When it comes to energy, El Paso's always been out of the loop. We have no coal, we have no oil, and not enough wind.

But we sure have a lot of sun. With the recent boom of the solar industry, we find ourselves sitting pretty for the energy trend of the future.

For once, we are sitting on a gold mine. This isn't just an opportunity for a cleaner environment, although solar energy is both clean and renewable.

It is also the chance to embrace the industry of the future, one with large capital investments, high-paying jobs, and educational opportunities.

We can envision a solar future for El Paso where the Sun City positions itself as the sun capital of the Southwest.

So what are we doing to realize this potential? Sadly, hardly anything.

It's unnerving, especially when right next door in Las Cruces homeowners who decide to put solar panels on their rooftops are paid by El Paso Electric for every kilowatt-hour of solar electricity they produce and the solar market is booming. Under these conditions, guess which city will soon become "Sun Capital" of the Southwest?

The bottom line is that to attract business investments, we have to stimulate demand and to stimulate demand we have to create policies that streamline the process and enact incentives that lower the cost of installing solar panels.

The cost of the technology is going down fast and these incentives soon won't be needed. However, by that time, it'll be too late for El Paso and we'll be far behind more visionary cities.In Austin, for instance, the utility offers an upfront rebate that can reduce a solar installation by up to 58 percent.

As El Pasoans, we should encourage our city government and our utility to invest in pro-solar programs. Investing in solar will pay off for all El Pasoans in several important ways.

Perhaps most importantly, we will create jobs. The Department of Energy cites a study estimating that 276,000 jobs could be created by the U.S. solar industry between 2009 and 2016. Renewable energy jobs are tied to an infrastructure that's not easily outsourced, meaning those jobs won't end up in China.
In addition, our colleges and university will benefit from answering the education needs of these high-tech workers.

We'll also benefit as electricity consumers because solar homeowners return their unused solar electricity back to the grid. With enough of them, there may not be a need to build new and expensive power plants.

Remember, those costs are always passed on to the rate-payer.

Solar homeowners contributing to the grid are also a way to protect El Paso from brownouts and blackouts by reducing the strain on the grid at peak times, which are the hottest (and sunniest) parts of the day when our air conditioners run full blast.

We'll ensure stable energy prices for the future because, unlike skyrocketing fuel prices, solar energy prices are predictable and don't fluctuate wildly.

Finally, we'll acquire a certain level of energy independence from foreign sources and a certain level of energy security. Solar power's decentralized nature can safeguard our communities from attacks or natural disasters that wipe out all power in a centralized system.

We are at a crossroads. Going solar is the future and in the best interest of El Paso workers, businesses and consumers.

Harry Schulte is the president of the El Paso Solar Energy Association and a member of the Solar City Task Force.