The "Chinese situation" on US solar energy market

China, the world's largest solar panel producer, is often taking their trade of solar panels into a gray area, with the most recent example being the official US investigation which showed that China had distributed solar panels onto the American energy market at illegally low prices.

In order to counteract these dumping methods the US Commerce Department plans to introduce much higher anti-dumping duties on Chinese solar panels at the end of July this year, in order to protect domestic manufacturing sector. These new duties should be 18-35% higher compared to the initial duties that were introduced in 2012.

It has been reported that 35.21 percent taxes will be placed on products by Wuxi Suntech Power, 18.56 on any imported material from Trina Solar, and 26.89 percent on other Chinese producers.

Whether this is the right move for US solar industry it is still too early to say. On one hand this could lead to a more developed domestic solar manufacturing sector but could also lead to, as critics argue, increase of solar power prices across the entire United States.

If this move should lead to higher solar power prices, it will slow down the transition to renewables in many of US states.  Not to mention it could also mean loss of many new jobs in US solar industry.

Chinese are, of course, angry with this proposed decision. and have stated that this decision will by no means help the development of US solar industry.

Anti-dumping measures against Chinese solar panels are not only the issue for United States. The same problem exists in European Union and their governing body decided to set a minimum price for panels and a volume limit through 2015.

The war on global solar energy market has started. The battle is on with the winner still unknown.

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More jobs within the US solar energy industry

The US solar energy industry continues to grow rapidly. According to recent Solar Foundation report US solar energy industry employed 119,016 Americans at the end of 2012., which represents a major growth of 13,2% in comparison to previous year. Since 2010, the new jobs in solar energy industry have been growing eight times faster than the overall economy, once again proving that solar energy industry is currently the fastest growing industry in the nation.

The most of these jobs refer to solar energy installers, almost half of the total number, while approximately 15% of the jobs refer to sales and distribution. Other solar energy jobs refer to research, development and finance, and are also growing rapidly.

The salaries within solar energy industry are also appealing with  the average salary for a solar panel installer being between $30,000 and $40,000 per year ( the Bureau of Labor Statistics data).

The future of solar energy industry looks very bright. The large number of US solar companies are very optimistic about the future, with the best proof to it being the rapid growth of workforce within the solar energy industry.

The solar panel prices continue to decline which together with favorable federal and state incentives makes solar energy very attractive to investors. Even the US Department of Energy remains optimistic about the future of solar energy claiming that with the further expected decline in prices US solar energy industry will require 340,000 workers by 2030 to support the further growth.

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How to find a job in solar energy industry?

What is the best way to find the job in solar energy industry that is most suited to you? The good starting point would be to introduce yourself to as many information about solar power as possible, in order to see which solar energy jobs would require the least adapting from your part. For instance, if you already have advanced technical knowledge than the solar panels installer job may be the perfect for you, especially since solar panels are becoming increasingly popular option to many homeowners due to their recent drop in prices. The solar energy industry is the fastest growing industry in the country meaning that the solar companies are in the constant need of finding the qualified personnel.

There are many different specialized programs becoming available at many universities across the country as well as solar workshops and events, which also teach specialized skills that are often necessary to find the highly paid jobs in solar energy industry.

At the end of 2011, U.S. solar energy industry employed approximately 100,000 people, with U.S. solar energy market having worth of more than $6 billion.

Not only has solar energy attracted huge investment mostly through the Recovery Act and favorable tax credits but the strong demand and the technological advancement have decreased the price of solar power technologies, making them lot more affordable to many homeowners and small businesses.

Solar panel installers earn more than decent salaries

Solar Energy Industries Association reports that for every new job created by the solar PV industry there are between 1.8 and 2.8 jobs created in other segments of the economy, meaning that solar power is one of the main forces that drives our economy forward.

And now a few words about salaries. I'll again use solar panel installer job as an example. In US, the average salary of solar power installer is somewhere around $45,000. This certainly doesn't sound too bad, especially if you consider that training programs for this job can last as short as six months. Solar power engineer, for instance, can earn more than $90,000 per year.

As the solar energy industry continues to grow, so does the quest for new solar energy jobs. If you plan to achieve career in solar energy industry this might be just the perfect time to give it a try. Having good salary, doing an interesting job, and helping our environment in the process certainly doesn't sound bad.

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