Corridor residents with considering powering up with solar energy couldn’t live in a more conducive state.
But it’s not the heat; it’s the tax benefit.
January 2008 saw the start of a tax incentive that provides residential property owners a state tax credit of 50% of the cost of solar installations for up to $25,000 each. If the tax credit exceeds an applicant’s state tax liability, the Department of Revenue issues a cash refund rather than applying the credit to subsequent tax years.
Business tax credits aren’t as generous yet, but there’s likely to be a push in this spring’s legislative session to change that. Regardless, there’s growing enthusiasm in the state about going solar.
“Right now, Louisiana has the best tax incentives in the country,” says Stephen Shelton, executive director of the nonprofit Louisiana Clean Tech Network, the statewide industry trade association based in New Orleans.
The incentive package has kept Louisiana’s solar installers swamped and inspired a new crop of entrepreneurs. More electricians, heating and air providers and contractors are adding the service as well. Last year, the number of solar installation providers increased from about 5 to about 25, says Shelton.
“Renewable energy is a critical subject, and we’re finally making progress in Louisiana,” he adds.
But to grow and manage demand, companies need more trained installers, a problem that will likely intensify as alternative energy becomes mainstream. Last year, Shelton approached the Louisiana Community and Technical College System about launching a certification program that could train men and women in the safe installation of residential and commercial solar panels. LCTCS jumped at the chance.
“We had been watching the industry,” says Jim Henderson, LCTCS senior vice president for workforce development and training. The Louisiana Technical College’s Jefferson Parish campus offered the first solar installer course in June. Five months later, LTC’s Lafayette campus followed suit.
Students in Lafayette are trained on a moveable outdoor roof, on which they install and wire solar panels. In New Orleans, the roof is inside a carpentry lab, but has been built to scale.
The new curriculum wasn’t cheap, but funding was available through the state’s Rapid Response program, among others. Rapid Response supports the establishment of new workforce training programs in growing fields. Henderson, who monitors business and industry trends, thought the new curriculum made sense for LCTCS.
“Through labor market forecasts and through the on-the-ground intelligence provided by our local industry advisory committees, we felt like there was a need for this,” he says.
The New Orleans LTC campus was selected because of the prevalence of new construction in the area and the current emphasis in the Crescent City on integrating green building techniques. In 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy named New Orleans one of 13 “Solar America” cities as part of its Solar America Initiative, which aims to accelerate the presence of solar technology in local communities. Consequently, New Orleans has developed a comprehensive plan that calls for a trained solar-energy workforce.
The Lafayette campus was a good fit because its existing ?construction curriculum was easily adapted to the new curriculum. And locally, the solar industry showed signs of strengthening.
For example, in a partnership with local solar company Louisiana Solar Solutions, the University of Louisiana Lafayette Ecology Center installed a 3-kilowatt solar power system earlier this year that is expected to generate 5,400 kilowatt hours of electricity annually. The project is also expected to teach the university community about the benefits of the technology.
Before LCTCS introduced its coursework, there were five certified solar installers in the state, according to Louisiana Clean Tech. More than 100 individuals have now been certified between the two campuses.
“We have seen a lot of professionals interested in acquiring self-knowledge—sole proprietors who wanted to add to an existing business,” says LTC Region 4 Regional Director Phyllis Dupuis.
LTC courses incorporate industry safety standards from the Institute for Sustainable Power Quality and the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners. The 48-hour course provides classroom instruction and the chance to completely install a one-kilowatt solar electric system that can withstand 130-mph winds.
Dupuis is encouraged by the response and is considering expanding the course to LTC campuses in New Iberia and Opelousas. She also expects to broaden the curriculum on alternative energy in the future.
Solar won’t be the only discipline. “I can see this taking off into other areas of renewable energy, like wind and tidal production,” Henderson says.
He speculates demand for training in Louisiana will continue regardless of energy prices. When the cost of gas goes up, consumers’ interests are piqued. When they fall, business owners and policy makers, wary of plummeting oil revenue, begin considering ways to save money long term.
“I think it’s also attractive to a new generation of workers who are interested in alternative energy,” Henderson says. “It’s an exciting field.”
