It’s not surprising that California tops the list of top states who use solar power, after all the state is known for it’s sunny skies. Yet there are other states that made the list that may surprise some; North Carolina and New Jersey are just a few. This just goes to show that it’s not where the state is that determines if solar power is used, it’s the government and its’ citizens.

The list of top ten solar states is as follows; California with 47%, New Jersey with 14%, Colorado with 5%, Arizona with 5%, Nevada with 5%, Florida with 4%, New York with 3%, Pennsylvania with 3%, New Mexico with 2% and North Carolina with 2%. This list was compiled by solar capacity and megawatts provided to the United States.

Number one on the list as stated above is California. One of the biggest reasons for the solar power push in this state is due to the Renewable Portfolio Standard. This required that twenty percent of California’s power was to come from renewable sources by 2010. In 2020, thirty three percent of the power has to come from renewable sources. California also leads the nation in the number of homes with a solar panel installed. This has been often called the Million Solar Roof Initiative, in which homeowners were guaranteed a return on the investment of solar panels. Numerous cities in California, such as Berkley, have a plan in place to go completely solar in the years to come.

New Jersey, an unlikely candidate for solar power leads the list in second place. A quick drive through the state and one can see solar panel after solar panel installed on utility poles. New Jersey has in place the Renewable Portfolio Standard as well. It requires that twenty-two percent of its’ power to come from renewable sources by the year 2021. New Jersey also has one of the most aggressive forms of net metering in the United States. Under net metering, a homeowner can receive retail credit for the energy they generate through solar power. It is no surprise that New Jersey is second in the nation with the amount of solar panels on private homes.

Colorado lands in third place of top US solar states. Colorado leans strongly towards providing incentives for homeowners to install solar panels. The state does not charge any taxes for the purchase of solar panels as well as the installation of them. Any building permit that is used for installing solar panels is refunded. If the value of the home goes up due to installation of solar panels, Colorado does not tax on that portion. Power companies in Colorado actually pay homeowners to produce electricity for them, some homeowners actually make money on electric instead of paying for it. Colorado does net metering as well, allowing users to cut down on their bills. It is also noted that Colorado was the first state to pass their Renewable Portfolio Standard. The goal is to have thirty percent of power from renewable sources by 2020.

One of the reasons the electricity in California is so expensive is because most of the power being used is produced by nuclear power, or coal fired plants which also create pollution. Since the state of California has one of the largest concentrations of population in the Untied States they have more problems with pollution which is why they have stricter regulations on businesses which are known to contribute to the pollution problem such as gasoline and electrical power generation.

Although with the cost of electricity on the rise people are now looking for innovative ways to either lower electric bills or find alternative means of generating the electricity that they use. California solar energy is just one of the ways that people are looking at to lower electric bills and the amount of energy they get from the current energy grid which is already overtaxed and failing.

In recent years California solar power has become a much cheaper, cleaner way to produce electrical power than many of the traditional ways. Of course this is partially due to the tax breaks and incentives being offered by the federal and state governments as a way to encourage more individuals to invest in the new solar power technology or equipment. For example, the federal Investment Tax Credit allows individuals to deduct 30% of the cost of a solar system from individual federal income taxes and the California Solar Initiative has been providing cash rebates based on CA solar system size since 2006. In addition, CA solar installers are more competitive than ever with solar leasing and financing packages that allow consumers to go solar with little to no money down.

Of course one of the biggest problems in the past with solar power panels besides the affordability has always been that people viewed them as big, bulky eye soars. However, in recent years with the help of research solar power products have evolved into smaller more intriguing products that are now appealing to the eye and are designed to blend in with their surroundings. One example of this would be the development of solar shingles and lights that look like their traditional counterparts. Of course, another major advancement in the solar power product line has been the introduction of plug and play products which now make connecting them much simpler. This makes it easier for more people to hook up their own systems because everything is more standardized than it used to be.

The bottom line is that for California residents who want to lower their electric bills with solar power, there could not be a better time. With solar technology improving not only in performance but aesthetics as well as competitive leasing and financing packages, going solar makes more sense than ever. If you need help, Solar America can put you directly in touch with several reputable and professional CA solar installers who can provide you with a home solar quote and help you go solar easily and economically.

Many people see solar energy as the future of energy as it is a never ending source of raw power (at least for a many more millions of years). Californians have made great use of the amount of sunny days they get since they also see this same picture. Many use Massachusetts solar power systems on their homes and save thousands every year on the energy bill because of it. Massachusetts has really been developing great technology over the years and continues to do so.

With all of this saving on energy this means that consumers in California have more money to spend elsewhere. By spending it on other products or services this improves the economy effectively and keeps the money flow throughout California. Small businesses especially are grateful for MA Solar Systems since their customers also have more money. If there wasn’t the MA Solar Systems then the money would be going directly to the big energy companies that will not keep the money inside of California.

California Consumers can thank Massachusetts solar power companies for the technology developed to power their home or other appliances from the sun. It keeps the money more local instead of going elsewhere in the world and this also creates more jobs. This economic growth is good for everyone and if the technology only gets better then it is a win win situation. Massachusetts solar systems have done a great job and with time everyone will see the benefits of solar power.

1. Certification: The best, and possibly easiest way to check to see whether a solar installer is qualified, is to check with the National American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners, or NABCEP. While there are other organizations that certify solar installers, the NABCEP is probably your best bet in terms of the quality of work offered from their certified installers. Not only do they have their potential installers pass a rigorous set of tests, but prior to receiving their certificate an installer must also have two years of experience in solar system installations.

Certification is not the only thing that sets apart some solar installers from other, in fact, it is not uncommon for many installers to have no certification at all. This could be due to a few different circumstances: (1) the solar installer has enough experience to feel confident and competent in their abilities to install the system, therefore knowing it is unnecessary to pay extra money to get “certified” or (2) they previously took classes and educated themselves at a solar institution.

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Green jobs employed 3.1 million people across the United States in 2010, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)Thursday.

This figure represented 2.4 percent of all jobs nationwide that year, was spread across the country by location and sector, and is the first set of solid federal data defining the size and scope of green jobs, which until now have been quantified only by or policy organizations.

Beyond comprising a major slice of the US economy, green jobs also dwarfed fossil fuel industries. National Journal there were only 783,000 jobs in the oil, gas, and coal-mining industries during January 2010 (the most recent month available from BLS).

BLS broadly defines green jobs under the category of Green Goods and Services (GGS) as those found in businesses that produce goods and provide services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources. The GGS survey includes 120,000 across 333 industries.

The private sector, by far, had the largest number of GGS jobs, with 2.3 million total jobs evenly distributed across four major sectors — manufacturing, construction, professional services, and administrative or waste services. Manufacturing represented the greatest number of GGS jobs with 461,000, construction was second with 372,000, professional services was third with 349,000, and administrative or waste services had 319,000 jobs.

The public sector had 860,000 GGS jobs, or roughly four percent of total government jobs. Local governments made up more than half the public sector total with 476,000 jobs, followed by mass transit systems with 229,000 jobs and the federal government with 157,000 jobs.

GGS jobs were across the country, and largely followed population trends. Six states had more than 100,000 GGS jobs: California with 338,000, New York with 249,000, Texas with 230,000, Pennsylvania with 182,000, Illinois with 140,000, and Ohio with 127,000. Vermont had the highest percentage of GGS jobs in the country with 4.4 percent, even though its total was just 12,884 GGS jobs.

Green jobs have been a theoretical concept until now, and subject to disagreement and doubt. But the BLS findings leave little margin for conjecture, and firmly establish that green economy is a sizable — and growing — part of our national economic future.

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Read More: 3.1 Million Green Jobs Across America via Feeds.importantmedia.org.