There has been a lot of talk in recent years about the importance of green jobs to the economy. Part of this is due to the fact that during the recent economic crisis, green collar jobs were one of the few sectors that actually saw growth when most other industries lost jobs. Supporting the green economy today helps build green jobs for tomorrow, just as more colleges and universities are graduating students with degrees in environmental engineering and alternative energy technologies.

California solar companies make up a significant chunk of green jobs in this country. The state is in the forefront of nurturing alternative energy research and installation. They have an extensive, multi-year program of incentives for residents to convert their homes to solar power. As a result, the solar industry in California is one of the largest in the world, surpassing not only all other state, but also many countries in the number of jobs created as well as the dollar amount generated by those companies.

Other states have started to follow the example of California. While some states will be limited in their ability to offer similar programs, due to less hospitable climates or not having the funds available for investment, others are moving forward to develop their own incentives. Where possible the success of the solar model in California can be applied to other energies, such as wind power. Now that it has been proven that incentives work both in convincing home owners to switch power sources and in creating green jobs, there’s no reason to stop with solar.