With the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting that unemployment in the U.S. has reached over 10%, it is more important than ever to discuss the importance of going solar and creating green jobs. We’ve been hearing a lot of buzz in the media about ‘green jobs’ and many are wondering when we will start seeing them pour into Tucson. However, when exactly this time will come is still somewhat of a mystery. If we had to guess, it seems as though it will take a while to get the ball rolling in regard to the types of new programs the government will implement, the accompanying administrative details, and getting the ‘green’ companies that will be impacted up to speed as well.
However, the government is doing what they can to make the cost of solar affordable for homeowners. Both the federal government and the state offer tax credits. When you combine this with the generous utility rebates and the fact that Arizona gets more high intensity sun than any other state, solar starts to make a lot of financial sense for homeowners.
Although it looks like it may be a while before we start to see the government playing a large role in the creation of green collar jobs, we are seeing everyday homeowners making a big impact in their local economy. By deciding to go solar, this directly increases the number of local jobs in Tucson, and the potential for solar to create jobs is astounding. Unlike the coal industry, which relies on machines, solar relies on labor. These include installation crews, engineers, salespeople, and administrative positions. As a leading solar installer in southern Arizona, TFS was chosen to install 130 systems in 2009, and was fortunate to grow 100%, thus creating 14 new green jobs in Tucson.
If 10% of Arizona homeowners decided to start receiving the benefits of a solar energy, it would create over 32,000 jobs! To put it another way, in order to create a new green collar job, it only requires that 6 homes go solar. When it comes to the issue of creating local jobs we think there’s one very simple answer - watch your utility expenses drop and help the green economy rise.