9
12
7
7
3
3
4
6
4
7
4
5
3
4
2
53
27
26
31
52
32
54
30
37
24
31
20
MICHIGAN STATE SENATE
Total
AfricanWomen
Employment
American
7
3
3
4
12
6
6
7
12
4
7
5
3
4
2
12
8
5
7
5
Asian or
Older
Veterans of
Latino or
Union
Pacific
Workers
the US Armed
Hispanic
Members
Islanders
(55+)
Forces
126
26
23
13
23
75
27
43
80
15
5
9
16
2
5
2
3
5
2
5
2
3
5
1
2
1
1
2
14
5
8
15
1
2
1
1
2
1
3
1
2
3
11
District
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
Total
AfricanWomen
Employment
American
Asian or
Older
Veterans of
Latino or
Union
Pacific
Workers
the US Armed
Hispanic
Members
Islanders
(55+)
Forces
112
23
21
164
34
11
11
30
14
57
40
127
102
69
75
85
55
87
85
69
67
82
94
31
70
110
43
129
12
39
12
8
26
21
15
17
11
18
17
14
14
17
19
6
14
22
9
26
3
8
71
14
55
11
42
72
127
69
73
80
15
26
14
15
16
4
3
9
7
5
6
4
6
6
5
5
6
6
2
5
7
3
9
1
3
5
3
5
4
9
5
5
5
4
3
9
7
5
6
4
6
6
5
5
6
6
2
5
7
3
9
1
3
5
3
5
4
9
5
5
5
1
1
3
2
2
2
2
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
2
2
1
3
0
1
11
7
23
19
13
14
16
10
16
16
13
12
15
17
6
13
20
8
24
2
7
13
10
1
2
3
2
2
2
13
23
13
14
15
1
1
3
2
2
2
2
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
2
2
1
3
0
1
2
1
2
1
3
2
2
2
MICHIGAN STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
District
1
2
3
4
Total
AfricanWomen
Employment
American
2
2
5
4
3
3
4
2
4
4
3
3
3
4
1
3
5
2
5
1
2
3
2
3
2
5
3
3
3
Asian or
Older
Veterans of
Latino or
Union
Pacific
Workers
the US Armed
Hispanic
Members
Islanders
(55+)
Forces
15
18
17
2
3
1
1
1
1
0
0
2
3
0
0
0
1
12
District
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
Total
AfricanWomen
Employment
American
36
57
12
21
Asian or
Older
Veterans of
Latino or
Union
Pacific
Workers
the US Armed
Hispanic
Members
Islanders
(55+)
Forces
4
0
1
4
0
1
11
1
8
1
0
0
29
42
42
15
3
21
44
18
42
9
9
3
1
4
9
4
8
3
3
1
0
1
3
1
3
3
3
1
0
1
3
1
3
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
8
3
1
4
8
3
1
0
0
0
1
0
29
17
3
23
4
1
5
60
12
60
12
16
20
16
28
18
11
42
4
3
6
4
2
9
68
14
65
13
19
55
14
34
44
45
17
14
18
11
3
7
9
9
3
3
4
1
0
2
4
1
1
4
2
1
1
1
3
5
1
4
4
1
2
3
3
1
1
1
1
0
2
4
1
1
4
2
1
1
1
3
5
1
4
4
1
2
3
3
1
1
1
0
0
1
3
4
11
11
0
0
1
0
0
1
4
3
5
3
2
8
13
12
0
1
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
10
3
6
8
8
3
3
3
0
1
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
2
0
1
1
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
2
0
0
2
2
1
1
0
1
2
1
2
1
0
1
1
3
1
1
3
1
1
1
0
2
3
1
2
3
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
13
District
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
Total
AfricanWomen
Employment
American
Asian or
Older
Veterans of
Latino or
Union
Pacific
Workers
the US Armed
Hispanic
Members
Islanders
(55+)
Forces
17
27
25
14
4
6
5
3
1
83
17
12
25
18
22
23
34
5
4
4
5
7
58
12
49
30
6
31
10
6
1
6
53
11
29
39
2
9
8
0
2
67
14
12
78
43
4
14
13
35
33
17
12
21
24
14
7
16
9
1
3
3
7
7
4
3
4
5
3
1
2
2
1
0
6
2
1
1
1
2
2
4
0
3
1
2
0
2
4
3
0
2
1
5
5
3
1
0
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
2
1
0
2
2
1
0
6
2
1
1
1
2
2
4
0
3
1
2
0
2
4
3
0
2
1
5
5
3
1
0
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
2
1
0
1
1
0
0
5
5
3
1
15
1
0
0
1
1
5
3
4
4
6
11
0
1
1
0
1
1
9
6
1
6
10
1
0
0
7
0
2
12
2
1
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
14
8
1
3
2
6
6
3
2
4
4
3
1
1
1
0
0
2
1
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
1
1
0
1
0
2
2
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
1
0
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
0
2
0
1
0
1
2
2
0
1
0
3
3
2
1
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
14
District
Asian or
Older
Veterans of
Latino or
Union
Pacific
Workers
the US Armed
Hispanic
Members
Islanders
(55+)
Forces
Total
AfricanWomen
Employment
American
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
24
15
12
36
37
11
31
25
18
23
15
17
18
2
1
49
10
32
36
3
1
1
1
25
13
25
20
33
73
15
MICHIGAN METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS

Metropolitan
Statistical Area
Ann Arbor
Battle Creek
Bay City
Detroit-WarrenLivonia
Flint
Grand RapidsWyoming
Holland- Grand
Haven
Jackson
KalamazooPortage
Total
AfricanWomen
Employment
American
126
26
1,191
226
42
25
96
23
244
81
81
27
46
15
15
20
13
87
18
Asian or
Latino
Older
Veterans of
Union
Pacific
or
Workers
the US Armed
Members
Islanders Hispanic
(55+)
Forces
66
39
220
27
50
42
18
12
16
2
15
Metropolitan
Statistical Area
Total
AfricanWomen
Employment
American
Lansing-East
Lansing
125
MI NONMETRO
AREA
Monroe
Alpena
Antrim
Arenac
Baraga
Barry
Bay
Benzie
Berrien
Branch
Calhoun
Cass
Charlevoix
Cheboygan
Chippewa
Clare
Clinton
Crawford
Delta
Dickinson
Eaton
23
40
13
108
13
25
41
25
45
52
South BendMishawaka, IN-MI
Allegan
40
Saginaw-Saginaw
Township North
Alger
120
NilesBenton Harbor
Alcona
585
MuskegonNorton Shores
County
26
Asian or
Latino
Older
Veterans of
Union
Pacific
or
Workers
the US Armed
Members
Islanders Hispanic
(55+)
Forces
11
10
1
MICHIGAN COUNTIES
Total
AfricanWomen
Employment
American
Asian or
Older
Latino or
Union
Pacific
Workers
Hispanic
Members
Islanders
(55+)
Veterans of
the US Armed
Forces
12
41
8
4
1
9
25
7
45
9
42
7
10
6
12
13
11
3
15
9
28
0
8
2
1
0
2
5
1
9
2
9
2
2
1
2
3
2
1
3
2
6
0
3
1
0
0
1
2
0
3
1
3
1
1
0
1
1
1
0
1
1
2
0
3
1
0
0
1
2
0
3
1
3
1
1
0
1
1
1
0
1
1
2
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
8
2
1
0
2
5
1
8
2
8
1
2
1
2
2
2
1
3
2
5
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
0
2
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
0
1
16
County
Emmet
Genesee
Gladwin
Gogebic
Grand
Traverse
Gratiot
Hillsdale
Houghton
Huron
Ingham
Ionia
Iosco
Iron
Isabella
Jackson
Kalamazoo
Kalkaska
Kent
Lake
Lapeer
Leelanau
Lenawee
Livingston
Luce
Mackinac
Macomb
Manistee
Marquette
Mason
Mecosta
Menominee
Midland
Missaukee
Monroe
Montcalm
Montmorency
Muskegon
Newaygo
Oakland
Total
AfricanWomen
Employment
American
18
95
20
54
11
12
5
5
12
12
12
3
2
2
87
18
11
9
21
39
2
2
4
8
69
14
198
19
7
23
Asian or
Older
Latino or
Union
Pacific
Workers
Hispanic
Members
Islanders
(55+)
7
0
4
1
1
1
1
6
1
1
0
1
3
5
1
7
0
4
1
1
1
1
6
1
1
0
1
3
5
1
40
13
13
4
5
0
1
2
1
2
48
10
204
42
14
14
12
2
2
20
20
8
4
26
4
24
12
3
41
9
492
0
0
4
4
2
1
5
1
5
2
1
8
2
101
0
0
1
1
1
0
2
0
2
1
0
3
1
34
3
0
0
1
1
1
0
2
0
2
1
0
3
1
34
18
10
0
0
0
2
2
2
16
0
0
0
1
2
2
4
7
13
0
4
0
0
1
1
0
0
36
4
1
4
9
0
0
38
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
11
Veterans of
the US Armed
Forces
4
4
1
1
5
1
4
2
0
8
2
91
2
0
1
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
1
2
0
4
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
5
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
11
4
0
2
1
0
1
0
4
0
0
0
1
2
3
0
8
0
1
0
1
2
0
0
9
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
0
2
0
21
17
County
Oceana
Ogemaw
Ontonagon
Osceola
Oscoda
Otsego
Ottawa
Presque Isle
Roscommon
Saginaw
Sanilac
Schoolcraft
Shiawassee
St Clair
St Joseph
Tuscola
Van Buren
Washtenaw
Wayne
Wexford
Total
AfricanWomen
Employment
American
Asian or
Older
Latino or
Union
Pacific
Workers
Hispanic
Members
Islanders
(55+)
Veterans of
the US Armed
Forces
7
2
2
17
1
0
0
4
51
10
53
11
16
4
6
8
4
42
14
12
18
128
385
14
1
1
2
1
9
3
2
4
26
79
3
0
0
0
1
3
0
0
4
1
0
1
3
1
1
1
9
26
1
0
0
0
1
3
0
0
4
1
0
1
3
1
1
1
9
26
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
3
9
1
1
10
0
0
1
0
0
0
3
9
0
1
1
8
3
2
3
24
71
3
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
3
9
0
0
0
0
1
2
0
0
2
0
0
1
2
1
1
1
5
16
1
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
18
ENDNOTES
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
SEIA/GTM Research Solar Market Insight Q3 2015

The 2014 estimate of solar employment in Michigan was produced using a carefully developed dual methodology
one for installation and construction jobs and another for non-installation jobs (covering industry sectors such
as manufacturing, sales & distribution, project development, and other occupations that support the solar
industry). Method one used labor intensity multipliers developed internally and cross-checked with leading
studies on the subject, while method two was based not only on a direct count of solar workers, but also the
average number of jobs per solar establishment and total number of establishments in the state. It is important
to note that while the 2014 and 2015 methodologies differ, the results derived from the Census approach are
statistically significant and, therefore, more credible. Details on the methodology can be found on page 10.
The residential, non-residential, and utility-scale market segments are defined by SEIA based on the offtaker of
the electricity their systems generate, though they can generally be used interchangeably with small-scale (i.e.
single-family household rooftop systems, no more than a handful of kilowatts), medium-scale (i.e. multi-unit,
commercial, or government rooftop system), and large-scale (i.e. ground-mounted or very large rooftop systems
ranging from several hundred kilowatts to several hundred megawatts in capacity).
Otte, Colleen. Large Solar Dawns in Michigan, but Residential Incentives May Sunset. Great Lakes Echo.
December 4, 2015. Accessed December 14, 2015. http://greatlakesecho.org/2015/12/04/large-solar-dawns-inmichigan-but-residential-incentives-may-sunset/
Greene, Jay. Consumers Energy Gets OK to Add Michigans First Community Solar Program. Crains Detroit
Business. May 15, 2015. Accessed December 14, 2015. http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20150515/
NEWS/150519887/consumers-energy-gets-ok-to-add-michigans-first-community-solar
It is important to note that these projections were based on employer-reported hiring plans for 2016 that may
have since changed in light of the extension of the federal investment tax credit in December of 2015.
Id.
JobsEQ 2015Q3
Hill, K., Menk, D., Swiecki, B., & Cregger, J. (2014, January 8). Just How High-Tech is the Automotive
Industry? Retrieved January 20, 2016, from Center for Automotive Research website: http://cargroup.
org/?module=Publications&event=View&pubID=103
U.S Census Bureau, Geographic Terms and Concepts - Census Divisions and Census Regions. Found at: https://
www.census.gov/geo/reference/gtc/gtc_census_divreg.html
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population by state 2014
Annual Averages and Employment status of veterans 18 years and over by state 2014 Annual Averages.
Found at: http://www.bls.gov/
See, U.S. Department of Energy Solar Ready Vets. Available at: http://energy.gov/eere/sunshot/solar-readyvets
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Unless otherwise noted, all design, text, graphics, and the selection and arrangement thereof are Copyright February 2016 by The Solar Foundation
and BW Research Partnership. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Any use of materials in this report, including reproduction, modification, distribution, or
republication, without the prior written consent of The Solar Foundation and BW Research Partnership, is strictly prohibited.
For questions about this report, please contact Andrea Luecke at The Solar Foundation, aluecke@solarfound.org.
The Solar Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and relies on public support. To learn more about supporting The Solar Foundations work, go to
www.TheSolarFoundation.org/donate/
Washington, DC | (202) 469-3750
www.TheSolarFoundation.org

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2015

ABOUT THE SOLAR FOUNDATION

ABOUT BW RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP

This Michigan Solar Jobs Census 2015 report is

Association (SEIA) for use of its National Solar

Sponsors of this years Census effort include:

For questions or comments about this report, please contact either:

Photo courtesy of GRID Alternatives

continued to expand the size of their payrolls.

U.S. PV Capacity Additions & Solar Jobs, 2010 - 2015E

Added Capacity (MW)

Capacity Data Source: SEIA/GTM Research Solar Market Insight Q3 2015