Tesla is on the hunt for a lot of electricians as it grows its solar and battery business after the tax credit was increased to 30% last year.
Tesla’s solar business very much lives in the shadow of its automotive business, but they are highly complementary. If you are driving an electric vehicle, it makes a lot of sense to power it with solar energy.
With changes to the federal tax credit for solar power last year, new installations are now back to receiving a generous 30% credit, which makes it a smart investment for homeowners.
California is a top market for solar thanks to advantageous net metering allowing homeowners to sell their excess solar power back into the grid.
Tesla is trying to take advantage of this momentum in the solar industry to boost its own installations in California, but as it is the case in many industries these days, it is hard to find qualified staff.
Electrek spotted a flurry of new Tesla job postings for licensed electricians in California.
Tesla writes about the job description:
The Licensed Electrician is part of Tesla’s Energy Field Operations team. As a skilled member of the team, the Licensed Electrician will help lead the installations of residential PV solar systems, Solar Roof, battery storage, and EV wall connectors. The ideal candidate will provide electrical expertise that will contribute to the overall success of installing Tesla’s energy products. All necessary training, tools and equipment will be provided, including a company vehicle for some positions.
The company is looking for electricians all over California. Here are some of the locations in the new postings:
- Livermore
- Irvine
- Vista
- San Diego
- Los Angeles
- Hawthorne
On top of electricians, Tesla is also looking for site surveyors, technicians, and advisors for its growing solar business.
Electrek’s Take
As we understand it, Tesla is still figuring out its mix of having its own solar installations and providing its “energy ecosystem” to third-party installers.
Top comment by SteveM
The surge in solar in California is likely due to the new NEM 3.0 tariff that starts on 4/15/23. New solar customers need to get their NEM application in before that date. Under NEM 3.0, the compensation rate for excess energy will vary depending on the time of day and the overall supply and demand for energy. A typical rooftop solar customer will see payments for excess solar production sent to the grid reduced by 75%. Return on investment periods are estimated to move from an average of about 4.5 years to 6.5 years to 14.5 years, effectively killing any incentive to go solar in California.
First, Tesla started to provide its Powerwall to third-party installers, then it was the solar roof, and more recently, Tesla even started to provide its solar panels and solar inverter to other installers.
Lately, it seemed like Tesla was more heavily relying on third-party installers, but these new job postings show that the company is still investing on its own installations.
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