Solar Energy Technicians Have a Sunny Future
If you've thought of taking up the trades of plumbing or electricity
but have been turned off by thoughts of working with backed-up toilets or
wiring the same old house the same old way, you might want to look into a
career in the solar industry.
For a long time, the solar power industry has been looked at as a
hobby or a basement business. But the increasing energy crisis is a real wake-up
call: people have to start looking at different sources of energy.
"Solar energy just makes sense," says Greg Gahagan. He is the vice-president
of a solar energy association. "We have tremendous amounts of abundant, predictable
sources of energy that hit every rooftop in the state. And probably only two
or three percent, if that, have solar on them."
Canada doesn't have the same foothold in solar power production and distribution
as the U.S. But both countries are beginning to develop a stable, viable industry.
"I would say it's growing," says Karen Campbell. She is a distributor and
fabricator of solar energy systems in California. "There's always been a lot
of interest in it because it's a little bit more glamorous than plumbing pools
and doing hot water systems."
Electrical and mechanical engineers, designers, distributors and the tradespeople
who install solar energy systems -- especially plumbers and electricians --
are the main beneficiaries of the growing industry.
How so? Well, actually, it makes a lot of sense.
Solar power is gathered by large panels that absorb the sun's energy as
the sun beats down on them. The energy in the rays can be used for heat (solar
thermal energy) or converted to electricity (photovoltaic energy).
Solar energy technicians design and build energy systems. Depending on
the application, this requires ability in welding, simple drafting, assembly,
electrical wiring and plumbing.
Installers usually work a 40-hour week, and much of that time is spent
outside. "You have to pick and choose your weather," says Frank Ilczyszyn.
He runs an alternative energy business. "If it's nasty outside, then you do
all your inside work. If it's sunny outside or acceptable weather, then you
do all your work outside."
When you're finished installation, Ilczyszyn says, you "commission the
system." That means you run through the whole works to ensure that everything
is performing well. Then you talk to the homeowner and let him know what kind
of system he's got, how to run it and what to look out for.
Water heating and pool heating are by far the largest part of the business
right now, says Les Nelson. He is the executive director of a solar energy
association. "[It's] probably 10 to one."
He says that all over the U.S., pool heating is the most profitable and
largest volume business in the solar energy sector today. Photovoltaics, which
he says everyone is interested in right now, is still a very small part of
the solar business.
Campbell has been in business for about 20 years and now produces the whole
solar show -- engineering, design and installation. She employs about 14 installation
technicians.
Part of what makes people in the U.S. view solar energy as an economically
real alternative is government incentives -- rebates, tax incentives and subsidized
start-up costs. Various levels of government have programs that enable consumers
to hook into the renewables.
The issue of training is becoming more and more prominent. Most people
working as solar energy technicians have some background in trade work. This
includes experience in welding, plumbing and electricity.
"A lot of the growth is going to come from electrical contractors that
decide to get involved in solar [energy]," Nelson says. "Plumbing is another
area where a lot of people in the solar thermal side of things basically need
to know the same skills that a plumber needs to know."
But just because you have a strong background in a particular trade doesn't
mean that you'll be able to slide in and dominate the solar field. Nelson
says the work is much different from the traditional applications of electrical
and plumbing work.
"A lot of the electrical contractors would have no clue how to do it,"
Nelson says. "So you have to make a concerted effort to actually go out and
learn the right way to do it."
Self-employed technicians have to know how to design and assemble the housing
for solar panels. That means knowing about welding and basic drafting.
"Because I have a real knack for designing systems, I can put in the wiring
as such, but I'm not an electrician," says Ilczyszyn. "I picked up all this
stuff, you might say, second hand."
"The technology is tremendously complex and moving forward at a very fast
rate," Yusishen says. "If you want to get serious in the business, you have
to be in it full time. Get in there with both sleeves up, so to speak."
Links
Solar Energy Basics
Learn more about the amazing potential of solar energy
Solar Energy Industries Association
The national trade association
Million Solar Roofs
Visit this site for info about one of the largest solar energy
projects in the world
U.S. Department of Energy
Learn how solar cells work
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