As the federal government changes its policy of supporting the coal industry at the expense of renewable energy, the coal industry faces increasing resistance from market forces.
According to recent data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment growth in the solar and wind industries is expected to be the fastest in the next decade.
The data shows that the number of people employed by solar installers and wind turbine technicians is expected to double.
Source: What's even more surprising about the Bureau of Labor Statistics is that these jobs-and markets --are focused.
Not proportionally, they are in red states, including those that voted for Donald Trump in last year's presidential election.
Even if the Trump administration takes action to remove previous incentives for cleaning --
Energy projects, states in the Midwest and South are advancing on a large scalescale clean-Energy projects.
Hottest News Google cloud service disruption missing connadik state mom Virginia Beach shooting protesters interrupted Harris, 8 of the 10 fastest growing states in solar employment between 2015 and 2016
According to the Solar Foundation, which tracks the industry, Trump won the 2016 election.
The first three states-
Oklahoma City, Alaska-
From 2015 to 2016, the number of people working in the solar sector increased by 100%.
"Solar energy has become a clean, cheap source of electricity.
Especially in terms of utilities, it is fiercely competitive with natural gas and coal, "said Colin Smith, solar analyst at GTM Research.
Source: solar employment census;
Currency observations in many states, including the South and West, show that they have abundant natural resources, making the economy easier.
According to GTM's analysis, both Mississippi and Alabama have more than 130 megawatts of solar installed capacity, and the figure is expected to double in the next few years.
"You can take a look at the many resource plans of the large utility companies in Alabama, Mississippi, California ---
"They have not done this for anything other than good economic benefits," Smith said . ".
Many of these states add solar and wind energy at the same time.
The two technologies complement each other, Smith said: Solar power peaked during the day, while wind tends to be stronger at night.
Improvements to storage systems mean that it's not very relevant when to generate electricity during the day.
Because the wind farm requires open space, it is common in the United States. S.
Indoor and rural areas.
Their role as an economic driver in small communities has brought industry support in many traditional Republican areas, including Iowa, o'craher and Texas.
A wind turbine farm in goldsville, Texas.
Getty Images/iStockphoto "it's like their GM," says Joel Schmidt, vice president of Alliant Energy, a Wisconsin-based utility.
"It's not just their energy,
This brings jobs to these areas.
"In Texas, wind energy capacity will surpass coal as early as next year, because coal is unaffordable --
The power plant retired.
There will be 20 countries.
Coal production capacity at the beginning of 2018 was 3 gigawatts, compared to 24 gigawatts.
According to utilities, the wind is 4 gigawatts.
According to the American Wind Energy Association, the Republican congressional constituency has 86% wind power capacity nationwide.
2016 of the work of the American Solar Wind Energy Association estimates that a large part of the price decline is due to cheaper manufacturing costs, which makes the cost of building new facilities compete with other projects, just like digging coal layers.
And it's not just cheaper panels.
Smith said that the cost of other parts of the system, such as the wiring of the panels and the brackets installed on them, has declined.
"We have seen some bullish figures about how low these prices can be.
"The panel itself only accounts for about one-
Third in total solar system cost.
Even so, the biggest obstacle for the industry at present is that the White House may raise tariffs on Chinese solar panels. on September, the Federal Trade Commission found that imported products did unfair harm to U. S. solar manufacturers.
"If this continues to develop, it will lead to a rise in the price of solar energy and, therefore, a decrease in solar energy," Smith said . ".
He added: "That is to say, it is not the death penalty, even in our worst case --case-
Scenario prediction.
But China has affected the US energy market in other ways.
According to an analysis by Columbia University, the decline in demand in China and the rest of the world is more than half the decline in the industry between 2011 and 2015.
The report found that government policies did work, but their influence was far less important than the existence of cheap competitors.
The GE-
September 22, 2016, New Sarum, Rhode Island, Alstom Block Island wind farm, 3 miles from Block Island. The five 6-
Megawatt wind turbines are expected to generate more energy than Block Island.
One area where policy could have a significant impact is residential solar--small-
The scale system on the roof of the home.
State governments and manufacturers have been able to create incentives for installing home renewable energy
Energy systems that pass grants or tax credits.
In addition, the net measurement policy for utilities-
Owners of home solar systems can sell unused energy back to the grid at a speed-
Make a difference.
Nevada has slashed the fees paid to solar consumers in 2015, which has seriously damaged the state's solar industry and made it one of the few states that actually lost solar energy jobs between 2015 and 2016. (
Since then, the country has changed its direction. )
"The economic incentives of the past were great.
"They are very good now," said Austin perrea, solar analyst at GTM . ".
But even so, scattered energy installations are still in vogue.
Last year, they accounted for a large part of global investment in renewable energy.
"I think we're going to start seeing industry growth that we 've never seen before," said Smith of GTM . ".
"What we see is Florida, what we see is Texas, and what we see is the development of some parts of the Midwest.
As a result, it is not only growing, but is spreading to new areas.
"In April 27, 2017, in Wuhan, China, workers were walking on a solar panel project on the roof of a building.
As the world's most populous country, China consumes more electricity and generates more carbon emissions than any other country.
However, it is also the world's leader in renewable energy.
Kevin Fryer/Getty Images another downwind for the industry is the growing political support for the alternative energy industry.
According to Gallup poll, 71% of respondents supported solar, wind and other renewable energy sources
23% support increased production of fossil fuels.
In addition, 59% believe that protecting the environment is more important than protecting the traditional energy industry.
"Drill baby, drill" just doesn't have the emotional appeal it once had.
Even Republicans: Gallup found some sunshine between Trump and his constituents, suggesting that most Republican voters prefer renewable energy rather than oil and gas-
This may be related to the decline in gasoline prices in recent years.