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Fri, Oct 2, 2009 (3 a.m.)
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Increasingly known as the New Energy Economy, the wave of renewable-energy construction is creating a demand for workers trained in emerging electrical systems.
Just as farmhands were retrained as factory workers during the Great Depression, electrical workers today are learning how to wire a solar system and how to maintain it, whether it’s on a massive utility scale in the desert Southwest or on the sprawling rooftops of suburbia.
“There is big potential for solar installers,” said Randy Hynes, president and founder of Nevada Solar-Energy Alliance. “We’re going to need 600 (solar installers) by the first of the year” for upcoming projects.
The government has promised to invest in renewable-energy technology, development and implementation. Even more federal assistance appears in the climate bill that Congress is considering.
Twelve gigawatts of utility-scale solar plants are in some stage of development, mostly in the Southwest, Rhone Resch, CEO of Solar Energy Industries Association, said at a news conference. That’s enough to power 2 million homes for a year, he said. Most solar developments are in early phases and haven’t yet broken ground.
“There’s never been a more exciting time for solar energy,” he said. “It’s a complete game changer.”
The alliance trains workers in solar construction, maintenance and how to audit residential energy use, he said.
This fall it will be training about 400 workers, and over the summer 20 workers were on a waiting list for the program, which costs about $200.
Another group, the Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee of Southern Nevada, has trained about 500 union electricians since early 2006, training director Madison Burnett said.
Workers — some of whom take a day off work — will line up hours before registration opens in hopes of getting one of 24 seats in the class, Burnett said. Because the course is union-sponsored, it costs the trainees just $50 for the book.
“Most are out of work and are hoping this training will give them a leg up on any jobs that come up,” Burnett said. “This is the highest-demanded class (because of) the anticipated work that is coming up. People want to take a part in it.”
The training takes 60 hours and combines theory and practical training in photovoltaic solar systems.
Some workers are training to become energy auditors also, anticipating that demand for solar installers will slow.
Energy auditing is a growing field, Hynes said, with auditors collecting as much as $450 for three hours spent analyzing a 2,000-square-foot home’s energy use, he said. Right now, three certified auditors work in the state, he said.
“There’s not much of a demand right now,” he said. But he said energy auditing will serve as a fallback for electricians when installation jobs decline.
By 2011 buyers of existing homes in Nevada will be required to have a home energy audit.
“We think that should be the first step,” Hynes said. “An auditor can find enough (waste) to knock off 30 percent from an energy bill.”
Demand for energy audits will increase as energy cost rise, said Sheila Conway, managing partner of Urban Environmental Research, an environmental consulting firm. Audits of commercial businesses, depending on the facility’s size, could cost upward of $1,000, she said.
“It’s not just making the environment cleaner, it makes it much more economical,” said Conway, whose company offers energy audits. “That’s just good business.”
During an energy audit, which can take several hours, an auditor will go through the home or business noting wasteful energy practices and the efficient systems.
“It’s more than changing light bulbs or installing solar,” Conway said. “What we want to do is identify what are the primary efficiencies and cost benefits.”
Discussion: 10 comments so far…
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Nevada Solar Energy Alliance was actually a working title for a developing industry association. Solar Forces is the trade association conducting the PV Installer training in partnership with Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). We can be found at SolarForces.org. The focus of the industry association has quickly evolved since I was interviewed. Renewable Energy Contractors of Nevada will be a statewide alliance of contractors interested in all renewable energy construction. -Randell Hynes
Solar panels could possibly interfere with our desert wildlife and even flights of migratory birds for that matter.
Has anyone looked into this very serious problem or will it simply be swept under the rug.
Planetearth,
I'm not sure if you are kidding or not.
At any rate, your statement is hilarious!
Thanks for the laugh!
Planetearthcalling,
Are you serious?
I'm certain we can find some sort of a snail darter to use as a crutch in order to bring this whole ugly episode to a close.
God forbid should we dirty up the beautiful Nevada desert in any way shape or form with solar panels that could possibly interfere with migratory bird patterns or even worse, the polly wog.
Some of this is hype and the other half shows the wasteful government spending.
The hype is that solar and wind plants will bring a ton of jobs to Nevada.
The bring new solar plant southwest of Las Vegas is the largest in the world.
It has a total of 9 full-time employees and all of them were hire outside of the state even some from outside of the USA.
The wasteful spending is true too.
To add a decent solar system to a house cost around $45,000. The government will rob your neighbors or borrow from your children to pay for half of that.
Putting a $45,000 solar system on top of a $150,000 house makes perfect economic sense. Will if you are lib koolaid drinker then it does.
Just a FYI, the system has a self life of 20 years which means it will either need to be dismantle at a cost of thousands dollars or refurnished at a cost of ten of thousands of dollars.
Is it SgtRock because you are as dumb as a rock or because you like to smoke them? Putting solar on my roof would cost me about $20K, while helping to save the planet. The rebates and incentives would drive up your electric bill, forcing you to do the right thing. Why are you so selfish? Is it because you depend on foreign oil for war, so you can stay employed?
"Putting solar on my roof would cost me about $20K, "
Errr....did you really read my post.
Because if you could read (I have doubts) then you notice that I said that the government via robbing your neighbors or charging debt to your children picks the other half of the cost of your solar cost.
I just want to be smart about energy and not be a knee-JERK koolaid lib who wants to waste money on every bird brain idea that pops into their head.
I read your post but you are obviously oblivious to the true costs associated with staying the current course.
By the way, solar will create thousands of construction jobs and thousands of manufacturing jobs, right here in the U.S. and Nevada. Good paying jobs! But what do you know? Obviously not as much as you like to believe.
"By 2011 buyers of existing homes in Nevada will be required to have a home energy audit".
Mandating energy "audits" on home buying consumers?
What's next energy inefficiency fines derived from the audits?
In brief;
Our kitchen has 6 flood lights, five 65 watt bulbs which light in unison and a separate 75w directly positioned over the sink/counter. Since the 75w light rather than the group of 65s is typically used the bulb finally burnt-out.
Trying to find the 75w replacement flood, (since a 65w doesn't emit enough lumens) was an unsuccessful exercise of calling and running to numerous area hardware/retail stores, all of which no longer sold the replacement bulb, even when they indicated they had it.
Frustrated, a call eventually was sent out to the bulb's manufacturer, General Electric.
The GE representative informed us that the 75w bulb hadn't been manufactured since 1992 due to federal government regulations targeting consumer use of the lower 65w bulbs.
Due to the inability to purchase a proper 75w bulb replacement, we now use the five 65w bulbs consuming a whooping 325 watts of indirect light instead of 75 watts of direct lighting because our energy conscience consuming Government's prohibitions on bulb manufacturers knows what's best for our applications.
You just can't make this stuff up.
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