Clean Energy EXPO 2024: Workforce

The 27th Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO and Policy Forum was held on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. The event was hosted by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), with the House and Senate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (REEE) Caucuses serving as honorary co-hosts. It featured seven panels, including Workforce.

Highlights

Dennis Knight, P.E., President, ASHRAE

• ASHRAE is a global society of about 55,000 professionals advancing sustainable building technology. They focus on energy efficiency, indoor air quality, sustainability, and publish standards like the 1 National Energy Code.
• The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning sector and the building science industry face a critical skills gap due to worker retirements, technological advances, global competition, and lack of emphasis on technical education. There is a need to improve perceptions of and attract talent to these crucial fields.
• ASHRAE promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion through training and partnerships with organizations like the National Society of Black Engineers and Women in HVACR (heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration).
• ASHRAE supports policies that enhance career and technical education and advocates for legislation like the Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act (722/H.R.1477), which would expand Section 529 plans (tax-advantaged savings for education) to encompass workforce training and credentialing programs, like professional certifications.
• The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementation grant supports ASHRAE’s program to increase energy code enforcement and brings career opportunities to disadvantaged communities. ASHRAE also offers certification programs recognized by DOE that meet the Better Buildings workforce guidelines.

Pamela Rogers Klyn, Executive Vice President, Corporate Relations and Sustainability, Whirlpool

• Within Whirlpool, a company with 19,000 employees across 10 U.S. factories, workforce development is crucial. To ensure this, they offer apprenticeships and on-the-job training to build skills for careers in manufacturing and engineering.
• Whirlpool has long emphasized environmental standards across its operations. Since 1987, appliances have become 50 to 75% more efficient—if the auto industry had made the same progress, a minivan would get 63 miles to the gallon and have nine seats instead of seven.
• Whirlpool is rolling out new energy-efficiency technologies like SlimTech insulation for refrigerators, which is easily recycled and can be up to 50% more energy efficient than current insulation.
• Whirlpool recently invested $63 million in a new technology center in Michigan, designed to LEED Silver standards, to employ and maintain high-tech talent.

Sapna Gheewala-Dowla, Associate Vice President of Policy and Research, Alliance to Save Energy (ASE)

• Investments in energy efficiency save the United States over $1 trillion annually and are crucial for achieving decarbonization targets by 2050. These economic and decarbonization benefits highlight the importance of developing a skilled workforce to implement and advance energy-efficiency technologies.
• The Alliance to Save Energy (ASE) advocates for federal policies supporting energy efficiency, including behind-the-meter improvements, demand-side management, and virtual power plants. In terms of equity, ASE works to ensure that low-income and Black, Indigenous, and communities of color are able to manage their energy loads and burdens.
• Energy efficiency is a significant sector for job creation, with over 2.1 million jobs and growing. Job numbers will be boosted by the build-out of programs made available by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (P.L. 117-58) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) (P.L. 117-169), such as Solar for All and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
• ASE has education programs to partner with K-12 schools and historically Black colleges and universities to enhance energy efficiency in their facilities and to educate and introduce students to clean energy careers.

Brice Nzeukou, Head of Business Development, Radiant

• Radiant is developing Kaleidos, a one-megawatt (enough to power 1,000 homes) nuclear microreactor, which is much smaller than traditional reactors. This technology can be used in applications like powering rural communities or disaster relief efforts.
• The microreactor uses accident-tolerant fuel and helium as a coolant, significantly enhancing safety by eliminating meltdown risks and avoiding long-term environmental issues. The design also features passive cooling, eliminating the need for redundant coolant systems.
• Radiant is on track to test the reactor at Idaho National Lab's Dome facility in 2026. It has already secured a Front-End Engineering Design Award from DOE and is progressing through the regulatory process, positioning itself at the frontier of advanced nuclear testing in the United States.
• To support the growth of advanced nuclear technology, there is a critical need for skilled workers. While the U.S. nuclear workforce has declined over the past two decades, recent investments and legislative support, such as the ADVANCE Act (1111) and the Nuclear Fuel Security Act (S.452/H.R.1086) in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (P.L.118-31), are driving a resurgence in regulatory support and development for nuclear professionals.

Compiled by Lindsey Snyder and edited for clarity and length. This is not a transcript.

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