I am a master electrician, employed by Sigora Solar. We are the largest residential solar provider in the state. I have been with the company for only a year but it has been the most meaningful year of my life. I love solar, its something I've wanted to do ever since I became an electrician 13 years ago. I had to wait a very long time before the industry grew enough so that I could switch over and start saving the world, starting with the state of my birth. I have always been proud to be a Virginian and I hold my chin a little higher now that I am able to do something meaningful. I grew up playing in an abandoned coal mine and saw the lasting destruction that it caused in my community (Montgomery Co).
I make a good living, better than pure electrical, and my future looks bright as long as there is an industry to work in. I am actively training new people to install solar and also become electricians. We are desperately short on both, yet the solar industry is drawing in people that may not have become electricians if they didn't have the incentive that the solar field provides. It is the fastest growing construction industry in the nation, that means more jobs then we can fill. That would be much better then the alternative.
Please expand rooftop Solar in Virginia, so I can continue doing what I love and the people of Virginia can enjoy clean air, a nice environment to raise children and we can all save a little cash to spend on other things in our state.
Matthew C Doran
1222 Harris Street
Charlottesville, VA 22903