How Solar Energy Can Help the economy 

One of the many benefits of solar power is that the industry has the potential to help boost the economy. But how exactly could this happen, and what is the reasoning behind this statement?

Solar Creates Jobs

A demand for solar power means that more materials will need to be manufactured, and more systems will need to be designed and installed. These tasks all require skilled and specially trained employees, which means that higher demand for solar power will lead to job growth in the renewable energy sector. In fact, various news sources have recently reported that job growth in the solar energy industry has outpaced the overall growth rate.

Solar Power Reduces Energy Dependence

A buzzword in the recent election was “energy independence”. The sun belongs to no one, and its energy is present everywhere. The sun cannot be taxed or tariffed, and once your solar panels are installed, there are no price fluctuations or negotiations about the cost of fuel. Solar energy is not owned or supplied by any entity in particular. Therefore, using the sun to our advantage is a step toward energy independence.

Solar Power Saves Money

No one enjoys paying bills, and your electric bill is probably a large expense. The cost of heating and cooling your home will make up the largest portion of your energy bill, and, depending on how energy efficient your home may be, the heating or cooling system may be running most of the time. These necessary expenses add up quickly, and that means that homeowners have less of their hard earned money to spend on other goods and services, because it must be paid to to gas and electric companies.
Solar power can free up more spending money, because it can significantly reduce or eliminate an electric bill. This means that homeowners that choose solar will have more money to spend, instead of being tied to rising electricity rates. Just imagine how much money could be saved by homeowners with a home solar system, and an electric vehicle

Solar Energy Business

e Companies That Are Using The Most Solar Power

Stores like Ikea, Costco, and Walmart are turning themselves into renewable energy powerhouses.
 550,000 solar panels. 1 million panels planned by 2016. Thirteen wind farms. You might be thinking we're talking about a fair-sized utility. But no. The company with all this renewable energy capacity is actually Ikea. The flatpack giant is becoming a renewable power house.

Ikea wants to generate all its own energy, and its distribution centers and stores are ideal places for solar systems, according to chief sustainability officer Steve Howard. "You can turn a fallow roof into a fertile economic asset," he says. In 10 states, Ikea now has the largest single rooftop installations.

Image: JuliusKielaitis / Shutterstock

Such is Ikea's advance, it's no longer impressed with traditional energy producers. Howard thinks their days are numbered. "I had a Chinese energy company present to us recently about their portfolio," he says. "I whispered to my colleague 'we're a bigger than them and we're a home furnishing company.'"
Most of the biggest corporate users of solar are retailers. According to a report from the Solar Energy Industries Association, six of the top 10 in U.S. are big-box chains. Walmart has the highest installed base, with 89.43 megawatts and 215 sites. It's followed by Costco (47.06) and Kohl's (44.72), with Apple (40.73) and Ikea (35.08) next.

Top 10 companies by solar capacity

1. Walmart: 89 megawatts
2. Costco: 47 megawatts
3. Kohl's: 45 megawatts
4. Apple: 41 megawatts
5. Ikea: 35 megawatts
6. Macy's: 21 megawatts
7. Johnson & Johnson: 17 megawatts
8. McGraw Hill: 14 megawatts
9. Staples: 13 megawatt
10. Campbell's: 12 megawatts

Overall, the top 25 companies had installed 445 MW at 950 different facilities by last August, SEIA says. That's up from 300 MW at 730 sites the year before. Much of that was due to the falling cost of generation. The completed installation price has decreased 30% since early 2011, the report says.
Ikea has the largest percentage of its sites with solar (89%) and its network spans the highest number of states (20). Howard says in places like California it no longer needs incentives from government to make investments worthwhile. And he expects the economics to become yet more favorable, as the cost of solar falls and the price of traditional power goes up. Ikea expects increases of 30% to 40% over the next 10 years.
"People talk about renewables as 'alternative,' but that does it a disservice," he says. "Think rationally about how you're going to generate energy now. Are you going to dig up dinosaur food and burn it, and create local pollution, and ship it around, and cause catastrophic climate change? Or, are you going to produce clean energy that's free after construction? It's not difficult to decide. This is just sensible, mainstream energy."

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