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Top Solar Energy Companies In America
Alternative Energies and Natural Resources
As alternative energies and their related products increase in use throughout America, new jobs and new business ventures will continue to emerge in response to increased consumer demand.
This phenomenon is expected to continue for decades in America. Solar power is one of the types of alternative energies used in aerospace technologies and in some applications on Earth. The solar sail has been developed far enough for use in the mid-2010s in space to help power and transport oprations and products of asteroid mining..
In the years between 2010 - 2050, aerospace mining as well as space tourism is projected to provide additional natural resources to be used for energy alternatives and other products on Earth. The new resources extraction will begin with moon mining after 2012 and progress to Mars and the Mars-Jupiter between-planets asteroid belt. All of this activity will provide long-term employment in new jobs.
Hot Job Listings, Major Locations, and a Top 10 Manufacturers List are all offered below.
Aerospace Mining
- Prospecting Satellites In Asteroid Mining
Near Earth Asteroid Mining begins with prospecting. This pioneering work will begin with the Arkyd-100, 200, and 300 series of prospecting satellite telescopes. - Google and James Cameron Began Space Mining In 2012
We have lift off of privatized space flight. Partnerships between NASA and private designers, astronaut trainers, and manufactures overlapped the end of the US Space Shuttle Program by at least a year, with astonishing results.
Classics About Moon Mining
Ironic Update: Moon Landers
On August 10, 2012 we learned that moon landers designed and built under Google's LunarX Prize competition are much better than one that NASA had just released.
The space agency's Morpheus moon lander erupted into a flaming explosion after lifting off only 10 feet. It was wise for NASA to join with over 63 private space firms for its space-going hopes in the future.
The Google-backed moon landers developed by independent firms and researchers are set to lift off and land on Luna years early, in 2013.
NASA's DAWN Headed for Asteroid Belt
March 10, 2009 -- NASA's Dawn spacecraft launched its way to two of the largest bodies in the Mars-Jupiter Asteroid Belt: Vesta (in 2011) and Ceres (in 2015). DAWN was launched in autumn of 2007, so we see how long-term jobs connected with the new natural resource fields in space will be.
A few novels have speculated about space mining and their stories look to be fulfilled. Homer Hickam who was one of the teens in his true story Rocket Boys and later worked at NASA, wrote Back to the Moon. It is a speculative novel that is very believable in the nature of its moon resources extraction and intrigue connected to it. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress is a Libertarian speculative story of society on the moon during mining industry success, written by Robert Heinlein.
Aerospace Business Is Here
- Jupiter's Moon Europa is Target for Possible NASA Lander | Jupiter & Moons | Europa & Search -- NASA is studying a mission concept for the mid-2010s to drop two landers on the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa. The goal would be to assess the icy moon's potential to host life.
Futurist Moon Mining
- Meet The Man Who Wants To Mine The Moon
The moon is made not of green cheese but of far more valuable stuff. And Moon Express wants to capitalize on that fact by piggybacking on private shuttle flights, using them to carry lunar landers and mining platforms to the moon. - Moon Express
- Solar Sails - Arthur C. Clarke's Sunjammer Becomes a Reality
Sir Arthur C. Clarke invented the best notion of a workable solar sail as - Space Solar Power - Limitless Free Energy
Solar power extracted from space facilities.
Top Alternative Energy Jobs Openings through 2020
- Outside Sales Consultants - residential buildings.
- Fuel Transport Drivers
- Regional Technology Sales Managers
- Electrical Engineers
- Field Engineers
- Mechanical Engineers
- Outside Sales Representatives
- Control Designers
- Technicians
- Network Engineers
- Quality Engineers
- Sustainability Managers
Largest Three Cities for Solar Products and Related Jobs in USA
San Deigo CA - 
San Francisco CA - 
San Jose CA - Major Metro Areas of Leading Solar/Wind Companies
Solar and wind energy jobs and products are concentrated most thickly in the following metro areas: San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Los Angeles, and Sacramento CA, Houston TX, Phoenix AZ, Washington DC, Beltsville MD, NYC, Boston MA, and Tempe AZ.
Top Hiring Alternative Energy Companies
The following companies are posting the largest numbers of job openings and offering lower cost, higher efficiency products:
- GE and GE Energy
- AEC Hunt, Inc. - Buildings, Infrastructure, Power & Energy
- Vestas - wind power.
- Solar Turbines, Inc.
- Goal Zero - solar products.
- Solarcity
- First Solar
- Johnson Controls
- ATK
- Areva
Additional Companies Hiring Now:
- Nextera Energy, Down Corning, Power One, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Aerotek Energy, and Rec Solar.
This information is available through search functions on two search engines that track all jobs listed on the Internet: SimplyHired.com and Indeed.com.
Green World Investor Picks
Recently, the Green World Investor reported the Top Solar Panel Manufacturers in America. These leading companies included:
- First Solar. This is reported to be the largest maker of Solar Thin Film in the world. It is also reported as the lowest cost panel producer globally, at 74 cents per watt. It intends to lower this cost to 52 cents by early 2014. [www.firstsolar.com; 350 West Washington Street Tempe, AZ 85281-1244. PH (602) 414-9300]
- Sunpower. Home of the highest efficiency crystalline solar panels globally, with an installation business system as well. [www.sunpower.com]
- MEMC/SunEdison. This the only big American solar wafer producer, but is building a factory in Malaysia for cost reduction. Will expand into solar systems as well. [www.memc.com]
- Suniva. An entity constructed in the Georgia Institute of Technology’s University Center of Excellence in Photovoltaics (UCEP) to produce solar cells - the world’s highest commercially available cell efficiency. [www.suniva.com]
- Miasole. Produced a high efficiency thin film module.[www.miasole.com]
- Nanosolar. Interesting company backed by Google and other big names. [www.nanosolar.com; 5521 Hellyer Avenue San Jose, CA 95138. PH (408) 365-5960]
- Abound Solar. Manufacturing plants in Indiana and Colorado.[www.abound.com]
- Ascent Solar. Thin Film Panels on Flexible Substances. [www.ascentsolar.com]
- Energy Conversion Devices. Thin Film Technology and Flexible a-Si modules.[www.energyconversiondevices.com]
- General Electric. Invested in a Cadmium Tellurium start-up called Prime Star Solar.
© 2011 Patty Inglish
Comments
- Author
The most recent jobs upsurge began first half 2010; housing filled up immediately within 100 miles radius of each town along Highway2 and Williston. There's about 25 miles or less between each of these towns, all in the oil fields. Driving over 100 miles twice a day is probably too much to do on top of the hard work and cold weather. Tribal and city leaders of the area from New Town to Williston have been asking federal govt for housing help for over two years in preparation for the new drilling and processing work.
Perhaps this is an anomaly in the country, but interestingly these guys are in the oil and natural gas business as opposed to solar. And you're right, housing starts in December would also be an anomaly...
But when did these fields open up and how long have these guys been living like this would be my other question? Where's the nearest town? Do they have cars?
I ask because the people who work in oil and natural gas make very good paychecks, and it would seem to me a natural thing to occur that either these jobs would attract people in from outlying areas who are willing to travel for the good pay and benefits, or the people who went there from out of state may be able to, in the interim, afford a commute for better living conditions.
- Author
Very interesting! In North Dakota, especially along Highway 2 in the oil and natural gas fields, large numbers of workers are still sleeping on the floor in homes and other facilities in order to have living space. Throughout 2010, this had already become a situation. I think this justifies new housing construction for some time, because these jobs are long-term and new ones opening. For example, 5000 real listings yesterday in just two counties in the oil field. The cold weather is likely only one of the obstacles to building in December, but perhaps another obstacle is thrown up by factions that want to see oil production slowed.
I'm not sure I necessarily agree that there is any real lack of housing considering that the housing numbers seem to indicate we still have an excess of inventory both on the new construction side and existing homes as well. We also have a very high number of foreclosures right now. Granted, I don't have the national NOR the North Dakota numbers in front of me, but I'd be willing to bet that they are experiencing a similar situation to the rest of the country. There's some question as to how you encourage homes to be built without there being demand for them immediately, and I would think that the thing that would be more feasible in getting that done, if what you say is true, is by creating the jobs first. Cities were created and communities were created historically by there being something of interest IN that community to cause it to grow and populate itself.
We're in a hell of a mess is all I'm saying, and we got here because we mostly focused our attention on artificial demand and too much government intervention, and for that reason I think to do anything other than to allow for natural free market forces to work, we're heading in the wrong direction with that kind of thinking...again.
BTW, I didn't mention it, but although I brought your article into a political discussion, I still feel that your article was well written. I don't mean to undermine it in any way by pointing out my difference of opinion on where the real jobs are.
- Author
The Google $30,000,000 Investment of 2010/2011 in moon vehicles is creating these lunar landers more quickly than expected and there is more money where that came from. I see no lack of funds. Jobs will be created gradually in an increasing curve between 2012 - 2015, followed by larger numbers.
- Author
Certainly, many obstacles block us in the pursuit of energy harvesting of all kinds. In North Dakota, there are 1000s of jobs, but barely a place to live now. I must ask why builders and contractors are not there building new dwellings for the workers that are needed? And North Dakota is already connected to a Canadian pipeline, processing incredible amounts of that oil in addition to the huge amounts in the Bakken field. Some people report that the number of oil wells promised are being built has slowed down too much as well.
Why build another pipeline when we cannot process oil from pipelines already working, because of such a seemingly easily-solved problem as lack of housing? Do we build another pipeline and become unable to use it also? In this business and political climate, I think it would create jobs until completed, then no oil would be sent through it and jobs would end.
While I think there is some space here for future jobs and hiring, it pales in comparison to the REAL job creation out there that is possible through using energies we already have. There are real companies, with real capital, with real research and development budgets that want to get things done who cannot because of government regulation. Take that pipeline for example that Mr. Obama saw fit to stop in its tracks recently which would have created at least 20,000 jobs, 7,000 of which would have been permanent jobs after the pipeline would have reached completion. I think that 7,000 figure is off by the way. This would create many more jobs over time.
I'm not saying I don't applaud any effort to "go green," even if I firmly believe right now its not really feasible—especially solar. I'm just saying that right now we have two real problems. Unemployment and dependence on foreign oil. The solutions to those two problems can be solved today by allowing for more drilling here, allowing that pipeline to be built, and allowing more exploration here on our own soil. That would create immediate jobs. That would create an immediate decrease in demand for foreign oil. When we get these things running full force then we can concentrate on our dream ideas...
Like solar.
If you want to buy a house, there are steps to doing that. Bypassing the steps doesn't get you into a house. There are steps to going solar, or using ANY alternative energy source for that matter as well, and bypassing them just doesn't make any sense. At least not to me.
If we want jobs they are here now, and if the government gets out of the way we can have them.
- Author
I agree that the people should have a choice of power sources. My uncle kept his electricity and gas power companies connected after he went solar, but paid only a tiny amount to them every month. They lost quite a bit of revenue from his house and small farm.
Here in Jamaica, it's was illegal to have an alternate power source other than the electric company. But is was quite legal not to have any at all....makes no sense. The monopoly of the Jamaica Public Service Company (electric company) is being reviewed. People should be able to have whatever power source they choose especially in an era that green technology is being promoted.
- Author
Cardisa - with the Google-funded XC-prize for Lunar Landers providing a couple dozen moon vehicles beginning 2012, there will be lots more to report! Stay tuned.
Maren - I think solar can supplement coal-burning hydroelectric power. One of my uncles had a solar house back in the 1960s! The utility companies hassled him, though.
Deborah - I'm excited about lunar landers and new solar power applications. Always loved the Electric House at the state fair, especially when it went solar.
Thank you for all the information. wow.. didn't know any of this..this is good to know. I voted up
Patty, I hope your information will encourage local governments and individuals to support solar energy. Pennsylvania is not at the top of the list of states which have embraced the idea. VU and more.
I wish you had elaborated more on the "space tourism". I find that very intriguing. The space mining has been expected for some time but I had no idea it was seeing realization. This is great, it seems that all the predictions about space might actually come true.
In a time when jobs are so scarce and there is talk of another global crisis, any such job creation is remarkable.
Thanks for the info Patty, I can always rely on your hubs for this kind of learning experience.
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