US solar industry creates 20,000 new jobs in 2009

February 20 - The future looks bright for the solar energy industry, which experienced widespread success in 2009 despite a struggling US economy. With the help of funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, solar installations grew by 40% last year, providing thousands of new jobs. “One of the fastest ways to create jobs in America is to invest in clean energy,” says Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association. “These are quality jobs and they can’t be outsourced. From plumbers to electricians to construction workers, the solar industry created nearly 20,000 jobs last year with the support of the stimulus bill.”

Following the release of the Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Program 2011 budget, Resch issued a statement claiming the 22% increase will continue to spur growth in the sector, funding research and innovation in solar technology and fueling even more job creation in the coming year. Programs funded by the plan include advanced photovoltaic manufacturing, increasing the reliability of components to extend life of PV systems, thermal storage research to improve cost-competitiveness, and a new concentrating solar power demonstration program to provide operational data needed by the finance community to invest in a more projects.

Current funding from the Obama administration represents just a small step when compared to Germany’s solar incentives. The nation, though covered by clouds on average more than two thirds of daylight hours, has the largest market for photovoltaic systems, about half of the world’s installations. This is thanks to Germany’s progressive policies promoting solar development and access. Solar energy in Germany employs 40,000 people, and the nation's energy model is one that demonstrates a path to extensive job creation with the expansion of the solar industry.

The successes in 2009 are a testament of the strength and future potential capital of the solar industry. Earlier this month, top executives from the renewable energy sector met to urge congress to quickly institute a strong national renewable energy standard. The policy would layout near and long-term goals, including the expansion and extension of credit and other financing incentives, as well as comprehensive legislation. The Solar Energy Industries Association aims to use support from the bill to maintain American competitiveness and attract tens of billions of dollars of investment in clean energy production and manufacturing facilities. This policy, called a renewable electricity standard (RES), is essentially the same as the renewable portfolio standard currently being investigated at the Louisiana Public Service Commission, and would include policies that give preference to wind, hydropower, geothermal, biomass and solar power.

According to a recent study by Navigant Consulting, Inc., such a policy could result in 274,000 more renewable energy jobs than if no RES were enacted. “We proved that we can create much-needed job growth now with the right policies in place,” says SEIA CEO Resch, “but we can only keep up that momentum if Congress enacts a jobs bill that promotes deployment of solar and other clean energy technologies.”

(Front page photo courtesy of Craig Miller Productions and DOE)