Vice President Joe Biden joined via satellite – California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Chris Gronet, Solyndra’s CEO along with other dignitaries to break ground in Fremont CA on a $700 million plus solar panel manufacturing plant. This was great news given that NUMMI (Toyota), had just announced it was closing it’s automobile plant there last week. It will mean thousands of jobs for the region and further establish the Bay Area as mecca for the clean tech industry.
The US solar industry has had an oversupply of low cost photovoltiac panels. Increased global factory output of silicon; a key ingredient in making solar panels and a sharp drop in demand for panels in Europe had the effect of flooding the market. This is good for consumers who can buy now in spite of an otherwise stagnant U.S. economy. Solyndra services large commercial rooftop customers.
Still solar career seekers and employers are thirsty for technical and non technical training, education and innovation! One of the big issues facing the industry according to Solar Tech, an industry Consortium, is the matter of workforce training.They have indicated that within the next decade 10,000 new employees will be needed in the solar industry in Silicon Valley.
Meeting this demand, City College of San Francisco announced it’s Green Technology program in February of this year. It will provide hands-on training that will lead to employment opportunities in solar, wind, energy efficiency and geothermal fields. Then there’s the Presidio Graduate School which offers an MBA in Sustainable Management. It has seen enrollment rise for next fall. There are some forward thinking individuals who are investing in their own solar education; and educational skills trainers are springing up having recognized the need for massive solar education. Further there is $500 million in Stimulus job training dollars that’s beginning to hit the market, a large portion that’s targeted to deal with solar training.
These are some early inroads to the big issues of technical training, education, and development surrounding the solar field.
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