Many businesses, institutions, and homeowners have realized the benefits of powering their lives with the clean power of the sun as the effects of climate change have begun to be noticed. Not only has the technology become cheaper and more accessible, but the state and federal governments are also incentivizing a lot of this growth. Fueled by various tax credits and Renewable Portfolio Standards, the solar industry has seen employment growth that is 12 times [1] the national average.
The majority of these jobs are created in states where the government has specific programs aimed at increasing renewable energy in the state and moving away from fossil fuels. The 2015 Solar Foundation Jobs Census examined the growth over all 50 states and determined California, Arizona, and Texas leaders in this surge, while Arkansas received a solar grade of “D.”
One reason for the large growth in California and Arizona is that they see higher average sunlight hours per day. However, these differences only explain the large commercial solar farms, where maximizing efficiency is very important. They do not explain the lack of growth in residential solar, where the largest growth potential exists.
It is clear from the map that residential solar would not be cost efficient in a state such as Alaska, but Arkansas receives an average of about 5.5 hours per day of productive sunlight, which is good for homeowners seeking clean energy.
In 2013, a bill to establish a Renewable Portfolio Standard was proposed in the Arkansas legislature, but the bill didn’t even make it out of committee. Additionally, Wal-Mart is continuing to increase their large investments in solar energy, but we are seeing the majority of these projects in California, rather than in Arkansas. The Arkansas state government has the potential to create a great environment for industry growth that would bring jobs to the state, empower homeowners, and most importantly keep the Natural State clean.
[1] The Solar Foundation 2015 Census Data