Florida Ranks 5th For U.S. Jobs in Solar
The solar industry in the U.S. continues to provide more jobs, now outpacing its waning, and dangerous, coal counterpart. According to SEIA, the sunshine state ranked 5th in the nation in 2016 for solar employment with 8,260 jobs. Many of these jobs offer competitive starting wages with an excellent opportunity for growth, and require just basic electrical and carpentry skills as entry-level knowledge.
All-Girls Teen Engineers Create Solar-Powered Tent
12 girls from San Fernando Senior High outside of Los Angeles teamed up with an organization called DIYgirls to develop a tent that utilizes solar power charge electronics, provide light, sanitizes itself, and folds into a backpack for travel. The idea was born out of the girls witnessing an increase in homelessness in their neighborhood. Evelyn Gomez, the Executive Director of DIYgirls says, “If we have more young women and more people of color and more people from low-income communities that are able to identify a problem within our communities, then we’re going to be better equipped to solve those problems because we’ve lived through them.”
Florida Solar Tax Break Comes to Fruition
Governor Scott signed AB 90 into law, putting into effect the passage of Amendment 4 last August to remove burdensome property taxes on solar installations and renewable energy equipment. “This is a victory for Florida, solar customers, and non-solar customers alike,” said Patrick Altier, President of Florida Solar Energy Industries Association (FlaSEIA). “Better tax policy means more local jobs, lowered energy costs, and more clean, affordable, solar energy in the Sunshine State.” According to GTM Research’s latest report, the solar market in Florida grew by 200% last year.
