Once a month, your utility company sends an invoice requesting a specified amount for the energy and services you’ve used. Many gloss over the information provided in the bill, but even if you were to comb through it diligently, would you be able to fully understand what’s there? There are plenty of benefits to taking a closer look at how you’re being charged for the energy you use, and some of those benefits might lead to savings.

The fastest-growing job market in America

Solar jobs have been on a rapid rise over the last decade in the United States, with an increase of over 167 percent in that time period. Between 2018-2019, the solar workforce added more than 5,600 jobs nationwide, bringing the national total to just under 250,000 solar workers in America. In the past five years, solar employment has risen five times faster than overall job growth in the U.S. economy.

With nearly 250,000 jobs in the U.S., solar energy is one of the fastest-growing job sectors in the country, offering a variety of positions with a wide range of compensation and benefits.

We’ve known that the U.S. solar industry has been one of America’s premier job-creating machines. Last year alone, the sector added 5,600 jobs, bringing the total number of Americans working in solar to roughly 250,000. But what does the solar industry workforce look like?

Location. Location. Location.

10 States (California, Florida, New York, Massachusetts, Texas, Arizona, Ohio, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada) make up more than half of the United States’ solar jobs. California leads all states with almost 75,000 of the nearly 250,000 solar industry jobs in the U.S. If you’re looking for a career in the solar industry and don’t live in one of those states, don’t worry because many other states are following closely behind. Georgia, Florida, Utah, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Indiana, Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Illinois all saw double-digit job growth over the previous year—with Georgia leading the way with a whopping 29.8 percent job growth.

Unlike other large-scale energy production sources, solar energy has minimal drawbacks and many significant benefits. However, there are several often-overlooked benefits that solar can provide.

A new report out for 2020 from The International Renewable Energy Agency reveals that renewable energy, and solar in particular, is proving to be a flexible, cost-effective, and resilient source of job creation, even during the strain of a global health crisis and economic downturn. So what does the solar job market look like?

What are solar incentives?

If you’re considering installing a solar photovoltaic (PV) system on your property, there are a wide range of solar energy tax credits and rebates that you’ll want to be aware of. Many of these incentives—available at the federal, state, and local levels—can significantly reduce your system’s initial and overall costs and increase the rate of return on your investment.

Many incentives and rebate programs are currently being offered to promote the implementation and adoption of clean and renewable energy with solar power. But to take advantage of these great programs, you’ll need to understand a little bit about what they are, how they work, and how you can qualify for them.

In 2019, the world added more renewable energy than any other source, with solar and wind representing 45% of all new capacity. As the global focus on energy independence and environmental responsibility grows, and demand for clean renewable energy rises, policymakers globally, nationally, and locally are creating programs that increase production to feed this demand.