Dive summary:
- Homes and commercial buildings that seek to achieve net-zero energy capabilities are being driven by the market and, in California, by codes that are in the regulatory pipeline.
- To get ahead of that curve, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 595 (IBEW) and the Northern California Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) have a training facility in Alameda County that is covered with solar panels and filled with things electricians need to know.
- The 46,000-square-foot Zero Net Energy Center figures to train about 2,000 apprentice and journeyman electricians annually and is aiming to hit net-zero energy next year – 17 years before California makes that mandatory – is a building built in 1982.
From the article:
“Our ZNE Center is a model for education and training – a state-of-the-art facility where men and women will be trained for good-paying and sustainable careers...," says Darlene R. Besst, director, Business Development/Government Affairs for NECA, Northern CA Chapter.
