Can the Southern Tier grow jobs with the sun? Advocates of solar power think so, and the handful of companies venturing into the emerging solar design and installation business say that’s what they’re doing. The number of solar-related jobs in the United States grew from about 25,000 in 2007 to 175,000 in 2014, according to estimates by the Solar Energy Industries Association and the Solar Foundation.
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ETM Solar Works of Endicott, New York, employs 12: two sales people, two office staff and eight installers, who can make anywhere from $12 to $22 per hour depending on experience and job level, with crew chiefs making the most. Nationally, the solar industry is growing 30 to 40 percent a year. Regionally, it may be growing faster.
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Renovus Solar held an open house to show off its new headquarters and warehouse-assembly building in the town of Ulysses, near Ithaca. The 12-year old company, which serves residential and commercial customers within about a 150-mile radius, went from eight employees three years ago to 65 now. It expects to hire another 65 to 70 this year, said company general manager Jon McNamara.