Great news for renewable energy - the number of solar jobs is climbing!

[ScienceRocks]

Great news for renewable energy - the number of solar jobs is climbing!

U.S. solar companies boosted their employee rolls by 22 percent last year, and now employ 86 percent more workers than they did in 2010, driven by rising demand in the world’s third-largest market.


Almost 174,000 people are working in the U.S. solar industry, compared with 143,000 in 2013 and 93,500 in 2010, according to a report today from the Solar Foundation. Another 36,000 solar jobs may be added this year, including factory workers, salespeople, installers, developers and researchers.

The growth indicates that solar energy is one of the industries helping drive an economic recovery in the U.S., while slumping oil prices are prompting oil companies to reduce capital spending and cut employment. About 3 million Americans found work last year, the most in 15 years, and one out of every 78 new positions was in solar.

Jobs!!!

 

[mamooth]

But ... but ... Solyndra! Therefore it's not true!

 

[idb]

Great news for renewable energy - the number of solar jobs is climbing!

U.S. solar companies boosted their employee rolls by 22 percent last year, and now employ 86 percent more workers than they did in 2010, driven by rising demand in the world’s third-largest market.


Almost 174,000 people are working in the U.S. solar industry, compared with 143,000 in 2013 and 93,500 in 2010, according to a report today from the Solar Foundation. Another 36,000 solar jobs may be added this year, including factory workers, salespeople, installers, developers and researchers.

The growth indicates that solar energy is one of the industries helping drive an economic recovery in the U.S., while slumping oil prices are prompting oil companies to reduce capital spending and cut employment. About 3 million Americans found work last year, the most in 15 years, and one out of every 78 new positions was in solar.

Jobs!!!

It's also given Elektra a full time job on this very site.

 

[Mr. H.]

Temporary jobs, Brotch. Temporary jobs.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Jobs backed by tax payer money!!!! Yee Haw !! This is the greate.........oh wait.
Fail thread and thats being kind.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Jobs backed by tax payer money!!!! Yee Haw !! This is the greate.........oh wait.
Fail thread and thats being kind.

Investment into a energy source that doesn't go up & down in price over time and is nearly infite. I say worth it.

Losertarians wouldn't of build 90% of the infrastructure in this country if it was up to them.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Jobs backed by tax payer money!!!! Yee Haw !! This is the greate.........oh wait.
Fail thread and thats being kind.

Investment into a energy source that doesn't go up & down in price over time and is nearly infite. I say worth it.

Losertarians wouldn't of build 90% of the infrastructure in this country if it was up to them.

Just another government job that wouldnt exist if it weren't for subsides.

 

[guno]

Jobs backed by tax payer money!!!! Yee Haw !! This is the greate.........oh wait.
Fail thread and thats being kind.

Investment into a energy source that doesn't go up & down in price over time and is nearly infite. I say worth it.

Losertarians wouldn't of build 90% of the infrastructure in this country if it was up to them.

Just another government job that wouldnt exist if it weren't for subsides.

you are one dumbfuckastanie, The government funds medical research, NASA just to name a few. The investment in energy sources will pay off. Bye the way, the government funds oil companies now

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Jobs backed by tax payer money!!!! Yee Haw !! This is the greate.........oh wait.
Fail thread and thats being kind.

Investment into a energy source that doesn't go up & down in price over time and is nearly infite. I say worth it.

Losertarians wouldn't of build 90% of the infrastructure in this country if it was up to them.

Just another government job that wouldnt exist if it weren't for subsides.

you are one dumbfuckastanie, The government funds medical research, NASA just to name a few. The investment in energy sources will pay off. Bye the way, the government funds oil companies now

Only because oil companies are a bonanza when it comes to tax dollars.
I'm not against alternative energy by any stretch,but the fiasco of disappearing money is rather concerning,and they are far from self sustaining.
Private money will get us cheap power when an alternative can be found faster than government will.

 

[Old Rocks]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/24/b...-win-on-price-vs-conventional-fuels.html?_r=0

In Texas, Austin Energy signed a deal this spring for 20 years of output from a solar farm at less than 5 cents a kilowatt-hour. In September, the Grand River Dam Authority in Oklahoma announced its approval of a new agreement to buy power from a new wind farm expected to be completed next year. Grand River estimated the deal would save its customers roughly $50 million from the project.

And, also in Oklahoma, American Electric Power ended up tripling the amount of wind power it had originally sought after seeing how low the bids came in last year.

“Wind was on sale — it was a Blue Light Special,” said Jay Godfrey, managing director of renewable energy for the company. He noted that Oklahoma, unlike many states, did not require utilities to buy power from renewable sources.

“We were doing it because it made sense for our ratepayers,” he said.

According to a study by the investment banking firm Lazard, the cost of utility-scale solar energy is as low as 5.6 cents a kilowatt-hour, and wind is as low as 1.4 cents. In comparison, natural gas comes at 6.1 cents a kilowatt-hour on the low end and coal at 6.6 cents. Without subsidies, the firm’s analysis shows, solar costs about 7.2 cents a kilowatt-hour at the low end, with wind at 3.7 cents.

Right now, wind is beating the conventional sources on cost. And solar will be before President Obama's second term is finished. Grid scale batteries are starting production in North Carolina and Nevada this year. Those make solar and wind 24/7. Very simply, the market will eliminate coal, and, down the road, natural gas.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Who paid to build all those windmills?

 

[Old Rocks]

utilities.

 

[Old Rocks]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/24/b...-win-on-price-vs-conventional-fuels.html?_r=0

And, also in Oklahoma, American Electric Power ended up tripling the amount of wind power it had originally sought after seeing how low the bids came in last year.

“Wind was on sale — it was a Blue Light Special,” said Jay Godfrey, managing director of renewable energy for the company. He noted that Oklahoma, unlike many states, did not require utilities to buy power from renewable sources.

“We were doing it because it made sense for our ratepayers,” he said.

Market forces are driving the switch to renewables now. President Obama has won his bet on renewable energy.