This solar project created about 120 temporary construction jobs and 22 permanent operations and maintenance positions.įun fact: more Americans are employed by renewable energy than coal, oil, and gas combined, despite wind and solar energy only making up 5% of the total U.S. For example, the Redhills Renewable Energy Park was constructed in 2015 and has a capacity of 104 MW- enough to power 18,500 homes. Utility-scale solar projects also create hundreds of temporary construction jobs. The most common solar jobs in Utah are installers, manufacturers, salespeople, and project managers. More than half of these jobs are related to solar energy projects. Source: Energy Information Administration, 2016įrom 2005-2015, natural gas went from about 3% to 20% of Utah's total electricity production. Over the same period, electricity production from coal fell about 12%.Īccording to the Department of Energy, the Utah electric power generation industry employs about 9,650 people. This trend has led to higher electricity bills for Utah residents, motivating many to switch to renewable energy (i.e. Residential electricity prices are still on the rise in Utah, though, having increased more than 23% over the past 5 years. Energy Information Administration, the average retail price of electricity for Utah residents in December 2016 was 10.68¢ per kWh, which is 1.53¢ below the average U.S. Utah has a regulated electricity market, whereby local utility companies set and control electricity prices, generation, and delivery in their service areas.įortunately, Utah residents still benefit from lower electricity prices relative to the rest of the country. With approximately 1,489 MW currently installed, Utah ranks 6th in the nation for solar energy capacity.
According to the Solar Energy Information Association, Utah's solar energy generation capacity increased about 500% in 2016. In 2015 they each provided about 1% of the state's electricity. Geothermal and wind power have both expanded significantly over the past decade in Utah. Hydroelectric dams typically provide between 1% and 2% of Utah's electricity. This trend is caused by the increase in fracking, which lowers the prices of natural gas. Coal still accounted for 75% of Utah's 2015 electricity production, but that's down from 94% in 2005. Over the past 10 years (2005-2015), natural gas has grown from about 3% to 20% of Utah's total electricity production. Coal has always been Utah's primary source of electricity, but that might be about to change.
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