Richard Lawrence of IREC on Apprenticeships and More!

Sean White‘s Solar and Energy Storage Podcast

Richard Lawrence has a long history in the solar industry and is very knowledgeable in many areas (He was formerly the Executive Director of NABCEP among other things). Our main focus of this podcast was apprenticeship programs. This is a big deal, since to qualify for the Inflation Reduction Act 30% Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for projects over 1MW, fulfilling the apprenticeship and prevailing wage standards are required. Topics covered: Richard Lawrence career: IREC Program Director currently 5 years irecusa.org IBTS 2 years - Institute for Building Technology and Safety NABCEP Executive Director 3.5 yrs Solar (PV) Instructor Training Network Hudson Valley Community College Topics covered and questions answered: What is an apprenticeship? What is prevailing wage? Union vs. non-union Is prevailing wage different for different places? Right to work states (anti-union) Registered apprenticeship programs Unregistered apprenticeship programs How does someone set up an apprenticeship program? Who to register an apprenticeship program with, like the DOL (Department of Labor) Local and federal programs IRA-apprenticeship - tax credits - pay workers prevailing wage 1MW and up 15% of labor hours requirement What is IREC doing for apprenticeship and What is IREC Drama with different unions and non-unions-everyone wants the work $200k/yr electrician cost Prevailing wage for small vs. large projects Can election results take away these benefits Veterans California C46 solar license and batteries Solar PV Instructor Training Network Hudson Valley Community College SPI NYSERDA www.nyserda.ny.gov Massachusetts Clean Energy Center www.masscec.com Burnham Energy AHJ Multi Junction Technology Apprenticeship programs. Solar Energy International Department of Energy www.energy.gov Larry Sherwood Soul Smart Program in Puerto Rico Zoning laws Donations Cod community college Non-Profit Organizations SEAC Sustainable Energy Action Committee www.sustainableenergyaction.org ANSI Standards Jane Weissman Solar ABC's www.solarabcs.org Solar ready veterans network John Kim American Battery Factory IBEW International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers www.ibew.org UBC United Brotherhood of Carpenters www.carpenters.org ITC Eike Weber Herman Scheer NREL www.nrel.gov Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean’s classes at www.heatspring.com/sean