Solar Is Adding Jobs 10 Times Faster Than the Overall Economy

[Triana]

Back in 2006, SolarCity was a small Bay Area solar energy startup with a handful of employees. Before long, according to CEO Lyndon Rive, the company was doubling in size every year to keep up with voracious demand for rooftop solar systems. Today, the company has over 9,000 employees spread across 65 offices nationwide; they're are busy every day designing, selling, and installing solar systems.



Similar stories are playing out at solar companies across the country. The US solar boom is taking off at breathtaking speed—even though solar is still a tiny slice of the American energy pie, it has by far the fastest growth of any energy source, and it's adding jobs apace. As of November 2014, the US solar industry employed 173,807 people, up 21.8 percent from a year before, according to a new survey by the Solar Foundation, a nonprofit research outfit.

That's 10 times faster than job growth in the overall US economy, which was just 2 percent over the same time period, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Solar employment is also outpacing job growth in the fossil fuel industry. Solar jobs now outnumber coal mining jobs two-to-one and are quickly catching up to jobs in oil and gas extraction, as well.

THE REST:

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2015/01/solar-jobs-economy

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

1. If I had any money

this is where I'd invest..........

[sabrina 1]

2. We spoke to them on the phone a few weeks ago. They are professional and extremely knowledgeable

regarding questions customers have. We are going to get an estimate on switching to Solar from them.

Where I live there is already a local Solar company, upstate NY. And I see solar panels all over the place up here.

Wind also. People are slowly moving away from fossil fuels in areas like this. Wood stoves, fireplaces are very popular here.

The end of the Oil Era appears to be coming. I read in National Geographic that nearly one fifth of the world's population are now using Alternative sources of energy. We are so behind on this.