More than 550 solar companies in the US have signed a letter asking the US Government to support Americans working in the country’s solar industry in dealing with the ongoing crisis from the coronavirus pandemic.

Abigail Ross Hopper, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association said: “At the end of 2019, 250,000 Americans in every state had a career in the solar industry. These are well-paying jobs that put food on the table and keep the lights on.

“According to our survey, some sectors in the solar industry could see a 50% reduction or more, up from Bloomberg New Energy Fincance’s estimate of 16% to 30% just a week ago.”

She stressed the solar industry could lose half its jobs, making up 125,000 families who could no longer receive a paycheck, and noted Congress can help “stem this tide” with conomic stimulus legislation to help companies sustain families and invest tens of billions of dollars into the economy over the next couple of years.

She added: “We fully expect to work with Congress on any broad economic stimulus package. This will ensure that when this awful chapter in America’s history comes to an end, the clean energy economy is well positioned to lead our nation’s economic recovery.”