Renewable energy is a jobs bonanza for Colorado

As is the case with almost every election, there is much debate on a variety of issues. But when it comes to American-made energy, all parties can agree that more homegrown renewable power benefits everyone. The good news for Colorado is that the wind and solar industries are booming, and that growth is driving an ever-increasing demand for well-trained workers. Thanks to extensions to the federal production and investment tax credits at the end of 2015, there is now new certainty that Colorado’s renewable energy sector will continue to grow and thrive in the upcoming years. Fellow Coloradoans should note that these policies were extended, in part, due to the bipartisan support of Colorado’s United States Senators Cory Gardner and Michael Bennet. These long-term extensions will continue to help drive down the cost of renewable energy, and create additional demand for new in-state renewable power projects. And with our state’s tremendous wind and solar power potential, Colorado is well positioned to meet that demand. The Colorado wind and solar industries already employ more than 11,000 workers, and the in-state solar industry saw a 16 percent jump in job growth last year alone. Nationally, the US solar industry added more than 20,000 workers in 2015, while wind turbine technician was the fastest growing profession in the country. This isn’t just flash in the pan development; the solar industry projects that it will more than double by 2020, reaching 420,000 workers, and a U.S. Department of Energy report released last year found that the American wind industry could support 600,000 workers by 2050. The most compelling aspect of this job growth is that since renewable energy is produced and serviced locally, most of these jobs cannot be outsourced to another part of the globe. With the price of wind dropping more than 66 percent between 2009 and 2015 and the cost of solar installation falling a whopping 73 percent since 2010, these industries are showing no signs of slowing down. Wind is the number one source of new electric generation capacity last year, while the solar industry installed panels to produce a record-breaking 7,260 megawatts.