Top 5 Reasons to Work in Solar

At GAF Energy, we're solar professionals through and through. We love our jobs and our chosen area of focus, even if the ride does occasionally feel like a "solarcoaster".

I asked the team this week to reflect on why it's a great time to join the industry. Here are our top five reasons.

1. More people are doing it (even if they hail from coal country)

The solar workforce in the US increased an incredible 168% over the past seven years, according to The Solar Foundation. Dozens of states saw notable gains on the solar jobs front in 2018, including Florida, Texas, Illinois, and New York.

Furthermore, the clean energy ranks appear to be swelling more and more with professionals from fossil-fuel-based backgrounds. That solar installer on the roof might just come from several generations of coal workers.

Looking forward, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that, between the years 2016 and 2026, the job of “solar photovoltaic installer” will have the highest rate of growth among all occupations in the country. It ranks slightly ahead of wind turbine service technicians. The future, employment wise, is coming up renewables.

2. Solar prices are highly competitive with traditional sources of power  

The general trend in the renewables cost curve has been toward what the industry calls “grid parity,” meaning that clean energy costs compete directly with those of fossil fuels.

In certain parts of the country, a solar farm can go toe-to-toe economically with, say, a coal plant when utilities contemplate new power sources. Large utilities are turning to solar because the price is right, not solely to do the right thing.

Similarly, many US homeowners will often find adding solar panels to their rooftop an attractive financial option, as compared to a standard utility bill. Finally, some of the largest public and privately-held companies are adding rooftop solar to their operations both as a way to lower the cost of electricity, and to have long-term visibility into energy pricing.

By next year, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) expects the cost of all renewable energy sources to fall within the cost range of fossil fuels. We at GAF Energy see continuing solar cost reductions as vital and promising for our business, and for the industry in general.

3. Market forecast: 100%+ growth

The US solar market is expected to more than double in the next five years, with 71 GW of new capacity expected by 2024. Not many other industries can claim that kind of a growth rate. 

4. Innovations are everywhere

GAF Energy is naturally excited about the solar installation model we are pioneering with roofers. But, there’s innovation on all sides of the clean energy equation: in energy storage, electric vehicles, and grid services. If you’ve got ingenuity and want to be where the action is when it comes to technology growth, renewable energy is a great option within an evolving and dynamic ecosystem.

5. One look at the air quality in just about any major city on a still day, and you know burning carbon-based fuels is not the future

Working for meaningful change motivates us at GAF Energy. We believe in responsible sources of power, ones that don’t cause adverse human health effects or environmental challenges. Solar power is cleaner -- and increasingly cheaper -- than a lot of the ways we’ve traditionally powered our lives.

Join us in generating energy from every roof: check out current openings at GAF Energy.