As solar industry expands, increasing need for skills

In a paper called "A solar economy in the American Southwest: Critical next steps," ASU professors Martin J. Pasqualetti and Susan Haag examine what is needed in order to advance Arizona's solar industry, with a focus on education.

They "surveyed 76 companies operating here that are looking to hire new employees and published his findings in the February edition of the scientific journal Energy Policy" and found that 68 percent of the respondents "said they would hire a job candidate with a bachelor's degree in engineering with a solar-content area, while just 32 percent said they would hire people with master's degrees in the same field."

"The solar industry is not yet mature enough to be overly-welcoming to those who hold a narrow range of knowledge and abilities," Pasqualetti and Haag wrote. "As the industry expands, there will be increasing need for focused skills . . . but for now the solar market is small enough that employees must be able to integrate knowledge about several aspects of the business."