South Carolina Solar workforce: 4,176 workers, 25th in U.S. (2024)

Where South Carolina’s clean-energy jobs sit across 8 sectors

Sector	Jobs (2024)	National rank
Energy Efficiency	31,530	#27
Hydropower	7,415	#2
Nuclear	4,306	#1
Solar	4,176	#25
Electric Vehicles	1,994	#18
Wind	1,818	#19
Storage & Grid	1,097	#22
Clean Fuels	249	#23

South Carolina vs. the solar leader, median, and bottom

1st · California

116,380

25. South Carolina

4,176

25th · Hawaii

4,083

51st · Alaska

163

States with comparable solar employment

Solar roles and pay in South Carolina

Role	SOC	National median	South Carolina-adjusted	Job Zone
Electrician	47-2111.00	$61,590	$58,079	3
Solar Photovoltaic Installer	47-2231.00	$51,860	$48,904	2

Employer-reported hiring difficulty in South Carolina

Did not hire

44.3%

Very difficult hiring

28.1%

Somewhat difficult hiring

21.9%

Not at all difficult hiring

5.7%

NAICS industry mix for South Carolina clean-energy jobs

Manufacturing

50,545

Construction

28,144

Trade

25,163

Other Services

17,799

Utilities

12,125

Professional Services

7,687

Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows

4,875

Agriculture and Forestry

815

Mining and Extraction

127

South Carolina’s electric-power generation workforce by fuel type

Traditional hydropower

7,415

Nuclear electricity

4,306

Solar

4,176

Natural gas electricity

3,218

Coal electricity

2,252

Wind

1,818

Other electricity

1,555

Bioenergy/Combined heat and power

897

Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics

153

Geothermal electricity

101

Oil and other fossil fuel electricity

60

Full USEER workbook line items for South Carolina

Fuels

Fuels total	6,211
Oil (petroleum and other fossil fuels)	2,420
Woody biomass	1,175
Natural gas fuels	633
Nuclear fuels	586
Corn ethanol	442
Other ethanol and non-woody biomass	368
Other fuels	301
Other biofuels	249
Coal fuels	37

Electric Power Generation

Electric power generation total	25,951
Traditional hydropower	7,415
Nuclear electricity	4,306
Solar	4,176
Natural gas electricity	3,218
Coal electricity	2,252
Wind	1,818
Other electricity	1,555
Bioenergy/Combined heat and power	897
Low impact hydropower, marine, and hydrokinetics	153
Geothermal electricity	101
Oil and other fossil fuel electricity	60

Transmission, Distribution & Storage

Transmission, distribution, and storage total	16,806
Traditional transmission and distribution	12,970
Other (including commodity flows)	1,611
Storage	1,097
Smart grid	509
Other grid modernization	339
Micro grid	280

Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency total	31,530
Other	10,259
High efficiency HVAC and renewable heating and cooling	8,377
Advanced materials	6,305
Traditional HVAC with an efficiency component	3,383
Certified and efficient lighting	3,206

Motor Vehicles

Motor vehicle total	66,783
Gasoline and diesel vehicles	51,748
Motor vehicle commodity flows	4,311
Other vehicles	3,663
Hybrid electric vehicles	3,056
Battery electric vehicles	1,994
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles	1,366
Hydrogen/fuel cell vehicles	341
Natural gas vehicles	304

By NAICS Industry

Manufacturing	50,545
Construction	28,144
Trade	25,163
Other Services	17,799
Utilities	12,125
Professional Services	7,687
Pipeline Transport & Commodity Flows	4,875
Agriculture and Forestry	815
Mining and Extraction	127

Skill profile for solar roles

Top skills

Troubleshooting3.50

Critical Thinking3.32

Installation3.32

Active Listening3.25

Judgment and Decision Making3.19

Quality Control Analysis3.19

Speaking3.13

Active Learning3.13

Knowledge

Building and Construction4.24

Mechanical3.86

Administration and Management3.85

Design3.72

Mathematics3.68

Customer and Personal Service3.58

Public Safety and Security3.32

Engineering and Technology3.23

Core abilities

Near Vision3.88

Problem Sensitivity3.88

Deductive Reasoning3.57

Information Ordering3.57

Finger Dexterity3.50

Oral Comprehension3.50

Visualization3.50

Inductive Reasoning3.44

Representative tasks for solar workers

Visually inspect and test photovoltaic (PV) modules or systems. (Core)
Apply weather sealing to array, building, or support mechanisms. (Core)
Install required labels on solar system components and hardware. (Core)
Assemble solar modules, panels, or support structures, as specified. (Core)
Connect wires to circuit breakers, transformers, or other components. (Core)
Provide preliminary sketches or cost estimates for materials or services. (Core)
Install ground leads and connect power cables to equipment, such as motors. (Core)
Construct or fabricate parts, using hand tools, according to specifications. (Core)
Compile or maintain records of system operation, performance, and maintenance. (Core)
Advise management on whether continued operation of equipment could be hazardous. (Core)
Repair or replace wiring, equipment, or fixtures, using hand tools or power tools. (Core)
Fasten small metal or plastic boxes to walls to house electrical switches or outlets. (Core)

Software and tools used in solar roles

Microsoft Excel 🔥 Microsoft Office software 🔥 Microsoft Outlook 🔥 Microsoft Word 🔥 Adobe Acrobat 🔥 Autodesk AutoCAD 🔥 Microsoft Windows 🔥 Salesforce software 🔥 SAP software 🔥 Extensible markup language XML 🔥 Computer aided design CAD software SoftEmpire Electrical Calculations Lighting calculation software Spreadsheet software Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software AVEVA InTouch HMI Turtle Creek Software Goldenseal Word processing software Construction Master Pro Work scheduling software Cost estimating software One Mile Up Panel Planner Craftsman CD Estimator Programmable logic controller PLC software