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Slowly but surely, the solar energy industry is growing in the area.
According to the nonprofit solar advocacy group Solar Foundation, jobs in the solar industry increased in Fairfield County from 510 in 2015 to 562 in 2016, a 10.2 percent increase, and in Westchester Country from 613 to 785 over the same one-year period, a 28 percent increase,.
The growth is reflective of what's going on around the nation, the group said. The U.S. solar industry employed 260,077 workers last year, a nearly 25 percent increase from 2015 that was largely driven by an increase in solar panel installations, itself fueled by a continued decrease in the cost of solar panels.
The solar industry produced about $154 billion in total economic activity for the U.S. in 2016, according to the Solar Foundation.
While installing solar panels on roofs is the most familiar option for building owners, interest is growing in solar shingles, said Oliver Koehler, founder and CEO of SunTegra in Port Chester. The company offers solar shingles and tile roofs to homeowners and businesses that it claims are more aesthetically pleasing and financially viable alternatives to standard, rack-mounted solar panels.
"Probably 99 percent of the residential solar market is still solar panels," Koehler said. "But with products like ours, you don't have the same bulky appearance. Our solution is more low-profile."