UTAH (ABC4) – The state of Utah has the second largest solar economy in the nation with almost 7000 jobs in solar.
Solar power is energy from the sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy, and it is the cleanest and most abundant renewable energy source available.
Utah’s solar capacity has increased substantially in the last 10 years, with rooftop solar going from one megawatt in 2009 to 130 in 2016, according to Stacker.com.
The growth is a part of an initiative set forth by the state, with a regulatory policy that requires utilities and electric co-ops to use renewables to account for 20% of their adjusted electricity sales by 2025.
Utah also has has net metering and tax credits for commercial solar systems as incentives.
The state still has a major oil and gas industry, but the effort to increase solar has resulted with almost 2,500 megawatts being installed in a near 55,000 units.
Here’s a list of eligible renewable technologies:
- Solar Water Heat
- Solar Space Heat
- Geothermal Electric
- Solar Thermal Electric
- Solar Photovoltaics
- Wind
- Biomass
- Hydroelectric
- Hydrogen
- Municipal Solid Waste
- Combined Heat & Power
- Landfill Gas
- Tidal
- Wave
- Ocean Thermal
- Anaerobic Digestion
In Dec. 2021, President Biden signed an executive order catalyzing America’s clean energy economy through Federal sustainability.
