Local Electricians Plug Into Solar Future

Nov. 7, 2009 - PRLog -- Castroville, CA - For electrical workers, the transition to green energy can't happen soon enough.

They're looking forward to the benefits most of us hope for -- a healthier environment, better energy security. But they also stand to gain more directly: lots of good jobs for the people who know how to plug in the pieces of the green energy infrastructure.

So the electrical workers' union has been aggressively training members across the country in green power technologies.

And soon that training will reach 200 or more local electricians, as their union chapter converts its Castroville parking lot into a solar technology training lab.

For the weekend of November 7 and 8, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 234 will set up 10 training stations, including solar panels, a mocked-up roof mounting system, and a "solar eye", a device for predicting where the sun will appear in the sky every day of the year.

Equipment for the two-day training will arrive on a 40-foot semi-trailer operated by IBEW Los Angeles Local 11, which calls its rig the "Solar Power Road Show".

IBEW members will work their way through all 10 stations, learning skills that economists expect to be among the most in-demand in coming years. Government, education and industry VIPs will be on hand to observe.

A recent study by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that the number of green jobs in the United States has been growing about two and a half times faster than job growth overall. Green jobs promise to be good jobs: The study found "well-paying jobs in every state for people of all skill levels and educational backgrounds." The IBEW has reason to trust the trend: Local 234's apprentices make more than $17 an hour, and certified electricians start at $41 an hour.

"For us, this has long since stopped being 'alternative' energy," said Local 234's Director of Industry Development, Paul Gutierrez. "Solar, wind, biomass - this is becoming the new energy mainstream, and we're part of it."

Growth is being driven in part by the declining costs of the technologies involved, as well as by state and federal legislation and incentives, including the federal economic stimulus program. In 2006, Governor Schwarzenegger introduced California's Million Solar Roofs Initiative, which aims to hit its target by 2018. The state currently has solar installations on about 50,000 roofs, according to Environment California, an advocacy group.

Reaching that ambitious goal is going to require a lot of electrical workers. But "you don't need to train a separate work force," said IBEW Local 11 Assistant Business Manager Kim Craft. "You already have a highly trained pool of electricians who need minimal training to become qualified solar installers."

Organizers of the local training expect about 200 attendees. They will receive continuing education credits and be prepared to take a solar power installer certification test given by the national IBEW in partnership with NECA, the National Electrical Contractors Association.

Details

What: "Solar Power Road Show" two-day training
Where: IBEW Local 234 headquarters, 10300 Merritt St, Castroville (click for a map)
When: Saturday and Sunday, Nov 7-8 from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm each day
Admission: Open to IBEW members.

About IBEW Local 234

IBEW Local 234 provides Electrical Contractors working throughout Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz County with skilled, knowledgeable Electricians and Apprentices. Our objective is to help our contractors and our members prosper by providing the most productive, quality-minded, and safest workforce available for the customer. This objective is our commitment, as a business organization, striving to serve a constructive role in the electrical industry.

Web: http://ibew234.org
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ibew234

IBEW Local 234
Paul Gutierrez
Director of Industry Development
http://ibew234.org

Boots Road Group LLC
Spencer Critchley
Communications Consultant
http://bootsroad.com

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Boots Road Group provides communications consulting and production services to businesses, non-profits and political campaigns, with expertise in strategy, creativity and technology.