Current News and the Need for Solar Schools

With the ever-increasing need for alternative sources of energy, solar energy is becoming a more and more viable option for both industry and residential energy needs. In addition, recent advances in solar energy technology have created a demand for people trained in energy. Experts agree that at the current rate our need for solar power training and professionals will far exceed the supply.

In an effort to remedy this situation many colleges and trade schools offer solar energy certification programs. These solar schools offer courses to people already employed in the building trades as well as to students not yet in the workforce. People holding solar certifications stand to reap immediate financial rewards. Here we will look at a few recent news stories that illustrate the immediate need for professional tradespeople with alternative energy training certificates.

On June 18, 2009 the New York Times reported that $150 billion targeted at clean energy could translate into 1.7 million new jobs. Recent studies have delivered some exciting news. Not only could intense concern about the environment and government and private investment in alternative energy training spur job growth, but also it could in large part help pull the nation out of the current economic recession. Indeed, the loss of fossil fuel related jobs could be offset by an addition of more than twice as many clean technology related jobs.

In a June 19, 2009 CNET News article one company, SRS Energy of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has discovered a way to attract customers who hadn't previously considered solar energy because solar panels would conflict with their existing expensive and artistic roofs. But this is no longer the case because SRS Energy in partnership with US Tile has developed solar panels that are the same shape as existing popular roofing tiles. While these tiles do not produce as much energy as the standard flat tiles, they can be used without destroying the aesthetics of an expensive Spanish tile roof.

The Savanna Morning News on June 20, 2009 reported that the demand for those trained in "green-collar" jobs far exceeds the supply. And with increased government and private industry investment into the business of alternative energy the need for trained personnel will only increase. Georgia Tech University and private companies have teemed up to help produce alternative energy, and now in Georgia an international company, Suniva, opened Georgia's first solar panel manufacturing plant. No matter what part of the nation one examines, solar jobs are on the rise.

Part of what makes the promise of solar power training education so promising is that it is available to those already skilled in the building trades as well as those still gathering credentials. And it is certain that the time and money spent acquiring a solar school certificate will be recouped in no time at all because the demand for trained workers is well in excess of the supply. In these times of widespread economic hardship it is reassuring to know that there is at least one area where an educational certificate will lead to a guaranteed job. Those who attend a solar school can look forward to being green all the way to the bank.