Guiding Black Children into Powerful, Bright Futures

Black parents must introduce the future of renewable energy to their children. Wind and Solar energy will replace oil and coal within the next few decades, providing solid careers and business opportunities for the next generation.

From entry-level jobs such as solar panel installation to engineering and designing engines for wind mills are going to be in demand for the private and public sector workforce. Like any other industry, there is a wide range of skills and jobs that are needed to build the industry.
For many years, the coal and oil industries employed hundreds of thousands of people and provided for millions of families across the country. But that industry is slowing dying and giving way to the demand for new energy sources.

There are more apprenticeship courses offering the skills needed for solar and wind power that Black families should look into as career choices for their children. These future careers will empower a few generations of prosperity and job security.

“Wind-generating capacity in the United States grew 39 percent per year from 2004 to 2009, and is expected to grow more rapidly as demand for renewable energy increases. As the wind energy industry continues to grow, it will provide many opportunities for workers in search of new careers. These careers extend beyond the wind farm: it also takes the efforts of workers in factories and offices to build and operate a turbine.

According to a report by the Department of Energy, it may be feasible for wind power to provide 20 percent of U.S. electricity needs by the year 2030. According to AWEA, an estimated 85,000 Americans are currently employed in the wind power industry and related fields.”

The object is for Black children to learn about these new industries and work toward establishing a career in those fields now. If they have the slightest knowledge and experience in the field today, they would have a bright future as they grow and learn the technology for tomorrow.

Black parents can introduce this knowledge to their children as early as 3 years old with picture books that would give the child an idea of how the world can use the sun and the wind to generate power and electricity.

As they grow, they can create science projects using wind and solar power and read about the technology in more advanced books. Wind and solar are basic concepts of nature and science and not hard to understand. Plus, there and mechanical jobs that will be needed to produce the technology.
Currently, there are over 250,000 solar power jobs in the country while only 50,000 coal jobs left. 

“For years, economists have predicted a bright future for solar energy jobs. Solar photovoltaic installers – those who install solar panels on homes and buildings – are projected to be the fastest-growing occupation in America from 2016 to 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This role is expected to more than double over the next decade, dramatically outpacing the growth rate of other in-demand jobs such as software developer, nurse practitioner and data scientist.

Key Findings:

•    Solar energy jobs are expected to grow rapidly over the next decade. However, there is little evidence of a solar hiring boom today — a sign the industry is in transition.

•    An analysis of online job postings on Glassdoor shows stalled hiring for solar energy-related jobs since 2016. Overall, we find 3,492 unique open solar energy jobs on Glassdoor as of July 2022.

•    A bright spot: Solar energy jobs tend to pay well above the U.S. average, with a median base pay of $58,523 per year. That’s roughly $6,470 or 12.4 percent above the overall U.S. median base pay of $52,052 per year (according to the June 2018 Glassdoor Local Pay Reports).

•    Although rising demand for solar power has been good for hiring, recent political and industry turbulence over the last few years has likely slowed down job growth. This includes 30 percent tariffs on imported solar components and the falling price of solar panels, which has led to an industry shake up and high-profile company bankruptcies since 2016.  

This is a chance for Black America to grab hold of upward mobility and secure solid futures for their families; your children and grandchildren. We know that as the oil and coal industries die out and manufacturing jobs disappear, the country will still need energy.

Many other countries have already moved forward and started solar and wind powered energy programs. The United States is already falling behind. So even if America does not move fast enough, other countries could use your child’s skills in developing renewable energy.