Solar is the most widely available and accessible way for the world to lower their dependance on fossil fuels. With prices decreasing and available rebates, it’s becoming much more accessible to more consumers. Not only does it help the planet, but it also substantially reduces costs for both homeowners and businesses. The HBCU Clean Energy Initiative is on a mission to bring affordable solar to the communities that need it the most. And when people know more about solar, they realize how much sense it makes. So, take our quiz below and test your knowledge!
Answers are at the end of the quiz.
1. How many people in the U.S. work in solar related jobs?
A. 50,000
B. 122,000
C. 158,000
D. 242,000
2. How many square miles of solar panels in the U.S. would be needed to meet the country’s electricity needs?
A. 21,000
B. 45,000
C. 100,000
D. 250,000
3. How much of the U.S. energy needs are met by solar right now?
A. 2.8%
B. 5.3%
C. 10.4%
D. 15%
4. How many metric tons of carbon dioxide does solar power offset in the U.S. each year?
A. 20 million
B. 50 million
C. 100 million
D. 250 million
5. The state of Texas has the most solar capacity of any state. True or False
6. Which state has the highest job growth in solar?
A. California
B. Georgia
C. Kansas
D. Florida
7. How much has the price of solar fallen since 2010?
A. 20%
B. 50%
C. 80%
D. 90%
8. Enough of the sun’s energy reaches Earth every year to power the planet for a year.
True or False.
9. If the U.S. just installed solar on rooftops alone, what percentage of our energy needs would be met?
A. 10%
B. 30%
C. 60%
D. 100%
10. The fastest growing job within the U.S. is solar photovoltaic installers. True or False.
Answers Below:
1. The answer is D. 242,000 people in the U.S. are solar workers. That’s more than the coal, oil, and natural gas industries combined.
2. The answer is A. 21,250 square miles of solar panels could meet U.S. electric needs. That is only .05% of American land and about half of the land leased by oil and gas.
3. The answer is A. Only 2.8% of the U.S. energy is supplied by solar while fossil fuels accounts for 61%.
4. The answer is C. Solar offsets over 100,000 million tons of carbon dioxide per year even though it only accounts for 2.6% percent of our energy. That’s nearly equal to 2 billion trees.
5. The answer is False. The State of California alone accounts for 38.9% of U.S. solar capacity and 31.7% of solar jobs.
6. The answer is B. The state of Georgia had the highest job growth rate in 2019 over the previous year. Kansas led in job growth the previous year.
7. The answer is C. The price of solar has fallen by 80% since 2010.
8. The answer is False. Enough of the sun’s energy reaches Earth every hour to power society for a year!
9. The answer is D. With solar panels installed on rooftops alone, the U.S. could match all of their current electricity needs at 100%.
10. The answer is True. Jobs for solar photovoltaic installers are expected to grow 105% by 2026.
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