Letter: Solar isn't a cure-all for jobs
Danny Volkomer, right, installs a solar panel at the Peconic Bay Winery in Cutchogue. Bob Skypala helps him carry a panel across the vineyard. Credit: Daniel Goodrich, 2010
Continually we hear that jobs in the solar power industry are part of a bright future ["Green jobs growing," News, July 13]. Well, look at what happened in Devens, Mass., this year. A solar-panel manufacturer closed its doors, with over 800 workers' jobs eliminated. After millions of dollars in local tax breaks and incentives were provided to help build and support the plant, Evergreen Solar has become another American manufacturer who realized that it cannot compete in this labor-intensive industry.
In addition, what about all of the federal money that is provided to people for these systems for their homes? These are incentives to the wealthy, and we hear that they are needed to help fight global warming and create American manufacturing jobs.
How many times must politicians get involved in the creation and directing of private industry before we realize that it never works, and the American taxpayer is left holding the bag?
Robert Foster, Smithtown
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