From EcoWatch (Emma Gilchrist):
The solar industry was responsible for creating one out of every 50 new jobs in the U.S. last year and the country’s fastest-growing occupation is wind turbine technician—so no matter one’s feelings on climate change, the renewable energy train has left the station, according to a new report.
“It’s at the point of great return. It’s irreversible. There is no stopping this train,” said Merran Smith, author of Tracking the Energy Revolution 2017 by Clean Energy Canada. “Even Donald Trump can’t kill it.”
More than 260,000 Americans are now employed in the solar industry, more than double the 2010 figures. Meanwhile, the top five wind-energy producing congressional districts are represented by Republicans…
“Global trends show some renewable energy technologies have reached ‘grid parity’ with fossil fuels—thanks to falling technology costs—meaning no financial support is required to make their cost equal to, or cheaper than, their fossil fuel competitors,” reads the report.
The European Union led the pack, with 86 percent of its new electricity capacity coming from renewable sources in 2016.
In 2016, China added 30 GW of new solar capacity—or roughly enough solar panels to cover three soccer fields every hour, according to the report.
By 2015, renewable electricity employment is estimated to have grown to 6.7 million direct and indirect jobs globally, with solar PV the leading technology, employing nearly 2.8 million people. It is estimated that in 2015 Canada was home to 10,500 jobs in wind and 8,100 in solar PV.
The cost of renewables is expected to continue to come down, leading to further job creation. Between 2015 and 2025, the International Renewable Energy Agency projects generation costs for onshore wind to fall another 26 percent, while offshore wind generation costs fall 35 percent and utility-scale solar PV costs drop 57 percent.
I will speaking about the climate crisis in Thornton on Monday. Click here for the details.
