While visiting Hill Air Force Base in Salt Lake City, Utah late last week, US President Barack Obama spoke about the importance of employment in the clean energy sector.
The President pointed out the USA is now generating twenty times more solar electricity than when he took office and the solar industry is adding jobs 10 times faster than the rest of the economy. In fact, the rate appears to be much higher than that – almost 20 times faster according to the Solar Foundation’s recent National Solar Jobs Census 2014.
“.. they’re good-paying jobs that are helping folks enter into the middle class,” said the President.
President Obama also spoke of three new programs to further boost solar employment.
The first is the Solar Ready Vets Program, which will train transitioning military service personnel for careers as installers throughout the USA.
The seconds is a new goal to train 75,000 people to join the solar workforce by 2020, adding fifty percent to a previous goal of 50,000 solar workers. This program will occur under the SunShot Initiative’s Solar Instructor Training Network, which has so far trained 1,000 certified solar instructors and close to 30,000 students across the nation in the last five years.
The President also announced new ways for veterans to access the post-9/11 GI Bill for solar jobs training.
“I’ve said it before, and I think employers are starting to catch on, if you really want to get the job done, hire a veteran,” he said.
Hill Air Force Base was a fitting venue for the announcements. Aside from being a military installation, the facility sources approximately 20% of its overall electricity through renewable energy sources, including a 220kW solar panel installation commissioned in 2009.
“DOD – Department of Defense – our military across the board, is becoming more and more efficient because that saves money,” said the President. “What is true for DOD has to be true for the entire country. And it’s going to provide enormous prospects for jobs and careers for a whole lot of folks out there, if, we continue to make this investment.”
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the U.S. has more than 20 gigawatts (GW) of installed solar capacity; which is enough to supply the electricity requirements of more than 4 million American households. Another 20 GW of solar panels are expected to be added by the end of next year.
