Solar Boosting Employment

Employment has been a major topic recently, with people on both sides of the fence debating with one another over the specific policies that have been made about supporting renewable energy. Within just the past few months, clean energy has decreased in popularity due to scandal that is being talked about in areas all over. The scandal has to do with the US government and the solar manufacturer Solyndra, according to Climate Spectator.

While the solar industry has grown within the past few years, the jobs its impacts has also expanded as well. And, as more jobs are expanded, more political influence is to be expected. The type of political influence that can occur may include supporters of the fossil-fuel power and people who are not supportive of this form of power and renewable energy. There are some people who are for renewable energy while other people are firmly against it.

The United States International Trade Commission voted in Washington to support a petition that was made by SolarWorld. The petition was made against the dumping of certain PV cells that were made by the Chinese. An investigation is now ongoing. SolarWorld, as well as various other companies, have filed complaints again Beijing and have said that Beijing is using raw material discounts, loans, and even manipulation with currency to try to boost the Chinese PV exports. They are also demanding a lot more from the imports that go into the US.

By the end of the month, another company, SolarCity, which is known for being the biggest installer in the United States, claims that it received a loan for more than $350 million to install various panels on military homes in areas all around the United States, in at least 30 states. With the demand for these installments, employment is likely to rise as more employees will be needed to get the job done in a timely and efficient manner. Installing these panels in areas all over the world can take time and there will obviously be a need for more hands to get the job done faster.

However, in the United Kingdom, a ruling took place that took a turn for the worse for the solar industry. In late October, cuts were made by more than 50 percent when it came to feed-in tariffs that would be available for the PV installations. The cuts were expected to take place in April which is why there was so much controversy surrounding the cuts. Most people were not expecting the cuts to come so soon.

The CBI Director General, John Cridland, has said, “Moving the goal posts doesn’t just destroy projects and jobs, it creates a mood of uncertainty that puts off investors and they wonder what’s coming next.” Cridland spoke these words during one of his speeches to the public.