Solar Energy News - Sun Connect

Solar Career Growth 2011

Being environmentally friendly has become a popular way of life in recent years. Many cities provide their residents with recycling and green waste bins, gym goers use reusable water bottles instead of disposable plastic ones, supermarkets proudly tell their customers that their shopping bags are made from 100 percent recycled material. We've all gone green.
Although the well being of the planet for future generations is a good enough reason to stop pollution and energy waste, another (more immediate) reason exists: your career.

Green jobs are on the rise. We (Sun Connect, a leading Australian solar panel designer and installer) have conducted extensive industry research of our industry asking solar hot water and solar panel installers of their thoughts on the industry and where it is headed in the next 12 months, and from our collated responses it looks as though solar companies are on target to add jobs at a greater rate than the majority of business sectors in the economy.

As of August 2010, the Australian solar industry employs an estimated 11,500 solar workers -- defined as those workers who spend at least half of their time supporting solar-related activities. Over the next 12 months, our research states that 89%of solar firms expect to add jobs, while only 3% expect to cut workers. The Clean Energy Council (CEC) states that there will be over 24,000 jobs by 2020 in the solar, and related, industries.

According to the CEC over 200,000 homes have installed PV solar panels since 2001 and they expect an additional 100,000 new solar customers in 2011 alone, so one can expect that companies would be putting on significant numbers of staff to manage this expected volume.

Our research has a lot of interesting information, but its most interesting detail is how prevalent these jobs will be across several industries. You don't have to have a degree in solar engineering to work in this field. It's similar to how you can be a great salesperson in retail or insurance or medical equipment. With the right training you can use your skills to sell anything.

Our research has found that manufacturing, wholesale trade and installation are the primary sectors poised for growth. Within each group you'll find a variety of jobs, including:

• Solar installers or technicians
• Plumbers with specific skills in solar installations
• Production workers
• Marketing staff
• Legal staff
• Accountants and accounting clerks or finance staff
• First-line supervisors or managers of production and operating workers

Of the 500+ solar businesses in Australia we were able to speak with over 100 and gather their thoughts on industry predictions for 2011, including staff movements, installation volume and technology advancements. If you are interested, we are also able to cross correlate these results and give statistics on responses state by state if that is beneficial.

If you would like more information about our survey or findings please contact me on 0412 245 553 or by using the enquiry form to the right.

Survey questions and results below…

When was solar business established?
Within the past year 15%
1-5 years ago 43%
6-10 years ago 20%
More than 10 years ago 22%

Based on current projections, is the net income for your business in the current financial year likely to be higher, or lower than it was in the last financial year?
Higher 81%
Lower 8%
About the same 11%

How many people does your business employ on a regular basis?
One person only 3%
2-10 people 29%
11 – 50 people 47%
50 people plus 21%

Do you plan to put on any staff in the coming 12 months?
Cut staff 3%
No 8%
One person only 18%
2-5 people 26%
More than 5 people 45%

If you are thinking of adding staff, what positions are you considering?
Solar installers or technicians 45%
Production workers 11%
Sales & Marketing staff 27%
Reception and Administrative staff 18%
HR & Legal staff 9%
Accountants and finance staff 6%
First-line supervisors or managers 21%

This article was written by the team at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SunConnect">Sun Connect</a>