Veterans Tell Congress: Extend The Investment Tax Credit ASAP

There’s at least one industry that serves as a bright spot for veterans: solar. Not only is solar employment growing 10 times faster than in the economy as a whole, “veterans are rising through the industry and they’re advocating for other vets,” explains Anna Bautista, Vice-President for Construction and Workforce Development at the non-profit solar installer GRID Alternatives. In the solar industry, veterans make up almost 10 percent of the workforce, more than their percentage in the adult population. In fact, the Solar Energy Industries Association, the main solar trade group, has pledged its member companies will hire 33,000 additional veterans by 2020, bringing the industry to a total of 50,000 vets overall.

Many vets in the solar industry see their work as a continuation of their service to our country and a contribution to the national defense. “Wars are generally fought over resources, such as energy resources, and with solar, we’re creating an abundance of resources,” explains Troy Van Beek, a former Navy SEAL and CEO of Ideal Energy, in Fairfield, Iowa. He credits the military with some of his company’s success. “I’ve been fortunate to get training through the military and it’s really helped in building our company.” Ideal now supports more than 30 employees, including four vets besides Van Beek, “and seems to grow daily.”