by Natalia Lima
Affordable technology and a growing demand for clean energy have helped the clean energy workforce expand according to the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). These two factors support the clean energy economy and open new doors for employment in energy storage, energy efficiency, renewable energy development, and transportation. As climate change phenomena and its peculiar ramifications prompt questions globally, our fight to redeem ourselves leaves us no room for exclusion. Let’s examine the solar industry as one example in the clean energy space to assess its demographics and prospects.
Thanks to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Solar Foundation, we can evaluate diversity and inclusion in the solar labor force using the 2019 U.S. Solar Industry Diversity Study. The Solar Foundation is a nonprofit that advocates for solar energy. One tool they created in 2010 is the annual National Solar Job Census which doubles as an evaluator of expansion in solar careers. SEIA is a national association for the U.S. solar energy industry that teamed up with the Solar Foundation to provide the study.
Gender disparities are quite clear in the report: only 26.3% of the workforce identify as women while 1.4% are non-binary. Women make up 46.9% of the overall U.S. workforce yet female employment is deficient in intersecting fields as well (construction, etc.). A lack of personal connections was highlighted as a hurdle for women of color in an industry that is often compared to a “boys club.” The study charted 20% of females feeling stuck in their position compared to 7% of men. This is presumably connected to a $7.57 wage disparity and a 12% difference in wage satisfaction between genders, with men taking the cake every time. Categorized by position-level, 37% of manager-director-president (MDP) level and 80% of all the senior executives were male. A narrow funnel into this industry is further impeded by cultural expectations pre-aligned for genders. These factors among others leave female employment in this industry at about a 5% growth rate since 2014.
Graphs by Climable with data from 2019 Solar Industry Diversity Study.
Racial disparity in the clean energy space is a theme in the environmental justice movement. Only 36% of solar firms reported tracking demographics, a testament to the weak pursuit of inclusiveness in the field. Three-fifths of the recruitment in the industry “relied on professional and personal networks” in an industry that was 73.3% white in 2018. No surprise a mere growth of 1.6% of African Americans, 1.5% of Asians and .6% of Hispanics or Latinos is charted since 2014. Black and Hispanic employees stated they’d gotten their jobs through word of mouth— 21% less than Non-Hispanic and White. Although ”All Other” races compose more of the mid-level positions than white (75% vs. 63%), the MDP-level positions as well as senior executives are mostly white, with execs at 88%. This data exemplifies how hiring and promotion from a homogeneous applicant pool can lead to a lack of diversity. Participants of the diversity study suggested some tips for a more inclusive solar industry for women of color based on their experience:
- Early education on solar power and career choices in diverse communities.
- Expanding employment qualifications beyond solar industry exposure.
- Intentionally hiring outside of the typical candidate pool.
- Promote solar industry positions in diverse communities.
- Professional development aligned with inclusion and diversity.
The need to switch from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy increases in urgency right along with the fight to unite globally for redemption of humane mistakes. Diversity in the clean energy space stretches beyond ethics into a necessity as we join in this fight against climate change.