75,000 Solar Workers to Be Trained Under New Federal Program | Alternative Energy | Forums

Awesome, hopefully prices will come down even more

As part of President Obama’s plans to combat climate change, the White House announced a program on Friday for the U.S. Department of Energy to train 75,000 people to work in the solar power industry by 2020, many of whom will be part of a military veterans jobs initiative called Solar Ready Vets.

The announcement comes as the solar industry in the U.S. booms, adding more than 30,000 people to its workforce between 2013 and 2014. Another 36,000 solar jobs are expected to be added this year. Solar power project prices are falling and investments are streaming toward solar as one of the most promising low-carbon electricity generating technologies used to help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving up global temperatures.

The Obama administration this week announced a target to cut greenhouse gas emissions nationwide by up to 28 percent below 2005 levels within a decade, and boosting the solar power industry’s workforce is part of achieving those emissions reductions, according to the White House announcement.

The goal to boost the solar industry’s workforce increases an earlier goal made last year to train 50,000 solar workers by 2020 using 400 community colleges nationwide to train both instructors and students. So far, that program, part of the Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative, has trained more than 30,000 students in the last five years, the White House said.

http://www.scientifi.....SA_Twitter