• This article was written by Jessica Mino, resource management coordinator for the Kane County Division of Environmental and Water Resources. You can reach her at MinoJessica@co.kane.il.us.

Looking for a job or thinking about a career to pursue?

You might just want to consider something in the renewable energy field.

In Illinois, solar job growth was found to be 37 percent in 2018 by a study recently released by The Solar Foundation.

The Solar Foundation’s National Solar Jobs Census 2018 is the ninth annual report on the size and scope of the American solar workforce. The report tracks solar employment nationwide and state by state.

These jobs are providing clean, affordable, renewable energy in all 50 states.

The United States has 242,343 solar workers, defined as those who spend 50 percent or more of their time on solar-related work. Nationwide, solar jobs have decreased over the last two years, but Illinois evades that trend by continuing to add solar jobs.

Overall, solar jobs increased in 29 states in 2018, including many states with emerging solar markets.

With a backlog of utility-scale projects and new policy incentives in key states, the outlook for solar jobs is expected to improve in 2019, reports The Solar Foundation. Survey respondents predict that solar jobs will increase 7 percent in 2019, bringing the total to 259, 400 jobs nationwide.

Keep an eye out for an updated Solar Jobs Map to be released by the Solar Foundation in March 2018, detailing information on solar jobs by county, metro area, and federal and state congressional district.