By now, you’ve likely seen the headlines. Solyndra, poster-child of the Bush and Obama administrations’ green energy plans, went bankrupt, thus proving the unsustainability of the sustainability movement. Anyone who has ever considered taking PV installation or renewable energy training courses should look for other certification outlets. Why even invest in green jobs anymore?
Solyndra’s dismal failure is embarrassing and depressing – there’s no denying that. However, the hoopla surrounding the issue tends to obscure the larger picture. Despite the glee that many fossil fuel supporters undoubtedly feel at the moment, solar jobs and PV installation certification training are both on the rise!
Who Would Want to Take Renewable Energy Training Courses Now?
First, let it be said that in every industry that has ever existed, there have been failures. We tend to accept this for oil, gas, and coal companies, redefining their failures as the inevitable cost of “doing business.” Why should green technologies be any different? And remember that Solyndra’s $530 million loan from the government represented only 1% of the total green funding released by the DOE. Have you ever met a venture capitalist who would boohoo a 1% failure rate?
The remaining 99% of this green funding has largely gone to new technologies, company expansions, increased production, and most important, new green jobs. Even with a new Solyndra-style failure every 6 months, solar would still emerge as a success story, and it’s not difficult to understand why. As coal, gas, and oil prices continue to rise, the cost of developing new solar components continues to plummet. Moreover, the primary source of energy (i.e. the sun) remains free forever, ensuring solar’s growing prominence in the global energy portfolio.
PV Installation Training Remains Fast Track to Employment
Although Solyndra lost 1,100 jobs overnight, this doesn’t change the fact that the solar industry is one of the few sectors of the economy that is actually creating new jobs. Some estimate that nearly 7,000 new solar jobs emerged from August 2010 to August 2011 – and this during a time of rising unemployment for the nation. This nearly 7% job growth statistic has already factored in those positions recently lost in Solyndra’s wake.
Contrast this with the national average for most other industries. During the same 12-month period that saw 7% net growth in solar jobs, the national economy grew only 0.7% (and this figure includes solar jobs). Better yet, contrast this growth with the oil and gas industry, which, according to the Department of Labor, is expected to experience negative job growth from 2008 to 2018 (unless you count oil clean up and wildlife conservation as “job creation”).
Renewable Energy Training – A Better Option Now Than Ever?
Solar energy certification training was a great way to boost job security before Presidents Bush and Obama lay out their respective green initiatives, but now that the government financing has begun to yield unprecedented job growth, solar PV installation training is now a better option than ever before.
Think of it this way – according to a recent survey conducted by Kelton Research, 94% of Americans want solar, and they want it now. And we’re not alone – the entire world is clamoring for greener and cleaner forms of energy, which explains why the US has actually become a net exporter of solar technology.
Very few career paths allow you to meet the demands of 94% of the population. Fewer still allow you to build a safer and more sustainable world for future generations. If you’re currently unemployed, fresh out of school, or thinking of changing careers, PV installation training can help open countless doors for years to come.
