U.S. solar industry passes oil, coal and gas for job creation

U.S. solar industry passes oil, coal and gas for job creation

Net power generation from coal sources declined by 53% between 2006 and September 2016



By Lucas Mearian
Jan 24, 2017 11:15 AM PT

Solar employment now accounts for the largest share of workers in the U.S. power generation field, surpassing coal, gas and oil, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
In 2016, the solar workforce increased by 25% over the previous year to 374,000 employees, compared to 187,117 electrical generation jobs in the coal, gas and oil industries combined, according to the DOE's "Energy and Employment Report for 2017".
Department of Energy Employment in the wind turbine industry increased to 102,000 workers, a 32% increase over the previous year, the report said.
In all, 2.2 million Americans are employed in the design, installation and manufacture of energy efficiency products and services, according to DOE.
Solar employment, which includes both photovoltaic electricity and concentrated solar steam generators, accounts for 43% of the electric power generation workforce -- the largest share of workers in that market. Fossil fuel generation employment now accounts for 22%.
George Washington University's Solar Insitute The majority of new power sources are coming from three main markets: solar (9.5GW), natural gas (8GW), and wind (6.8GW). Together, those three make up 93% of total additions, the DOE said.
Meanwhile, net generation from coal sources declined by 53% between 2006 and September 2016; electricity generation from natural gas increased by 33%; and solar grew by over 5,000% —from 508,000 megawatt hours (MWh) to just over 28 million MWh.
The Solar Foundation The solar growth only includes utility-scale facilities.
"In fact, between September 2015 and September 2016 alone, distributed solar photovoltaic generation increased 35% nationwide, while estimated total solar -- both utility-scale and distributed generation -- increased by 52% across the country," the report said.
Shifts in electric generation sources are mirrored in the market's changing employment percentages, as the share of natural gas, solar, and wind workers continues to grow, while coal mining and other related employment is declining.
"It is important to note, however, that the majority of U.S. electrical generation continues to come from fossil fuels (coal and natural gas) and that, under latest [Energy Information Administration] modeling in the Annual Energy Outlook 2016, will continue to provide 53% of total U.S. electricity in 2040," the report stated.
Electric power generation employment now stands at 860,869 jobs, an increase of 13% from last year, and employers expect 7% growth over the next 12 months, the DOE said.
Much of the increase in the solar workforce is the result of construction jobs related to the buildout of new solar generation capacity, the DOE said. Energy-related activities contribute significant employment in the construction industry with power generation, fuels, transmission, distribution, and energy storage representing more than 10% of total construction employment in the U.S. Energy efficiency activities support an additional 21% of the construction workforce.


Department of Energy Solar industry employment has been steadily increasing since 2010, according to the 2015 Solar Job Census. That report was prepared by the Solar Foundation and market research firm BW Research Partnership with support from The George Washington University.
In 2015, the solar power industry created 31,000 jobs, a growth rate that was 20 times the national average for other industries, according to the fifth installment of the Solar Jobs Census. The 2015 census showed that the installation and maintenance of solar power supported more than 173,000 jobs. Accounting for some additional jobs in the component and materials supply chain, as well as the industry's spillover effects, there are now more than 705,000 jobs related to solar power.
Since the first Solar Jobs Census in 2010, solar industry employment has grown by 86%.
The DOE report highlights how the electric generation mix in the U.S. is changing, driven by the transition of coal-fired power plants to natural gas and the increase in low carbon sources of energy.
"This transition has required significant build-out of new power generation facilities and technologies in the United States. According to the Energy Information Administration, electric generation technologies are expected to add over 26 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale capacity over 2016," the report said.


http://www.computerworld.com/articl...al&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Energy source % in a pie chart! Total is 97.7 quadrillion Btu and not 9.7 quadrillion Btu

Future of Energy source may be a fusion reactor. If it is possible to have such a reactor it will be far safer and clean than the current nuclear reactors.

'Duplicating the sun' (which is a fusion reactor) in the lab has been a dream that physicists have been chasing since the 1970s

There had been great progress in the area.

Here is a TED talk by a 17 year old (when he gave the talk) who is a true Nuclear Physicist.

Intro
====
Source: https://www.ted.com/speakers/taylor_wilson
At 14, Taylor Wilson became the youngest person to achieve fusion — with a reactor born in his garage. Now he wants to save our seaports from nuclear terror.
[FONT=&quot][h=3]Why you should listen[/h]Physics wunderkind Taylor Wilson astounded the science world when, at age 14, he became the youngest person in history to produce fusion. The University of Nevada-Reno offered a home for his early experiments when Wilson’s worried parents realized he had every intention of building his reactor in the garage.

Wilson now intends to fight nuclear terror in the nation's ports, with a homemade radiation detector priced an order of magnitude lower than most current devices. In 2012, Wilson's dreams received a boost when he became a recipient of the $100,000 Thiel Prize. Wilson now intends revolutionize the way we produce energy, fight cancer, and combat terrorism using nuclear technology.
[h=3]What others say[/h]“Kenneth asked a nuclear-pharmacist friend to come over to check on Taylor’s safety practices. As far as he could tell, the friend said, the boy was getting it right. ” — Tom Clynes, Popular Science


Link to his TED Talk
===============
https://www.ted.com/talks/taylor_wilson_yup_i_built_a_nuclear_fusion_reactor#t-181177


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A few years ago, I had solar panels installed and we generate energy needed for the whole year from our roof.
What made the economics work out for me, which may also explain why US is leading in the generation of solar energy, is due to instituting key policies.

1. US Federal Government subsidizes cost of installation (and material) by 30%
2. Generation offsets almost the total cost of Electricity (in my case).
3. The generation credit of solar energy can be 'sold' to other polluters (industries) who are willing to pay very good money for these credits to meet their quota of generation of renewable energy. About 1000 MW generated by Solar can be sold to a polluter for $200 or so ( a typical house can generate about 9-15 such units making one earn $1800 to $3000 per year)

The above makes the pay back period for investment to be about 6 years. If one were to take a low interest loan then the payback period may be about 9 to 10 years. After that it is all profits while enjoying the renewable energy of the sun

vgane said:

Click to expand...

Hi vgane,

My understanding of the situation is this:

1. Unlike other sources of energy like hydro, thermal, fossil, wind, wave or nuclear, solar is a source which is not available 24x7 just to tap and use.

2. Requires storing. This is the simple meaning of it. Produce when there is sun shine and continue to use it when it is dark. Do we have such large scale storage methods/contraptions/power banks. In the absence of these power banks, solar power can at best be only an augmenting source of power.

A lot has been done on the side of thin films and solar cells and we have some of the exotic cells with excellant current density outputs. I hear that in China and Japan there are large fabs which are producing such cells in large quantities. That settled, can you throw some light on the methods of storing and what technology is adopted, what are their limitations and what research is going on in improving their efficiency etc., It would be enough if you give the hyperlinks if these sources are lengthy articles. This has been something which engages my attention. Please. Thanks.

Vaagmi said:

Hi vgane,

My understanding of the situation is this:

1. Unlike other sources of energy like hydro, thermal, fossil, wind, wave or nuclear, solar is a source which is not available 24x7 just to tap and use.

2. Requires storing. This is the simple meaning of it. Produce when there is sun shine and continue to use it when it is dark. Do we have such large scale storage methods/contraptions/power banks. In the absence of these power banks, solar power can at best be only an augmenting source of power.

A lot has been done on the side of thin films and solar cells and we have some of the exotic cells with excellant current density outputs. I hear that in China and Japan there are large fabs which are producing such cells in large quantities. That settled, can you throw some light on the methods of storing and what technology is adopted, what are their limitations and what research is going on in improving their efficiency etc., It would be enough if you give the hyperlinks if these sources are lengthy articles. This has been something which engages my attention. Please. Thanks.

Click to expand...

Hi Sri Vaagmi,

I am giving some references
1. The panel costs now are 1/2400th of price 60 years back, which is a major plus point
2. The biggest issue is capacity factor..In India for solar power it is 18%...Coal hovers around 57%
3. Cheaper storage solutions are a must..Grid scale batteries lower than $350/KWH of capacity will result in benefits surpassing costs...In 2015 it was available for $ 250/KWH of capacity..That will give the needed boost!!

https://www2.deloitte.com/content/d...y-resources/us-er-solar-innovation-growth.pdf
http://www.azocleantech.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=600