Study: Solar Energy Could Fuel 28,000 Jobs
Press Release by Environment North Carolina
North Carolina could see at least 28,000 high-quality new jobs along with a cleaner environment by achieving an ambitious, but attainable, benchmark for solar power, according to a new Environment North Carolina Research & Policy Center analysis.
“Everyone knows solar energy is clean. There has never been a solar spill,” said Elizabeth Ouzts, State Director of Environment North Carolina and co-author of the report. “The sun is also abundant in North Carolina and free. That’s why capturing it can create tens of thousands of jobs right here that can’t be outsourced.”
In releasing the study, green energy advocates, businesses, and lawmakers advocated new policies to help the state realize the economic and environmental potential of solar energy.
“We can see before us the path that we must take to achieve the benefits that solar power can provide our economy and our environment,” said Sen. Josh Stein, sponsor of several measures to promote solar energy, including Senate Bill 1424, which will reinstate a tax credit for renewable energy manufacturing.
The report, “Working With the Sun: How Solar Power Can Protect North Carolina’s Environment and Create New Jobs,” found that if the state can draw 14 percent of its electricity from solar sources by 2030, the jobs created in 2030 would pay workers an average of $43,000 annually, and drive total gross investment in North Carolina of more than $2.5 billion each year.
Solar industry workers help to manufacture solar panels and solar water heating systems, install the systems on-site, work to maintain the systems and – at utility-scale facilities – run the business of power generation. In turn, the money solar businesses and their workers spend in the local economy helps to support other businesses.
Expansion of solar would build upon an already-thriving green sector in the state’s economy. For example:
Semprius, headquartered near Research Triangle Park, is developing a new semi-conductor technology to make solar panels more efficient and inexpensive by printing high-performance materials onto virtually any material, including glass and flexible plastic. As of 2010, the firm employs 28 people and has raised more than $10 million in venture capital.
SBM Solar, based just outside of Charlotte, manufactures solar panels using lightweight materials suitable for mounting on rooftops. The company operates a 22,000 square foot manufacturing facility and plans to employ up to 60 employees by 2013.
Carolina Solar Energy, based in Durham, focuses on commercial and utility-scale solar systems and has installed more than 1 MW of solar electric capacity in the state.
Installation of solar energy systems requires local construction firms and general contractors– jobs that are difficult or impossible to outsource. But much of the work behind solar energy involves manufacturing. Building a photovoltaic panel requires creating cells from silicon and glass, installing wires and other electrical components, and assembling them into a unit.
Creating local demand for solar energy products can help to promote the development of local manufacturing capacity. Reinstating the state’s renewable energy manufacturing tax credit would do even more to promote local manufacturing capacity.
“I have lived in Europe for 13 years and watched as more than 250,000 jobs were created in the solar industry in Germany,” said Olee Joel Olsen, managing director of O2 Energies, a Cornelius-based company that focuses on large scale solar installations. “I knew that the United States and North Carolina in particular could match and surpass what the Europeans have accomplished with respect to solar energy.”
“Recovering from the state’s economic downturn will be a long-term task,” said Ouzts. “However, North Carolina has the resources right here at home to lay the foundation for a prosperous future. The key is transforming our energy system.”
“Working With the Sun” estimated 28,000 jobs could be created if minimal solar power components came from North Carolina and that up to 42,000 jobs could be created if 50 percent of components came from local manufacturers.
“We applaud the Senate for including a tax credit for green energy manufacturing in its budget,” said Ouzts. “We hope the House will now follow suit, and help North Carolina grow solar.”
Environment North Carolina is a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy group.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader or email.
Subscribe to RSS
Comments
No comments yet.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.