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Electric Cars are Coming: How Long Until They Rule the Road

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Electric Cars are Coming: How Long Until They Rule the Road

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NY Times

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Around the world, governments and automakers are focused on selling newer, cleaner electric vehicles as a key solution to climate change. Yet it could take years, if not decades, before the technology has a drastic effect on greenhouse gas emissions.

One reason for that? It will take a long time for all the existing gasoline-powered vehicles on the road to reach the end of their life spans.

This "fleet turnover" can be slow, analysts said, because conventional gasoline-powered cars and trucks are becoming more reliable, breaking down less often and lasting longer on the road. The average light-duty vehicle operating in the United States today is 12 years old, according to IHS Markit, an economic forecasting firm. That's up from 9.6 years old in 2002.

"Engineering quality has gotten significantly better over time, in part because of competition from foreign automakers like Toyota," said Todd Campau, who specializes in automotive aftermarket analysis at IHS Markit.

Today, Americans still buy roughly 17 million gasoline-burning vehicles each year. Each of those cars and light trucks can be expected to stick around for 10 or 20 years as they are sold and resold in used car markets. And even after that, the United States exports hundreds of thousands of older used cars annually to countries such as Mexico or Iraq, where the vehicles can last even longer with repeated repairs.

Cutting emissions from transportation, which accounts for nearly one-third of America's greenhouse gas emissions, will be a difficult, painstaking task. President Biden has set a goal of bringing the nation's emissions down to net zero by 2050. Doing so would likely require replacing virtually all gasoline-powered cars and trucks with cleaner electric vehicles charged largely by low-carbon power sources such as solar, wind or nuclear plants.

If automakers managed to stop selling new gasoline-powered vehicles altogether by around 2035, to account for the lag in turnover, that target might be attainable. Both California's governor and General Motors have announced that they hope to sell only zero-emissions new cars and trucks by that date. But those goals are still aspirational at this point, and they have not yet been widely adopted.

What's more, some economic research suggests, if automakers like G.M. phased out sales of new internal combustion engines, it's possible that older gasoline-powered cars might persist for even longer on the roads, as consumers who are unable to afford newer, pricier electric cars instead turn to cheaper used models and drive them more.

So policymakers may need to consider additional strategies to clean up transportation, experts said. That could include policies to buy back and scrap older, less efficient cars already in use. It could also include strategies to reduce Americans' dependence on car travel, such as expanding public transit or encouraging biking and walking, so that existing vehicles are driven less often.

"There's an enormous amount of inertia in the system to overcome," said Abdullah Alarfaj, a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University who led a recent study that examined how slow vehicle turnover could be a barrier to quickly cutting emissions from passenger vehicles.

That study suggested several options for speeding up the rate of turnover. For instance, policymakers could focus on electrifying ride-sharing programs like Uber and Lyft first, since those vehicles tend to drive more miles on average and get retired sooner.

There are also options for getting older gas-guzzlers off the road. In 2009, the United States government ran a program called "Cash for Clunkers" that offered Americans rebates to turn in their older cars for newer, more fuel-efficient models. In all, the government spent about $2.9 billion to help 700,000 car owners upgrade their vehicles.

Some Democrats have proposed reviving that program to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles. Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, has proposed a $392 billion trade-in program that would give consumers vouchers to exchange their traditional gasoline-powered vehicles for zero-emissions vehicles, like electric cars.

Still, a "Cash for Clunkers" program could prove relatively inefficient, said Christopher R. Knittel, an economist at the M.I.T. Sloan School of Management who has studied the policy. The original program often benefited Americans who were on the verge of trading in their vehicles anyway, he said, and it often missed the drivers who were driving particularly gas-guzzling vehicles long distances.

"It's a blunt tool, although there are likely ways to improve the program," Dr. Knittel said.

As an alternative, Dr. Knittel noted, a tax on carbon dioxide emissions could prove more effective, by increasing the price of gasoline and giving drivers a clear incentive both to upgrade to cleaner vehicles and drive less. Yet lawmakers have often steered clear of hiking gas taxes, worried about both political blowback and the effects on low-income drivers.

That leaves a final, potentially powerful option: Cities could reshape their housing and transportation systems so that Americans are less reliant on automobiles to get around. Some cities have had success in reducing their dependency on cars: Since 1990, Paris has reduced the share of trips taken by car in city limits by 45 percent, by building new bus and train lines, expanding bike paths and sidewalks, and restricting vehicle traffic on certain streets. In Germany, the city of Heidelberg has made reducing car dependency the central plank of its plan to reduce emissions.

Most American cities are far from looking like Paris or Heidelberg. But there are still plenty of changes that cities could make to reduce car travel at the margins, said Beth Osborne, director of Transportation for America, a transit advocacy group. That could entail adding denser housing in walkable urban areas, expanding public transportation or making neighborhoods safer to walk around. Governments could also redirect spending away from constructing new roads that tend to induce sprawl and more driving.

"While we're ramping up to full electrification, we want to make sure that we're not increasing emissions from all the other cars still on the road," said Ms. Osborne.

Finding ways to curb private vehicle travel even modestly could have a significant impact, researchers have found.

One recent study in Nature Climate Change looked at what it would take to drastically slash emissions from passenger vehicles in the United States. If Americans keep driving more total miles each year, as they have historically done, the country may need some 350 million electric vehicles by 2050 - a daunting figure. Doing so would also require a massive expansion of the nation's electric grid and vast new supplies of battery materials like lithium and cobalt.

But the study also explored what would happen if the United States kept overall vehicle travel flat for the next 30 years. In that scenario, the researchers found, the United States could cut emissions just as deeply with around 205 million electric vehicles.

"We're not saying everyone would have to take the bus to work," said Alexandre Milovanoff, an energy and sustainability researcher at the University of Toronto and lead author of the study. "A lot of people do need private vehicles to get around, and in those cases, electric cars make a lot of sense as a climate solution. But we shouldn't limit ourselves to thinking about electric vehicles as the only option here."

To be sure, it's conceivable that fleet turnover could end up happening even faster than current models predict as automakers invest more heavily in electrification. One possibility is that the nation reaches a tipping point: As more and more plug-in vehicles start appearing on the roads, gas stations and crude oil refineries start closing down, while auto repair shops shift to mainly servicing electric models. Eventually, it might be too much of a hassle for people to own conventional gasoline-powered cars.

"It would not shock me if the transition eventually starts accelerating," said Dr. Knittel of M.I.T. "Right now it can be inconvenient to own an electric vehicle if there are no charging stations around. But if we do get to a world where there are charging stations everywhere and few gas stations around, suddenly it's less convenient to own a conventional vehicle."

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Electric Cars Are Coming. How Long Until They Rule the Road?

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Around the world, governments and automakers are focused on selling newer, cleaner electric vehicles as a key solution to climate change. Yet it could take years, if not decades, before the technology has a drastic effect on greenhouse gas emissions. One reason for that?

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PG&E Charged With Crimes in 2019 California Wildfire

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PG&E Charged With Crimes in 2019 California Wildfire

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NY Times

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Pacific Gas & Electric, the troubled utility that has started some of California's most destructive wildfires, faces new criminal charges, for its role in igniting a 2019 wildfire that burned 120 square miles in Sonoma County north of San Francisco.

The county's district attorney on Tuesday charged PG&E, which emerged from bankruptcy protection last year, with five felonies and 28 misdemeanors, including recklessly causing a fire with great bodily injury, in connection with the Kincade Fire. The blaze damaged or destroyed more than 400 buildings and seriously injured six firefighters.

This is the third set of criminal charges filed against PG&E, California's largest utility. A jury in 2017 convicted PG&E of charges related to five deaths in a gas pipeline explosion seven years earlier. And the utility pleaded guilty last year to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the 2018 Camp Fire, which was started by its equipment. That fire destroyed the town of Paradise and helped drive PG&E into bankruptcy, where it worked to resolve an estimated $30 billion in wildfire liabilities.

California's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection concluded that the Kincade Fire had started after high winds knocked a cable from a PG&E tower at the Geysers geothermal field. The fire took 15 days to contain, and the district attorney, Jill Ravitch, described the evacuation required in some towns as the largest ever in Sonoma County, a California wine hub.

If convicted, PG&E could face fines and additional penalties for violating a federal probation that stems from the pipeline explosion case. The company has paid billions of dollars to governments, families, insurance companies and others for disasters caused by its equipment, which regulators have said has often been very poorly maintained.

In a statement on Tuesday, PG&E promised that it would continue upgrading its equipment and carrying out safety practices to protect Californians. The company said it accepted findings that its equipment had caused the Kincade Fire but did not believe it was criminally liable.

"We are saddened by the property losses and personal impacts sustained by our customers and communities in Sonoma County and surrounding areas as a result of the October 2019 Kincade Fire," the company said. "We do not believe there was any crime here. We remain committed to making it right for all those impacted and working to further reduce wildfire risk on our system."

The company emerged from bankruptcy last summer, agreeing to pay $13.5 billion to a fund set up to compensate tens of thousands of individuals and families who lost homes in wildfires started by PG&E.

Emerging from bankruptcy allowed the utility to participate in a $20 billion state wildfire fund with California's other investor-owned utilities to help cover costs of future wildfires.

The utility has been working to improve its equipment, adding weather stations, cameras, micro-grids and sturdier transmission towers and lines. Patricia K. Poppe, who became chief executive of PG&E's parent company in January, said she had taken the job "to ensure that we care for all those who were harmed, and that we make it safe again in California."

"We will work around the clock until that is true for all people we are privileged to serve," she added.

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PG&E Charged With Crimes in 2019 California Wildfire

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Pacific Gas & Electric, the troubled utility that has started some of California's most destructive wildfires, faces new criminal charges, for its role in igniting a 2019 wildfire that burned 120 square miles in Sonoma County north of San Francisco.

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Q: Scott, what is the difference between GFCI and AFCI? I've seen both terms in reference to preventing electrical shocks and fires, but I'm not sure what I should be doing to keep things safe in my home.
Both of these safety devices are becoming more and more common in our homes. Ground Fault Circuit Interruption (GFCI) and Arc Fault Circuit Interruption (AFCI) protect against two major threats: electric shocks and electrical fires, respectively.

Most homeowners are familiar with Ground Fault Circuit Interruption, or GFCI. As a safety feature, these have been required by building codes since the early 1970s. GFCI outlets appear commonly in bathrooms, exterior outlets, crawl spaces and other areas that may be exposed to moisture.

Because water can be a conductor, proximity to moisture is a common way that electrical current can leak and result in a ground fault. Exposure to even small increases in current can cause severe or fatal shock hazards. The common visualization here is the hair dryer slipping into the sink or bathtub. The GFCI senses even these small increases in current and reacts almost immediately (within a tenth of a second) to shut off current to the outlet.

GFCI are easily reset at the outlet with a small reset button. If your GFCI does not reset or continues to trip, you should contact an electrician to determine the problem. Additionally, GFCI switches should be tested periodically to make sure that they are working. As our homes age, existing GFCI outlets may have reached the end of their useful life and need to be replaced.

Arc Fault Circuit Interruption, or AFCI, provides protection against electrical fires by detecting irregularities in current caused by arc faults. AFCIs can be installed at a breaker box level or in receptacles that look similar to the more common GFCI outlet. Both the breakers and the outlets have a reset switch that must be reset if tripped. AFCI protection started to become a requirement in 2002, primarily for bedrooms and today is a building requirement for most living areas in the home.

Arc faults are most associated with electrical fires because the "arc" can result in sparking and excessive heat that can easily ignite any nearby materials. Old, frayed appliance cords, loose connections or pinched/punctured wiring can all cause arc faults. The common homeowner accident is nailing into wires in the wall while hanging a picture. Because most electrical wiring is hidden from sight, electrical fires can spread behind walls and present very dangerous conditions not immediately detectable by smoke detectors.

The sensing technology for AFCIs has improved a great deal but older technology was responsible for many complaints of "false tripping" so AFCIs are not as widely accepted or known as GFCI protection. Today, homeowners that are updating existing homes, especially older retrofits may need to look at several options for AFCI or a combination of the breaker and outlet styles. This is because appliances, wiring types and AFCI technology have all changed over the years, so retrofitting can require some research and a bit of fine-tuning for how all of the components will work together. Don't be discouraged if it takes some investigation.

Electrical safety has come a long way and continues to improve. Let us know if you have any questions about either the GFCI or AFCI protection in your home.
Scott Cummings leads the team at Dynamic Electric, a Hillsborough-based full service electrical provider for both residential and commercial needs. Dynamic Electric is dedicated to providing quality workmanship, outstanding service, reliable installation and safe repairs or troubleshooting for all their customers. In "Ask The Electrician," Scott answers common questions about electrical work, from switches and outlets to safety issues and preventative maintenance. If you have a suggested question for us to answer - or need an electrician - please reach out to our office at (919) 370-0056 or visit our website.

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Ask The Electrician: Preventing Shocks, Faults and Fires - Chapelboro.com

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Q: Scott, what is the difference between GFCI and AFCI? I've seen both terms in reference to preventing electrical shocks and fires, but I'm not sure what I should be doing to keep things safe in my home. Both of these safety devices are becoming more and more common in our homes.

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Black, Latina women work to become electricians as part of first all-female class for longtime trades training program

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Black, Latina women work to become electricians as part of first all-female class for longtime trades training program

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Chicago Tribune

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The first day of in-person classes of her electrician training course, Maria Rocio Brito stayed behind with the instructor after class while the rest of her classmates left.

She needed to understand what answers she had gotten wrong in the test. English is her second language, and though she is fluent, it takes her "a little more work to fully understand everything," she said.

"I want to do this because I want to show my daughters and other Latinas that they, too, can stand up for themselves and that it is possible to get a good job in a field dominated by males," Brito said.

The 43-year-old mother, who migrated from Guerrero, Mexico, is one of the 17 women, all women of color, chosen to be a part of the first all-female cohort of a construction trade class co-sponsored by the Project HOOD and the Community Builders program of the Associated Builders and Contractors Illinois.

The goal of the 12-week course in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood is to provide the women a way to enter the construction industry, where there is virtually no wage gap but which is dominated by white males, said Alicia Martin, president of the ABC Illinois.

Women have been among the hardest hit by job loss during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the program will give them a new opportunity to "open doors to new perspectives and possibly a new career in construction and trades," Martin said.

In Illinois, women with children were disproportionately harmed by the pandemic, with mothers suffering nearly three times the job losses experienced by similar men, according to U.S. Department of Labor data analyzed by the Illinois Policy Institute.

Christel Allen, 50, who attended her first in-person class Saturday with her 10-month-old grandson, said the program "is a glimpse of hope and new beginnings," after a "year of pain and losses."

The grandmother, who had to take care of her grandson but did not want to miss the first day of class, is no stranger to the trades. Allen has a commercial driver's license and certification in flagging for construction, she said.

"The pandemic took us backward, and this class is going to help me move forward," Allen said.

Many people of color, especially women, can't pursue jobs in the trades because they cannot afford schooling or certification and credential programs that would guarantee a consistent, well-paying job, Martin said.

"We want to mitigate the barriers that make many women, especially women of color, believe that they cannot get a good job in this field," Martin said.

For Brito, the main barrier is language, but "we will work together," her instructor, Tamiko Winn, assured her.

"Don't worry, you'll get this," Winn told Brito, and suggested she read the current chapter in their instruction book with one of her daughters and then again on her own.

The two women smiled as Brito put her books away.

Brito has dedicated her life to caring for her three daughters. Two of them are now college-educated, "thanks to so much sacrifice," she said. "Now it's time for me to do this."

Teaching the class "is empowering," said Winn, an African American woman who defied the odds and began her career in the trades.

Of those taking instruction with Brito, 16 are Black women and Brito is the only Latina. The class was timed to begin during Women's History Month at the gymnasium of the New Beginnings Church of Chicago, 6620 S. King Drive.

"So this class is personal," she said, because "women of color are often pushed aside as a double minority, we're here to change that."

The Community Builders Program was founded in 2017 by ABC Illinois to provide a guided path into the trades and support employability for people "often left behind," Martin said.

Since 2016, ABC Illinois has worked with various community organizations to offer free training to those who face barriers to employment such as people who did not finish college, at-risk youth, non-English speakers and former felons.

In Illinois, there are more than 200,000 craft labor professionals needed, according to data from ABC Illinois.

"But there aren't enough pathways for people to get to those positions," Martin added.

The Rev. Corey Brooks, the founder of Project HOOD, said the program is an opportunity to elevate and highlight the skills of Black and Latino people to give them a chance for real progress.

Brooks, whose organization works to end violence and advocates for the advancement of the residents of South Siders in Chicago, said the group decided to fully fund the first all-female cohort "because women have the skills to do the jobs in the trades but often just don't have the opportunity to get into the industry."

The current course will provide the women with three industry-recognized credentials, including for the first level in electrical work and a federal safety certification. Upon graduation, each woman will access mentors to help them find work.

Mike Uremovich, president of Manhattan Mechanical Services in southwest suburban Manhattan, said that over the past four years, he has hired 20 graduates from the Community Builders Program. Once at the company, entry-level employees are offered a four-year apprentice program.

"We have a lot of people that cannot afford college, but they want to work, know how to work and are just looking for the opportunity to do it," Uremovich said.

"There's a stigma that women can't work in construction, but there are more and more women in this industry, and right now the need for workers is even greater," he said.

If it hadn't been for Martin's willingness to allow her to participate, Brito said, "I wouldn't be a part of the program."

In the past, Brito had applied for other programs but was often turned away because of her immigration status and language barriers.

She's "eager to learn," she said.

"I'm so grateful," Brito said.

Larodriguez@chicagotribune.com

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Black, Latina women work to become electricians as part of first all-female class for longtime trades training program

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The first day of in-person classes of her electrician training course, Maria Rocio Brito stayed behind with the instructor after class while the rest of her classmates left. She needed to understand what answers she had gotten wrong in the test.

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Retired electrician discusses discrimination, harassment in trade work

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Retired electrician discusses discrimination, harassment in trade work

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The Justice, Brandeis University Student Newspaper

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Resident scholar at the Women's Studies Research Center and retired electrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Susan Eisenberg held a collaborative lecture with filmmaker Mallory Newman on March 18 called "Solidarity: How Do Construction Unions Move from Exclusion to Inclusion?" Prof. Harleen Singh (WGS), the new director of the WSRC, introduced Eisenberg.

Eisenberg spoke about entering the electrician trade in 1979 under the Carter administration through Executive Order 12138, which required federal agencies to take affirmative action to include women in all businesses, including construction. Through President Carter's affirmative action program, Eisenberg and six other women began an electrician apprenticeship through the IBEW, an electricians union serving North America and several South American countries. Eisenberg became part of the first class of women to graduate from the program.

According to Eisenberg, starting in 1979, 25% of all construction apprenticeships were allotted for women. Commenting on her fellow female apprentices, Eisenberg said, "We were gonna make it together or be picked off one by one. We didn't always like each other but knew we had to stick together."

When Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980, Eisenberg described the new administration's cuts to affirmative action enforcement, which fell to a third of what it had been under Carter. As a result, the recruitment of women to construction apprenticeships declined.

The United States Department of Labor, only requires there to be of women in the construction workforce - despite that threshold being based on the 1970 census.Eisenberg said that women do meet this threshold, as 7% of the entire construction workforce today, but "Sometimes you feel as if you have to look at your watch and check what year it is," she said.

While the number of women employed in construction - which includes carpentry, plumbing and electrical work - are at a record-high, Eisenberg explained that "a hostile workplace in a dangerous environment like construction can be fatal." She described how some foremen, or construction site managers, refused to train women. There were instances of people setting up "accidents'' to frame women, touching them inappropriately and threatening them. One of Eisenberg's female co-workers, for instance, had a male co-worker urinate on her car. Eisenberg said, "the men working in construction view it as the Wild West. Anything goes." Reading the poem "The Jobsite Marksman'' from her poetry collection "Stanley's Girl," Eisenberg recited the line, "He's just old/young/a nitwit/harmless."

Responding to the workplace hostility, Eisenberg was a leader in the first National Women's Conference, where 200 women put together a set of recommendations addressed to the IBEW. Eisenberg described it as a "model of tradeswomen knowing what they wanted and needed." One provision passed at the conference was to have trained, on-site monitors to report harassment or discrimination.

Eisenberg played an audio clip of Nancy Mason, a site monitor in Seattle, Washington. Mason said that "[the foremen] kept such close track of when women came late but the 'good old boys' could come 10 minutes late every day." In the recording, Mason added that however minimally, the culture has changed for the better: "If someone asks me to look at a job site something is amiss. I think it's amazing to have a white male come tell me to stop by. Usually someone is being harassed."

Eisenberg added, "Identical treatment isn't equal treatment: if I need an eight foot ladder and you need a six foot one to do a job, and we both get six foot ladders, we're being treated identically but not equally."

Additionally, some participants at the event said that women in construction are not always informed about the same local job opportunities as men. Amanda Green, an event attendee and construction manager in New Hampshire, said, "I was shocked when I went to a site and saw there were no female workers. You'd make a lot of money doing line work over here in New Hampshire," to which another attendee added, "And that's why it's kept a secret."

While the industry must continue to make progress, Eisenberg demonstrated her love for the field, remarking, "It starts with a vision. You have a foreman (manager's) meeting where everyone troubleshoots the plan, and eventually it gets done. To look at our power grid and infrastructure and see ourselves as people who created that is very powerful."

U.S. Marine Veteran Mallory Newman, a guest speaker at the event, then showed her film "Uneven Ground." This documentary features Eisenberg and interviews with women in construction in order to highlight the discrimination and harassment that takes place in the field, Newman said. Newman commented that one woman plumber featured was able to buy a house in the Bay Area of California with the money she made from construction, and her three daughters are all now plumbers as well. Another woman, speaking to her children through the camera, said "I'm proud of me. Be proud of me."

Eisenberg has spoken at the International Labor Convention in Geneva and is currently working on a project called "On Equal Terms," which interviews women in occupations from which they have historically been excluded. Her book "We'll Call You If We Need You" was published in 1998.

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Retired electrician discusses discrimination, harassment in trade work

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Resident scholar at the Women's Studies Research Center and retired electrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Susan Eisenberg held a collaborative lecture with filmmaker Mallory Newman on March 18 called "Solidarity: How Do Construction Unions Move from Exclusion to Inclusion?" Prof. Harleen Singh (WGS), the new director of the WSRC, introduced Eisenberg.

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Should You Consider a Career as an Electrician?

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Should You Consider a Career as an Electrician?

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Pulse Headlines

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If you're about to start your career, or if you're ready to switch to a new career, you might consider becoming an electrician. As an electrician, you'll have many possible career paths to develop yourself along, and you'll make good money doing it - but there are also some risks and challenges you need to be aware of.

The Risks and Challenges of Becoming an Electrician

Let's start with the bad news. There are some risks and key challenges associated with a career in electrical work you need to be prepared for, such as:

Risk of injury and death. The most important drawback to understand is that working with electricity can be dangerous. You'll be working with high-voltage wires on a nearly constant basis - and all it takes is one mistake to leave you with a serious injury or even death. Modern electrical work demands adherence to a strict set of safety guidelines; if you follow these guidelines, you have nothing to worry about. And if a member of your team breaks any of these guidelines, they'll face serious consequences. Still, all it takes is one error to put your life in danger.

Precision measurements. While working as an electrician, you'll be responsible for carefully measuring wires and following strict protocols when installing new systems or repairing existing ones. If your work is off even slightly, it could jeopardize the functionality of the entire system - or even put yourself in danger. This can be intimidating for newcomers, but with a bit of experience, you can overcome it.

Manual labor. Some people like the idea of having a cushy office job, where you can sit in a comfortable office and work at a computer all day. But being an electrician is a tough, physical job in many cases. For some people, this is actually an advantage, but for others, it's a major turn-off.

The Benefits of Becoming an Electrician

Now let's look at the benefits of becoming an electrician, which often far outweighs the drawbacks:

High pay. Your salary will vary depending on a lot of factors, including where you live, your exact job, and how much experience you have. But generally speaking, electricians are paid well. As a newcomer, you'll stand to make between $15 and $39 per hour, and as a master electrician, you can make $80,000 per year or more. Throughout your career, you'll have many opportunities to expand your skill set, take on new responsibilities, and ultimately earn more money.

High demand. Electricity is a vital component of the modern world, so we're going to need professionals to work with it indefinitely. Electricians are already in high demand, and the industry is continuing to grow. If you start your career as an electrician now, there's a good chance you'll have jobs lined up for you for the rest of your life.

Mental stimulation. For many people, working as an electrician is mentally stimulating. You'll have the opportunity to creatively solve tough mechanical problems. You'll be working with your hands and thinking about possible solutions. You'll be working in new environments on a regular basis, and sometimes coordinating with a team. Depending on your job, you may have to spend a few hours a week filling out paperwork or carrying out other mundane tasks, but the majority of your workday will be occupied with interesting challenges and new situations. It's a lot better than a typical "9 to 5" job in this regard.

Accessible education. Some new electricians are turned onto the field because of its accessible education. You'll have to attend a technical school or trade school to get the education required to begin your career as an electrician; depending on your program, you can often finish in a year or less. Tuition is relatively affordable, meaning you won't have to take on massive amounts of debt to get the education you need. Once you're finished with schooling, you'll enter into an apprenticeship, where you'll gain more knowledge and experience by working in a live environment.

A variety of career options. There are many potential career paths available for electricians, meaning you're never going to be stuck doing just one thing. Depending on your goals, you could develop yourself as a house wirer, a lineman electrician, a construction electrician, or even something more uncommon, like a solar photovoltaic electrician. You can even choose to start your own business.

Being an electrician isn't the right career move for everyone. For some, it's too risky. For others, it's just not interesting. But if you find the idea of working with electrical wiring and complex electrical systems to be interesting, and you love all the advantages it has to offer, consider enrolling in a course to get you started with the fundamentals.

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Should You Consider a Career as an Electrician?

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If you're about to start your career, or if you're ready to switch to a new career, you might consider becoming an electrician. As an electrician, you'll have many possible career paths to develop yourself along, and you'll make good money doing it - but there are also some risks and challenges you need to be aware of.

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Top board leaders resign after deadly Texas power outages

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Top board leaders resign after deadly Texas power outages

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Associated Press

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Payday! Electricians’ Salaries Across the Globe

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Payday! Electricians’ Salaries Across the Globe

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EC&M

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Solar competitors join forces, plan to address shortage of electricians

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Solar competitors join forces, plan to address shortage of electricians

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Village Soup, Waldo, Maine; Knox Free Press

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Montville - Two employee-owned solar companies have joined forces with a goal of accelerating the regional transition to renewable energy, and meeting surging demand for zero-emission solutions.

Insource Renewables of Pittsfield was purchased by Montville-based ReVision Energy in a deal announced Feb. 12.

ReVision Energy operates five facilities located in Montville, South Portland, Enfield, Brentwood, New Hampshire, and North Andover, Massachusetts.

According to the press release announcing ReVision's acquisition of Insource, since 2003 the company has installed more than 10,000 clean-energy systems in northern New England, including solar-electric systems, heat pumps, battery storage and electric vehicle charging stations.

ReVision co-founder Phil Coupe said all new renewable technologies rely on electricity and there is a bottleneck to get qualified licensed electricians. "We're trying to bust through that puzzle."

Vaughan Woodruff, Insource's chief executive and a former instructor and technical consultant, will be charged with leading and expanding the ReVision Energy Training Center for electricians.

The training program began in 2018 in the company's South Portland facility, and at that time, ReVision was the first solar company in the nation to launch such a state-certified program. The center streamlines the lengthy process of certification and helps individuals move through the stages of becoming an apprentice, journeyman and licensed master electrician.

The program is offered, he said, to people ReVision plans to hire who have at least a high school education and are looking for good jobs, good salaries and good benefits.

"We built a stand-alone facility that we use to build arrays," he said. "They do actual installations, then take them down."

In all, Coupe said, 20 trainees are currently going through the program. "An initial 10 kicked it off before COVID," he said, and since then 10 more people have signed on.

"Vaughan (Woodruff) is nationally accredited," Coupe said, and "it's perfect to have someone of his caliber" working for the program. "He is a real superstar."

Woodruff said that while traditional education is based on learning theory and practice, the model ReVision uses puts people in the field for practice and then supplements that experience with theory.

What has been happening, he said, is people go through a two-year community college where "you are removed from the work." Insource, he said, did not have the scale to develop an in-house training program and relied on outside resources.

"It's tough on our staff when you work a day in the field and then take a class," he said. "It becomes challenging when one or two people may be doing that."

The ReVision training program, similar to hands-on training offered by the labor union, aims to supplement the work day with real-world apprenticeship learning, as well as online coursework. "It's the richest form of education," he said.

Under Woodruff's direction, the education center will be expanded to incorporate training in other aspects of the industry, including leadership and business development.

ReVision's other co-founder, Fortunat Mueller, said, "Workforce development is one of our industry's most pressing challenges and we have high expectations that Vaughan will be able to help us address that issue by taking the helm of our homegrown ReVision Energy Training Center."

The training program was launched in response to the longstanding shortage of electricians in the state.

Chuck Fraser, business manager of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union Local 1253 knows firsthand about the declining numbers of qualified technical professionals and shared some reasons why the trades have taken a hit in a Feb. 18 interview with The Republican Journal.

Electricians in Maine, he said, are a graying breed. "This year we will be retiring off 80 people." And all the recent solar applications, he said, are creating a boom in the industry.

The problem, as he sees it, starts in the schools, where the push by guidance counselors is to get students to go to college instead of promoting technical community colleges and apprenticeships.

For its part, Fraser said, the union travels to job fairs and gives kids information about the trade to at least expose them to another option.

It is hard, he said. "This is only about 15 minutes, compared to 12 years of being told you have to go to college."

"I think those professions are looked down upon by society," he said. "The idea that you have to go to a four-year school is coming back to bite us."

While the industry continues to grow, Fraser said there are only so many who want to follow this career path, and with school enrollment down in the state, the pool is shrinking.

Fraser gave the example of Bangor High School graduating 12 students from the electrical trades program. From that total, he said, maybe six will go on to pursue a career. "This is sad," he said. "You are always going to need an electrician, a plumber or a carpenter."

Woodruff agreed, saying, "It's pretty out of whack," referring to the typical perception the idea of a tradesperson conjures up. The truth of the matter is, these jobs are held by folks with the least amount of debt earning a decent wage in occupations that are in high demand across the state, he said.

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Solar competitors join forces, plan to address shortage of electricians - By Fran Gonzalez

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Montville - Two employee-owned solar companies have joined forces with a goal of accelerating the regional transition to renewable energy, and meeting surging demand for zero-emission solutions. Insource Renewables of Pittsfield was purchased by Montville-based ReVision Energy in a deal announced Feb. 12.

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Electric Cars are Coming, and Fast. Is the Nation's Grid Up for It?

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Electric Cars are Coming, and Fast. Is the Nation's Grid Up for It?

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NY Times

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The Transition to Electric Cars

GM's decision this week to phase out gasoline vehicles is the latest in a major shift that will mean drastic new demands on electric utilities. Here are four things that will need to happen.

A Chevrolet Bolt being charged at a station in Baker, Calif. Credit... Philip Cheung for The New York Times

Major automakers are increasingly betting that millions of new cars and trucks over the next decade will be plugged into electrical outlets, not fueled up at gas stations. That raises a question: Is the nation's power grid ready to handle this surge of new electric vehicles?

Today, fewer than 1 percent of cars on America's roads are electric. But a seismic shift is underway.

General Motors said Thursday that it aims to stop selling new gasoline-powered cars and light trucks by 2035 and will pivot to battery-powered vehicles. California's governor has set a goal of phasing out sales of new combustion engines statewide in just 15 years. Automakers like Tesla, Ford and Volkswagen plan to introduce dozens of new electric models in the years ahead, spurred on by plummeting battery prices and concerns about climate change.

That shift will have sweeping implications for the companies that produce and sell electricity and manage the grid. Analysts generally agree that it is entirely feasible to power many millions of new cars with electricity, but it will take careful planning.

Here are four big things that experts say need to happen.

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Charging stations in a parking lot in Corte Madera, Calif. Credit... Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

For electric vehicles to go mainstream, charging will need to be widely accessible and convenient.

For now, most electric car owners plug in their vehicles at home and charge overnight, though this can require installing equipment that can cost up to $2,000. Many states and electric utilities already offer incentives to help defray the cost. And some groups have sought to update building codes to make new homes "charger ready," though homebuilders have pushed back.

But there are also big challenges ahead.

While it's fairly easy for anyone with a single-family home and a garage to install a charger, it can be far more difficult for people who live in large apartments or who rely on street parking to find a suitable outlet.

Some utilities, keen on selling more electricity, are looking to expand public charging options, and President Biden has set a goal of building 500,000 new public chargers by 2030. But financing this infrastructure is complicated, and will likely require public spending and coordination from governments.

One recent study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology used detailed modeling to see where it might make most sense to build all this infrastructure. New chargers on residential streets, as well as high-speed charging stations along highways, would go a long way to supporting an electric-vehicle boom.

If every American switched over to an electric passenger vehicle, analysts have estimated, the United States could end up using roughly 25 percent more electricity than it does today. To handle that, utilities will likely need to build a lot of new power plants and upgrade their transmission networks.

"There's no question that utilities can do this, but it's not going to be trivial," said Chris Nelder, who leads the vehicle-grid integration team at the Rocky Mountain Institute. "It takes time and money." In a recent study, his team found that many utilities and vehicle fleet managers planning to go electric have yet to fully grapple with all the challenges involved.

For instance, Mr. Nelder said, if a transit agency wants to buy 100 new electric buses and charge them overnight, it will suddenly need large amounts of power feeding into the bus depot, potentially requiring new substations and other equipment that could mean million-dollar investments.

"That's not something utilities can just do next week," he said. "It takes a lot of careful advanced planning."

There's good news, too. In 2018, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin's Energy Institute looked at what a shift to electric vehicles would mean for the power grid in every state. While Americans would likely pay more for electricity as utilities made necessary upgrades, that would be offset by fuel savings from not having to buy gasoline anymore.

"While it's challenging to predict the future prices for gasoline, electricity and vehicles," the researchers wrote, "we believe it is likely that the widespread use of EVs would reduce the overall costs of transportation in California and elsewhere. These savings are even greater if the environmental benefits, especially lower carbon emissions, are taken into account."

Tesla superchargers in Santa Clarita, Calif. Credit... Mike Blake/Reuters

For many utilities, the biggest challenge will be dealing with not just how much electricity new vehicles are using, but when they're actually using it.

Take California. The state has a surplus of solar power during the day, but that ramps down in the evening as the sun sets. If millions of Californians with electric cars came home in the evening and immediately started charging all at once, it would put a major strain on the grid - and this in a state that has recently been suffering from blackouts.

One solution, experts say, is for utilities to get more creative about juggling exactly when electric vehicles charge their batteries, so that they don't all power up at the exact same time and overload electrical equipment or require the construction of costly new power plants.

Some electricity providers are already moving in this direction.

Southern California Edison, which operates outside Los Angeles, offers electric vehicle owners drastically cheaper rates if they charge up during the day, when solar power is abundant. Dozens of utilities have been exploring the possibility of taking control of chargers themselves. In some programs, vehicle owners can plug in their car and specify when they will next need to use it, and the utility charges up the battery when electricity is cheapest and most plentiful.

These programs are tricky to get right and often require significant regulatory changes, but they can make a huge difference. One 2019 study by Boston Consulting Group concluded that utilities could reduce by 70 percent the costs of grid upgrades over the next decade by shifting to "optimized" charging.

Transportation now accounts for one-third of America's greenhouse gas emissions each year, and electric cars and trucks are widely seen as a crucial part of the solution to climate change. But it would help if the electric grid that fueled these vehicles got a lot cleaner.

Today, electric vehicles in the United States usually produce fewer overall emissions than their gasoline- or diesel-fueled counterparts, even if they're plugged into a grid that relies on power plants burning coal or natural gas, which emit carbon dioxide. That's largely because electric motors are so much more efficient than internal combustion engines.

But there's room for improvement. Electric vehicles would be even cleaner if utilities switched away from coal and natural gas and leaned more heavily on low-emissions sources like solar, wind or nuclear power.

That combination could have a powerful impact: One recent study by Carnegie Mellon University found that if America's grid was close to emissions-free, and if about 84 percent of all vehicle travel was electrified, transportation emissions from light-duty vehicles would fall by 90 percent. (The decline in emissions could be even faster and larger, the study found, if policymakers took actions to reduce reliance on driving, such as expanding public transit or encouraging biking and walking.)

"The grid is getting cleaner over time, but it's still not at zero emissions," said Constantine Samaras, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and a co-author of the paper. "If we want to fully decarbonize transportation, we need to do everything, and do it at full speed: fewer vehicle miles traveled, electrify nearly the entire passenger fleet, and clean up power plants."

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Electric Cars Are Coming, and Fast. Is the Nation's Grid Up to It?

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The Transition to Electric Cars GM's decision this week to phase out gasoline vehicles is the latest in a major shift that will mean drastic new demands on electric utilities. Here are four things that will need to happen.

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Search Results: Electrical

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Electrical - Page 1 - Search Results - Bob Vila

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Electrical - Page 1 - Search Results - Bob Vila - Home Repair and Renovation Projects, Featured Products Marketplace, Expert Do It Yourself, Budget and Green advice from Bob Vila, the most trusted name in home improvement - Home Repair and Renovation Projects, Featured Products Marketplace, Expert Do It Yourself, Budget and Green advice from Bob Vila, the most trusted name in home improvement

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High COVID Rate Among Construction Workers Supports Early Vaccinations

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High COVID Rate Among Construction Workers Supports Early Vaccinations

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Electrical Contractor

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Electrician Subject Videos from Classroom Video on Demand Database

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Electrician Subject Videos from Classroom Video on Demand Database

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From Database: Classroom Video on Demand; Read transcript while watching. Notice video date to help you choose more recent selections.

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Four Common Sense Reasons Your Child Should Become an Electrician

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Four Common Sense Reasons Your Child Should Become an Electrician

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EC&M

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Top Tips for Beginner or Amateur Electricians

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Top Tips for Beginner or Amateur Electricians

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From: The Future of Things

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Image by falconp4 from Pixabay

Working in the trades as an electrician is a great idea. There are so many benefits to it - like the fact that you're always learning and no two days are the same. Then, of course, there's the fact that if you have enough experience to start your own company, you can work your own hours at your own rates. But that being said, it's also really hard work, especially in the beginning. The work is hard, the hours are long, and you'll probably make more than a few mistakes at the start. However, if you're prepared for it, it's a very rewarding job. We're going to be going over a few tips and tricks to make it easier for people just stepping into this field.

Know your terms

Knowing the terms for equipment as well as the pieces you'll be working on is very important. This will enable clear communication between you and your clients or people you work with. It will also help prevent misunderstandings and make the job go by quicker. On top of that, it will assure your clients that you know what you're doing. We're not talking basic terms here, either. Most people know what an electric current it, but not everyone will know about Pushmatic breakers. Knowing the current terms for equipment and tools is also handy when it comes to assessing a problem and knowing what you need to order to be able to fix it.

Get the right tools

Any type of trade requires tools of some sort, and the electrical trade is no different. You naturally need all the basics one can find in a normal toolbox, but that won't be enough. You're also going to need specialized tools, especially because working as an electrician requires so much fine work when it comes to wiring, and you'll need tools capable of working on those small parts without damaging them. Tools are expensive though, so you may not be able to get them all immediately. That's completely okay! As long as you have the basics, you should be fine until you can afford to expand your selection of tools. You'll likely always be replacing your tools with better ones.

Don't be afraid to ask for help

There's no shame in asking for help. If you're just starting off as an electrician, you'll likely be working as an apprentice or assistance, which means you'll have a mentor. Don't forget that they're there to help you. In fact, they'll probably appreciate you asking for help rather than attempting to do something you're not confident on and making a mistake. Similarly, you should be able to admit if you don't know the answer to a problem. Most people avoid asking for help because they're too proud, but that's why there are people with more experience - so that they can help you. No one started off knowing everything, which is why leadership is so incredibly important.

Theory is important

You've likely had to study to some extent in order to get where you are now, working as an electrician. Remember all of that information you had to memorize? Well, unfortunately, you're going to need that. Many people make the mistake of assuming that for the trades, you don't need any knowledge of the theory behind it, since you'll be working with your hands. While the trades don't require as much theory-work as other subjects, because it's more hands-on, you do still need that knowledge in order to know how to assess and fix problems. So, don't get rid of all of textbooks just yet.

Safety

Safety is the number one most important aspect of working as an electrician. And not only for beginner electricians. Experienced electricians often stop performing all safety requirements, because they think that they have done a specific job enough times in order to do it without getting hurt. However, no matter how many years on the job you have, you can never be too safe. You need to take all the proper safety precautions not only for yourself, but also for the other people in the building with you. Make sure you have all the necessary gear in order to protect yourself, and be sure to follow any protocols necessary for whatever job you'll be doing. You can learn more about electrical safety in the workplace here.

Practice

As mentioned, being an electrician means that there's always room to learn more and improve yourself. Technology is changing every day, which means that electrical appliances and procedures are as well. This means you can never stop learning, which in turn means that you can never stop practicing. "Practice makes perfect" is such a popular phrase because it's so true. Over time, with practice, your technique will improve and you'll be able to perform tasks quicker and neater. So, whenever you have some free time, practice, practice, practice. Especially in the beginning.

Be professional

While it's true that the trades are not as rigid as other jobs that are located in offices, that doesn't give you an excuse to be unprofessional. Professionality may look different for an electrician, but there are still ways to maintain it. You can have a neat appearance, and always be on time for any appointments. Do your job to the best of your abilities. There are various other ways of being professional, so be sure to try and incorporate them.

Agree on a rate beforehand

When you're working with a client, be sure to discuss any fees upfront, including an estimate of what any products will cost. This will prevent any conflict or disappointment from either side later on. If there are any changes that come up, be sure to communicate that to your client, as well as explaining any extra costs and the reasons for them. Keep in mind that if you're starting out, you can't be expecting to earn as much as someone who's been at this job for a long time. After a few years, you can start to up your hourly rate.

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Top Tips for Beginner or Amateur Electricians - TFOT

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Image by falconp4 from Pixabay Working in the trades as an electrician is a great idea. There are so many benefits to it - like the fact that you're always learning and no two days are the same. Then, of course, there's the fact that if you have enough experience to start your own company, ...

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Renewable Power Grows Strongly, Despite the Pandemic

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Renewable Power Grows Strongly, Despite the Pandemic

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NY Times

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Sources of renewable energy are expected together to be the main generators of electricity by 2025, eclipsing coal, the International Energy Agency said.

A wind turbine installation in the North Sea off the coast of England. Consumption of electricity generated by wind, solar and hydroelectric sources is expected grow nearly 7 percent this year. Credit... Suzie Howell for The New York Times

The energy industry has experienced its worst year in decades because of the pandemic, but clean sources for generating electricity have still managed to grow, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday.

Consumption of electricity generated by wind, solar and hydroelectric sources will grow nearly 7 percent in 2020, a remarkable jump because overall energy demand will slump by 5 percent, the steepest drop since World War II, the Paris-based forecasting group said in a new report.

This performance shows that these renewable sources of energy are "immune to Covid," Fatih Birol, the agency's executive director, said at a news conference.

In fact, renewables are likely to expand nearly 50 percent by 2025, the year when, together, they are expected to eclipse coal as the world's largest source of electric power.

Renewable electricity is growing because of government policies that encourage such investments and strong interest among investors who want to put money into clean energy projects, according to the report.

The world this year is expected to add nearly 4 percent to its capacity to generate electricity from renewables like wind and solar, despite travel restrictions, factory closings and other obstacles caused by the pandemic.

Next year, growth is expected to accelerate to around 10 percent. That is because projects disrupted by the pandemic will come online, and because governments in Europe and Asia are eager to ramp up spending to tackle climate change and to help kick-start their economies.

Mr. Birol said a return to the Paris accord on climate change by the United States, as President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has pledged, could give "unprecedented positive momentum in the fight against climate change."

In an indication of the new energy landscape that is taking shape, the London-based oil giant BP said on Tuesday that it had reached a preliminary agreement with Orsted, a Danish company that is the world's largest developer of offshore wind farms, to build a large pilot plant for generating emissions-free hydrogen.

Hydrogen, a gas, is receiving enormous attention as a potential clean fuel for transportation and industry. The proposed plant, at a refinery in Lingen, in northwestern Germany, would use electricity from an Orsted wind farm in the North Sea to generate the gas from water. Currently, the refinery, like other industrial installations, makes the hydrogen that is consumed at the facility from natural gas.

The companies say their plant would replace 20 percent of the refinery's consumption of this so-called gray or polluting hydrogen, reducing emissions each year by the equivalent of around 45,000 cars. The companies have applied for financing from the European Union.

The deal is intriguing because it involves one of the world's largest providers of clean energy and an oil giant that produces millions of barrels of polluting oil and gas every day. Orsted is scouting for new uses for the electric power generated at its many large wind farms in the waters off northern Europe.

Under Bernard Looney, who became chief executive this year, BP is hoping to show investors that the company has a future as a broader provider of energy and that it is on the right side of what may prove to be historic trends away from fossil fuels.

Certainly investors during the pandemic have proved eager to back clean energy, while scorning legacy oil and gas production. Since the early days of the pandemic, shares of "major wind and solar companies have rebounded, reaching all-time highs," the International Energy Agency report said. Strong share price performance can make it cheaper to finance expensive renewable energy projects, the report said.

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Renewable Power Grows Strongly, Despite the Pandemic

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Sources of renewable energy are expected together to be the main generators of electricity by 2025, eclipsing coal, the International Energy Agency said. The energy industry has experienced its worst year in decades because of the pandemic, but clean sources for generating electricity have still managed to grow, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday.

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Home Solar Is Growing, but Big Installers Are Still Losing Money

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Home Solar Is Growing, but Big Installers Are Still Losing Money

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NY Times

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Solar panels atop a home in Brooklyn. Home solar installations, measured by their power capacity, grew 17 percent last year. Credit... Karsten Moran for The New York Times

Some companies are having trouble surviving and making money installing panels because of intense competition and the high costs of doing business.

Solar panels atop a home in Brooklyn. Home solar installations, measured by their power capacity, grew 17 percent last year. Credit... Karsten Moran for The New York Times

The home solar business is growing fast as thousands of homeowners install panels on their roofs to save money. Yet the biggest companies that install and finance home solar systems are reporting hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.

Those losses are an ominous reminder of how hard it can be to make money in an industry widely viewed by political leaders and business executives as an important part of the global effort to address climate change. Solving this problem could help determine whether the use of residential solar power is quickly and widely adopted.

"There have been very few success stories," said Vikram Aggarwal, founder and chief executive of EnergySage, which helps consumers compare solar installers. "Practically everyone who has tried this has failed. The road is littered with dead bodies."

Sunrun and Sunnova, two of the nation's biggest home solar companies, lost a combined $500 million in the first nine months of the year, and their operations and purchases of solar systems collectively used up $1.3 billion in cash. The companies and their Wall Street supporters say the losses are occurring because solar installations are growing rapidly and require a lot of upfront investment, and because investors in the companies get to use the losses to offset their tax liabilities. Still, residential solar is a fiercely competitive and expensive business, and Sunrun and Sunnova must contend with hundreds of smaller rivals, many of which have been turning a profit for years.

For now, Wall Street investors are bidding up the companies' stocks in the belief that solar companies will be able to borrow cheaply and cover their losses and cash outflows for some time. They also expect sales to grow fast as homeowners buy larger solar systems and home batteries to protect themselves from blackouts and to power electric vehicles. Investors are also expecting the incoming Biden administration to do more to spur the use of renewable energy through tax credits and other incentives.

"You are always going to be negative if you are growing," Lynn Jurich, chief executive of Sunrun, said in an interview. Sunrun acquired Vivint, which was the country's second-biggest residential solar installer, in a deal announced in July. That acquisition has helped push Sunrun's stock up over 400 percent in 2020. Sunnova's stock was up over 300 percent.

The success of the two companies and Tesla's solar business, once the leading residential solar installer, matters beyond the stock market. If these companies grow and gain the same sort of name recognition that Tesla did for its luxury electric cars, or Amazon did for online shopping, they could help accelerate a shift away from fossil fuels.

New home solar installations, measured by their power capacity, are expected to grow 7 percent this year despite the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie, a research and consulting firm. Wood Mackenzie expects strong growth over the next five years.

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Workers install Sunrun solar panels at a home in Carlsbad, Calif. Sunrun is one of the large companies that install and finance home solar systems that are reporting hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. Credit... Collin Chappelle for The New York Times

"We're having discussions as a management team about how much growth we can handle," W. John Berger, chief executive of Sunnova, said in an interview. "I'll take that problem any day of the week because I've had the other problem, as well," he added.

But for all that optimism, installing solar in homes is clearly not an easy business. Solar companies that grow too fast often struggle, as SolarCity did before Tesla acquired it in 2016. Many others have sought bankruptcy protection or have gone out of business in recent years.

Dozens of companies like SunEdison, which tried to acquire Vivint in 2016, grew incredibly fast and abruptly stumbled. SunEdison sought bankruptcy protection that same year. Hundreds of smaller residential solar businesses have also failed, according to EnergySage.

It is not clear if it makes economic sense for the solar business to be dominated by national operators like Sunrun and Sunnova. Hundreds of small installers around the United States have already figured out how to make money from what they describe as the kind of home improvement business that local firms typically dominate.

"Solar is sort of this magical technology, and it's very alluring, and everyone wants to think it's different from everything else," said T.R. Ludwig, one of the founders of Brooklyn SolarWorks and a former Sunrun employee. "But, apart from the financing, it really is a construction project."

His firm buys solar panels through buyer collectives to get lower prices. It does not offer customers financing like Sunrun or Sunnova, but that's not a disadvantage, Mr. Ludwig said, because many banks and credit unions are willing to make solar loans.

Mr. Ludwig contends that the solar business is more like the heating, ventilation and air-conditioner business, which is made up of local firms installing and servicing products made by national or global manufacturers.

"As a small business, you have to profit - you can't go to the markets to get capital like the big companies can," said Stephen Irvin, chief executive of Amicus Solar Collective, which helps Brooklyn SolarWorks and other small installers buy panels.

But Wall Street analysts contend that Sunrun and Sunnova's ability to borrow lots of money should allow them to offer cheaper financing and potentially earn bigger profits.

"Size becomes a barrier to entry to others," said Sophie Karp, an analyst at KeyBanc Capital Markets.

Wall Street analysts said the companies' accounting could understate profitability. Like homeowners who buy solar panels, investors can gain tax advantages. Investors in Sunrun's business, for instance, can use the losses there to reduce their tax bills. And when the losses borne by the investors are excluded, the company's loss is much smaller.

Analysts also say Sunrun and Sunnova's business will be profitable over time. They charge customers monthly to lease solar systems or buy the electricity that those systems generate. The idea is that over the life of a system - about 25 years - the companies will earn a lot more in monthly fees than they spend installing panels and batteries, which they tend to buy from factories in Asia.

"There is a good business here," said Joseph Osha, an equity research analyst with JMP Securities. "The financials are tremendously complex."

What is not in dispute is that interest in solar appears to be growing, partly because of forces unleashed by the pandemic.

As people have spent more time at home, some have realized that solar panels could help them reduce monthly energy costs while protecting them against blackouts. Recent wildfires in the West and a record hurricane season in the East have increased interest in solar and battery systems.

In addition, solar executives hope that President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. will push for an extension of subsidies like the federal tax credit that ends Dec. 31, 2023.

The Solar Energy Industries Association is pushing the incoming administration to provide the same benefit for residential solar as for larger scale solar, which would allow a continuing 10 percent tax credit after current subsidies expire. The association also wants a tax credit for energy storage.

Industry officials also argue that they are working hard to reduce expenses so they can break even sooner. Solar systems typically cost two or three times more in the United States than in other industrialized nations like Australia, partly because U.S. companies spend more time and money on securing building permits and on marketing.

The pandemic appears to have alleviated another big concern - that, in a recession, many solar customers would stop making payments. There has been no surge in defaults this year, probably because most homeowners who install panels are relatively well off and have not been hit hard.

Keiron Clarke, a worker for Brooklyn SolarWorks, installing panels at a home in Brooklyn. The firm, which serves New York City, buys solar panels through buyer collectives to get lower prices. Credit... Karsten Moran for The New York Times

"Now we have lived through one hell of a recession - and the payment performance was phenomenal," said Mr. Berger, the Sunnova chief executive. "The market's digesting this and going, 'Wow, this is a lot less risky than we thought.'"

A year and a half ago, David Jacobs bought a solar system from Sunnova. Now entering his second full winter with the system, he's relieved. He had been spending up to $800 a month on electricity in the winter, largely to run the heating system at his home in Niantic, Conn.

"I was getting these outrageous electric bills," said Mr. Jacobs, a 75-year-old retired structural engineer. "I said this was unsustainable."

Mr. Jacobs now makes two fixed monthly payments: $163 to Sunnova and $23 to his electric utility.

Solar industry organizations like Rewiring America, a group of engineers, entrepreneurs and volunteers working to address climate change, estimate that the typical American household could save as much as $2,000 a year in energy costs by going solar.

Such savings, of course, would come at the expense of electric utilities, many of which have sought to slow or stop the growth of rooftop solar.

Utilities have said that residential solar systems primarily help affluent households that can afford to shell out tens of thousands of dollars on panels and batteries. As a result, the companies contend, middle-class and lower-income families are left bearing much of the cost of maintaining the electric grid.

The utility industry has been seeking to roll back state regulations and laws that allow homeowners to sell excess electricity from rooftop solar systems to the grid, including in California, the state that relies the most on solar panels. Sunrun, Sunnova and other solar companies are fighting to keep the policies in place. These battles could help determine if large solar installers can become profitable businesses.

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Home Solar Is Growing, but Big Installers Are Still Losing Money

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Some companies are having trouble surviving and making money installing panels because of intense competition and the high costs of doing business. Solar panels atop a home in Brooklyn. Home solar installations, measured by their power capacity, grew 17 percent last year. Credit...

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Beware of the ads on this site

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Electricity is a major force of nature. In this section, you can learn how electricity works and what its potential uses are.

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Electricians Competing in National Championship Aired on ESPN2

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Electricians Competing in National Championship Aired on ESPN2

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Industry Week

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Union electrician sees huge improvement in safety protocols, but some still think he’s crazy to do the job

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Union electrician sees huge improvement in safety protocols, but some still think he’s crazy to do the job

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Chicago Sun Times

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This story is part of a group of stories called

A Sun-Times series spotlighting the people and professions that keep Chicago thriving.
This organized labor profile was underwritten by IBEW Local 134.
In the 16 years Joe Fitzgibbon's has worked as an electrician and member of IBEW Local 134, he's seen a lot of changes from when he first started - when many workers were nonchalant about safety - to today when safety is constantly drilled into workers, and professionalism and production is at an all-time high.

One thing that hasn't changed during that time is his love for his job.

"I think I was meant to do this," Fitzgibbons said, a third-generation IBEW electrician from Mount Greenwood.

However, he said it was his older brother who works as a city of Chicago electrician at O'Hare International Airport, who followed his father around on jobs more as kids.

"By the time I was out of high school, my dad was closer to retirement and not doing as many side jobs," Fitzgibbons said. Despite that, his father didn't fail to notice his younger son's penchant for tinkering with electrical things.

"My dad was like, 'Hey, you like the work, why don't you try it out? It's a nice career.' I had to take a test, and then you have to wait for your number to get called, just like a fireman," Fitzgibbons said.

He got the call and started his five-year union apprenticeship in 2004, when he was 20. Now, 16 years later, he's worked his way up to foreman and currently works for Lyons & Pinner Electric Companies, which is based in La Grange. He lives on the far South Side with his wife Annie and their four children ranging in age from 1 month to 13 years old.

One thing about electricity is most people are afraid of it, Fitzgibbons said.

"No one wants to do our work. People are scared of it, and they probably should be. It's really like, 'Are you crazy enough to be an electrician?'" Fitzgibbons said.

Noting the changes he's seen since he started, he said back then most union electricians carried hacksaws to cut pipe, and a measure of one's aptitude was often measured by the speed that you got it done.

"That's how they knew you were an electrician because you actually would work hard at being fast at that, but nowadays everybody has battery-powered cutters. Back in the day, all you had was a hacksaw, and if that blade was dull, you had to make it work," Fitzgibbons said.

And while technology has enabled IBEW electricians to do a lot more with a lot less manpower these days, the biggest shift he's seen over the years is the focus on safety.

"The safety thing has doubled over, in a good way. Everyone should be wearing a hard hat, everyone should be wearing glasses, safety gloves, but back when I first started, they had to just be near you. Now it has to be on you," he said.

He also noted that as a foreman he's required to take the National Fire Protection Association course on the National Electrical Code every couple of years.

Fitzgibbons said the lessons have paid off, as he's never been around an incident where someone was hurt on the job.

"It's dangerous. Everyone's policy is to turn off [the electricity], yet people sometimes don't like to hear that. A business owner may not want to turn it off, but you have to," Fitzgibbons said. "I've been around things that have happened like having a switch blow up, but I've never been around any injuries."

This year, the coronavirus pandemic has slowed work for many, but Fitzgibbons said he's remained busy. However, he did say there are concerns about how the virus may change office work habits - something electricians would feel the impact of.

"There's a big scare now. Are people going to be back in their offices? Do we need to build more office buildings now?" he asked.

Despite the uncertainty, Fitzgibbons said his career has provided a stable living for him and his family, and the trades is something more young people should consider.

"All my friends went to college," he said. "I always had a full-time job when they were in college and was the only one that had money." The added bonus: no college loan debt.

"It's a solid career, and I love it."

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Union electrician sees huge improvement in safety protocols, but some still think he's crazy to do the job

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A Sun-Times series spotlighting the people and professions that keep Chicago thriving. This organized labor profile was underwritten by IBEW Local 134. In the 16 years Joe Fitzgibbon's has worked as an electrician and member of IBEW Local 134, he's seen a lot of changes from when he first started - when many workers were nonchalant about safety - to today when safety is constantly drilled into workers, and professionalism and production is at an all-time high.

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Reinventing Workers for the Post-Covid Economy

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Reinventing Workers for the Post-Covid Economy

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New York Times

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Especially in service industries, old jobs may not be coming back. Training programs are aiming to provide skills for more resilient occupations.

Credit... Chloe Cushman

Rob Siminoski has been in the theater, in one way or another, since he graduated from college. But after 10 years at the Universal Studios theme park in California, he is only No. 13 on the stage-managing roster. Even if the park, closed since March, reopens some attractions - the WaterWorld stunt show, say, or the Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle - he is unlikely to be among the first to get the call.

His luck is that his union, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, offers an apprenticeship program for on-set movie electricians. It takes five years, and Mr. Siminoski, 33, is going to have to brush up his high school algebra to get in. Still, it offers a good balance of risk and reward.

"Everyone needs electricity," he said. "You pull down six figures."

The nation's economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic will hinge to some extent on how quickly show managers can become electricians, whether taxi drivers can become plumbers, and how many cooks can manage software for a bank.

The labor market has recovered 12 million of the 22 million jobs lost from February to April. But many positions may not return any time soon, even when a vaccine is deployed.

This is likely to prove especially problematic for millions of low-paid workers in service industries like retailing, hospitality, building maintenance and transportation, which may be permanently impaired or fundamentally transformed. What will janitors do if fewer people work in offices? What will waiters do if the urban restaurant ecosystem never recovers its density?

Their prognosis is bleak. Marcela Escobari, an economist at the Brookings Institution, warns that even if the economy adds jobs as the coronavirus risk fades, "the rebound won't help the people that have been hurt the most."

Looking back over 16 years of data, Ms. Escobari finds that workers in the occupations most heavily hit since the spring will have a difficult time reinventing themselves. Taxi drivers, dancers and front-desk clerks have poor track records moving to jobs as, say, registered nurses, pipe layers or instrumentation technicians.

"Many of today's unemployed workers may find it harder than in the past to find new jobs and advance through the labor market," Ms. Escobari wrote.

Decline in jobs

from the first

through the

third quarter

of 2020

Nursing and

home health aides

Share of workers who transition

into occupations that are growing

Decline in jobs

from the first

through the third

quarter of 2020

Share of workers

who transition

into occupations

that are growing

Taxi Drivers

Waiters and Waitresses

Hosts and Hostesses

Bartenders

Childcare Workers

Production Clerks

Dishwashers

Preschool Teachers

Machinists

Insurance Agents

Teacher Assistants

Food Prep Workers

House Cleaners

Special Ed. Teachers

Practical and Voc. Nurses

Electricians

Education Administrators

Goods Buyers

Other Service Sales Rep.

Mail Carriers

Mechanic Supervisors

Stock Movers

Packaging Operators

Administrative Assistants

Building Cleaners

-55

-35

-34

-28

-28

-28

-27

-24

-22

-21

-20

-20

-18

-17

-17

-17

-17

-16

-16

-15

-15

-15

-14

-14

-14

10

8

6

8

8

20

11

5

18

19

10

9

9

8

27

15

15

39

18

38

40

28

27

18

18

Covid is abruptly taking out a swath of jobs that were thought to be comparatively resilient, in services that require personal contact with customers. And the jolt has landed squarely on workers with little or no education beyond high school, toiling in the low-wage service economy.

"The damage to the economy and particularly to workers will probably be longer lasting than we think it is going to be," said Peter Beard, senior vice president for regional work force development at the Greater Houston Partnership, an economic development group.

What's more, he said, Covid will intensify underlying dynamics that were already transforming the workplace. Automation, for one, will most likely accelerate as employers seek to protect their businesses from future pandemics.

The challenge is not insurmountable. Stephanie Brown, who spent 11 years in the Air Force, found her footing relatively quickly after losing her job as a cook at a hotel in Rochester, Mich., in March. She took advantage of a training program offered by Salesforce, the big software platform for businesses, and got a full-time job in October as a Salesforce administrator for the New York software company Pymetrics from her home in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Yet despite scattered success stories, moving millions of workers into new occupations remains an enormous challenge.

Jared Sooper is also looking for a change after losing his job last March managing a restaurant in the North Park neighborhood of San Diego. Fleeing San Diego's rents, he and his fiancée packed their things in a U-Haul trailer and relocated to a converted storage space under the deck of her parents' house near Providence, R.I.

Once there, Mr. Stooper, 37, learned of an initiative financed by the state government to train workers displaced by the pandemic and connect them to job opportunities. In November, he finished a five-week program run by Local 51 of the union for the plumbing and pipe fitting trades to become a welder.

"2020 seems to be turning around," Mr. Sooper said. "I'm feeling pretty confident. If they don't take me for this one, there are others I can apply to." Still, he couldn't immediately find a union job as a welder, so for the time being he took a job doing body work for a company that makes eco-friendly bus frames.

Derrius Gosha, 30, had been in Los Angeles for only a few months when the pandemic ended his job on the sales floor of Bath and Body Works in February. He is now back at home in Birmingham, Ala., living with his mother and grandmother. John Restrepo, 25, furloughed in March from his job as a server at Tony's Town Square Restaurant in Disney's Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Fla., is sticking it out in an apartment with his two roommates. Barbara Xocoyotl, 57, furloughed in March from her cleaning job at the Omni hotel in New Haven, Conn., had to give up her apartment and is living with a daughter in New York.

All are waiting for the economy to restore the jobs they have known. "If there are no retail jobs, I could work at a warehouse, and I'm OK on a conveyor belt," Mr. Gosha said. "The only thing I wouldn't want to do is put on a hard hat and go dig a ditch." After weeks of hunting, he landed a seasonal position in the lawn and garden section at Lowe's.

Often, the old jobs just don't return at all. As he searches for an opening at CVS, or Walgreens, or another restaurant in town, Mr. Restrepo pins his hope on a deal that his UNITE HERE union local struck with Disney to offer the workers it let go a first crack at jobs once business returns, and retrain them for other Disney jobs if their old positions are terminated. "Thinking optimistically, by the summer of 2022, the majority of us will be able to go back," he said.

Ms. Xocoyotl has a doomsday plan in case the old jobs don't return: to return to her hometown in central Mexico to be close to her mother. "I've been looking for a job, but nobody calls me back, nobody tells me anything," she said. At her age, she added, "people don't even ask what one is good for anymore."

Training has always been a challenge for policymakers, and the pandemic complicates matching new skills with jobs. Austin Urick, 31, went back to school after he lost his job last year selling equipment for the oil and gas industry. He enrolled at San Jacinto College near Houston to learn instrumentation and electrical systems. He expects to graduate this month, certified to calibrate and replace gauges and pumps used by oil and gas companies.

The industry, however, has suffered during the pandemic. While he has some good leads, his job hunt hasn't yielded any offers. "It is worrisome," Mr. Urick said. "But my Plan B is not just oil and gas." The instrumentation degree can be taken in different directions. "I can work in an elevator company or in a hospital, anywhere that has gauges," he added. "I can go down the street to Budweiser."

Harris County, where much of Houston sits, lost about 160,000 jobs in the year through September. Using emergency money approved by Congress in the CARES Act, it has enlisted community colleges and nonprofit groups to develop training programs to move 3,000 workers whose jobs were hit by the pandemic into more resilient occupations: plumbing or accounting, nursing or coding.

"Work force development was a major priority when I came into the office," said Adrian Garcia, a county commissioner whose district is among the poorest there. "Now, with the pandemic in our midst, it is critical." With the training program filling up, he is counting on the county to find money to expand it.

And yet at scale, it will be a considerable challenge to assist workers in the transition to a new economy in which many jobs are gone for good and those available often require proficiency in sophisticated digital tools.

"We need a New Deal for skills," said Amit Sevak, president of Revature, a company that hires workers, trains them to use digital tools and helps place them in jobs. "President Roosevelt deployed the massive number of workers unemployed in the Great Depression on projects that created many of the dams and roads and bridges we have. We need something like that."

Rhode Island is using stimulus money from the CARES Act to fund a training initiative that provides additional support for workers - like child care and transportation assistance - and gets commitments from employers to hire trainees. Gov. Gina Raimondo thinks the pandemic offers an opportunity for something similar on a national level.

But she acknowledges that this is a heavy lift. "This stuff is easy to say and really hard to do," she said. "We're talking about transitioning a whole economy, and transitions are hard."

Mr. Siminoski, for one, is hoping that his transition from theme park stage manager to movie electrician pays off. But while he's waiting, he still has to put food on the table. So for the immediate future he's thinking about going to driving school to get a truck driver's license. "It's expensive - about $1,600," he said. "But I think training takes less than a month, and it seems you can get a job right away."

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Reinventing Workers for the Post-Covid Economy

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Especially in service industries, old jobs may not be coming back. Training programs are aiming to provide skills for more resilient occupations. Rob Siminoski has been in the theater, in one way or another, since he graduated from college. But after 10 years at the Universal Studios theme park in California, he is only No.

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How to Make Quality and Environmentally-Friendly Electric Cables & Wires

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How to Make Quality and Environmentally-Friendly Electric Cables & Wires

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Global Trade

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Trade skills are in ‘constant need’: Here are 7 jobs to consider—some pay more than $69,000 per year

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Trade skills are in ‘constant need’: Here are 7 jobs to consider—some pay more than $69,000 per year

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CNBC

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House painters can paint every part of a building from the walls to the ceiling. They also prepare surfaces for painting by filling holes and cracks with materials like plaster. Painters typically learn their trade on the job.

Median salary: $40,280 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

Home inspectors ensure new and previously owned homes are safe to live in by inspecting both their interiors and exteriors. They check electrical, heating, ventilation, and plumbing systems, and must know various types of construction to get a full picture of a home's potential problems.

Home inspectors often learn the craft on the job, though some states may require some type of license or certification to qualify.

Median salary: $48,580 per year, according to PayScale

HVAC technicians install, clean, and maintain heating, ventilation, cooling, and refrigeration systems inside a home.

Employers generally prefer technicians to have an associate's degree or certificate in the trade or to have completed an apprenticeship program. Some states may require a license.

Median salary: $48,730 per year, according to BLS

Plumbers install, maintain, and repair piping in homes. They inspect and test pipes, determine what equipment might be needed to fix a problem, and ensure systems are running smoothly.

Plumbers often learn their craft through apprenticeships, although some also attend vocational schools. Most states require plumbers to get a license.

Typically, says Thompson, "while they're earning the plumbing license, they're working at a plumbing company. That plumbing company is usually paying for them to go to school." That often means they don't take on student debt to obtain required training.

Median salary: $55,160 per year, according to BLS

Electricians install, maintain, and repair electrical, lighting, communication, and control systems for homes. Many electricians learn the trade through an apprenticeship, but some also attend a technical school. Depending on the state, they may also be required to get a license.

Median salary: $56,180 per year, according to BLS

Landscape architects design gardens and outdoor spaces for private homes. They meet with clients to assess their needs, prepare graphic representations of their spaces' plans, choose materials for their projects, and follow along with the process as they're built.

Landscape architects must be licensed by their state, with states often requiring a bachelor's in landscape architecture, internship experience, and passing a registration exam to qualify for a license.

Median salary: $69,360 per year, according to BLS

Construction managers plan and supervise construction projects including preparing budgets and schedules, reporting progress to clients, and collaborating with other professionals like architects and engineers.

Construction managers often need both a bachelor's degree and experience on the job to get hired.

Median salary: $95,260 per year, according to BLS

"If you're somebody who really enjoys helping others," says Thompson, the trades are "a great industry to be in."

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Trade skills are in 'constant need': Here are 7 jobs to consider-some pay more than $69,000 per year

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House painters can paint every part of a building from the walls to the ceiling. They also prepare surfaces for painting by filling holes and cracks with materials like plaster. Painters typically learn their trade on the job.

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A 72-year-old woman was quietly living in a dilapidated house. Then an electrician sparked a community to help her rebuild

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A 72-year-old woman was quietly living in a dilapidated house. Then an electrician sparked a community to help her rebuild

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CNN

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a 72-year-old woman was quietly living in a dilapidated house. then an electrician sparked a community to help her rebuild - cnn

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A 72-year-old woman was quietly living in a dilapidated house. Then an electrician sparked a community to help her rebuild

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After a repair call to Gloria Scott's home, electrician John Kinney knew he had to step-in to help out a neighbor in need. The community around her has responded in full by rebuilding her house.

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In a Field Dominated by Men, She’s in Charge

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In a Field Dominated by Men, She’s in Charge

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New York Times

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Tonya Hicks, president and chief executive of Power Solutions, an electrical contracting firm in Atlanta. Credit... Audra Melton for The New York Times

Tonya Hicks, an electrician, overcame discrimination and sexual harassment. She now runs her own growing business.

Tonya Hicks, president and chief executive of Power Solutions, an electrical contracting firm in Atlanta. Credit... Audra Melton for The New York Times

This article is part of our Women and Leadership special section, which focuses on women challenging traditional ways of thinking.
Growing up in Meridian, Miss., Tonya Hicks adored working on cars and rebuilding motors with her Uncle Melvin, an industrial mechanic.

"I learned all about my tools from ratchets to socket wrenches by handing them to him, and sometimes sliding under the cars to have a look," she said. "Even as a 5-year-old, the back of my sundress would have oil stains and under my nails would be black - which didn't go over well with Mama."

Her mother's displeasure was just the first of a string of obstacles in the route Ms. Hicks followed to becoming an electrician and running a growing business. Discrimination, sexual harassment and that she is a woman of color were all hurdles as she made her way into the male-dominated industry. In the United States, 2.4 percent of electricians are women, and 9.5 percent of electrical contracting businesses are owned by women.

Ms. Hicks, now 47, faced career pushback before entering the skilled-trades arena. Her math acumen earned her a scholarship to Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, where she was a math major with a minor in computer science. "I wanted to be a mathematician working on coding and computer software for the Defense Department," she said.

But during her sophomore year, her professional path hit a roadblock.

"One of my instructors told me that those kinds of jobs were not readily available for a black woman," Ms. Hicks said. "All of my dreams just came down. He said the best thing I could do is focus on becoming a teacher. I thought, 'That is just not me.'"

Her fortune changed during her summer break, when she landed work as a laborer at a paper mill. "It was exciting," she said. "I saw how the industrial electricians were using math all the time."

She forfeited her scholarship and did not return to college in the fall. "My family thought I was a complete failure and letting everyone down," she said.

Her challenges continued. When Ms. Hicks applied for the apprenticeship program at her hometown electrical union, she found herself being interviewed by five white men.

"They told me, 'You know three white women tried before you and failed,'" she recalled. "'Don't you think it's going to be hard you being a black female?' And I said, 'Nope.'"

She was right. Ms. Hicks was the first woman to complete the five-year program becoming the first female journeyman electrician in Local 917of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (I.B.E.W.) and among the first few African-American women in Mississippi to do so. ( Only 6.8 percent of electricians are black or African-American, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.)

Ms. Hicks was tenacious. She traveled long distances to find work at car plants and steel mills and in the construction of airports from Mississippi to Michigan. She did not blink at being on the job 12 hours a day, seven days a week as she learned her trade.

The workplace could be frustrating. "There were many times when I would show up at a job and no man talked to me, or acknowledged my presence," she said. "Many times, the foremen on the jobs didn't know what to do with me because I was the only woman. They would send me to the material trailer to clean it up, instead of working a job on the floor. That's how I learned about the construction business and how to estimate. I would read everything I found there."

When a co-worker urged her to start her own business, she never looked back.

"I had worked for nine different employers that year and was ready to take control of my career," she said.

So in 2000, Ms. Hicks started Power Solutions, an electrical contracting firm based in Atlanta that focused on commercial and industrial buildings and now specializes in renewable energy and smart-city technology. She was 28. "I bought a computer and had my business cards made with clip art of a woman electrician with a lightning bolt," Ms. Hicks said. "That's me."

To fund her start-up, she tapped into roughly $10,000 of personal savings. And she began networking with the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and women's business groups. "These women helped me," she said. "That was a culture shock. People accepted me."

The business will start operations in Singapore and the Netherlands this year.

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Ms. Hicks discussing a project with Meloni Boatswain, a safety instructor. Power Solutions specializes in renewable energy and smart-city technology. Credit... Audra Melton for The New York Times

But she is not done. Ms. Hicks is assembling the next group of women to work in skilled-trade industries. With support of the Women's Entrepreneurship Initiative, a city-funded incubator for women-owned businesses in Atlanta, her latest venture is a career development agency and training center to help women get jobs in male-dominated industries. It will start this summer in Atlanta, with plans for nine more centers to open in cities across the country, including Detroit and Englewood, Calif.

"I am tired of being the only, the first," she said. "I'm working to try to change that. I look at construction as the last frontier for women. I don't think it's any better than when I started. It takes a long time to change culture. And it's not where it needs to be for women to feel there is a real opportunity."

Apprenticeships like the one Ms. Hicks held provide on-the-job training and are vital to the success of women in the skilled-trade sector. In 2017, however, only 7.3 percent of those completing registered apprenticeships were women.

"Growing the number of women in construction or the trades is no small feat," said C. Nicole Mason, president and chief executive of the Institute for Women's Policy Research. "It takes a tremendous amount of coordination between work-force development programs, labor unions, contractors and the government. These are higher-paying jobs with benefits, and potential for increased earnings over time - all things that are particularly meaningful for working women with families."

But change has been incremental.

"Although huge strides have been made over the last several decades, there does remain a significant lack of diversity of women and women of color in the skilled trades and construction industry," said Vicki Anderson, the chief executive of Stevens Engineers and Constructors, based in Middleburg Heights, Ohio.

The obstacles that Ms. Hicks encountered more than 20 years ago are still rampant. Sexual harassment is still an issue, according to Carolyn Williams, a retired director of the I.B.E.W. Civic and Community Engagement Department. "The biggest challenge for women entering the field is the sexism," she said. "You think about that environment it has this macho connotation behind it."

While the numbers compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics are not indicative of a huge increase in women's participation in the skilled trades, there are many groups now offering support, Ms. Williams said, and more tradeswomen are recruiting women and educating their unions on the obstacles and solutions to removing the barriers that women face in the skilled trades.

Programs, like Chicago Women in Trades and Nontraditional Employment for Women in New York City, have built a channel for women entering construction and other traditionally male-dominated fields.

"Women often get clogged in the pipeline due to the lack of support by male supervisors or co-workers, sexual harassment, or they do not receive the proper training or support to do all aspects of the job," Ms. Mason said. "These jobs are also less flexible and do not provide support services for child care or take into account women's disproportionate caretaking responsibilities compared to men. As a result, retention of women in nontraditional jobs and skilled trades can be difficult."

In fact, the Institute for Women's Policy Research was recently awarded a three-year, $750,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to improve retention and advancement for women in construction and manufacturing fields.

That mission resonates with Ms. Hicks. While she admittedly has been through some tough years as her business has gained traction, her biggest return has been "empowering women economically," she said.

"Being a boss is giving other people an opportunity to make money and to help them grow," she said. "Not until you are building up another person are you a true leader."

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In a Field Dominated by Men, She's in Charge

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Tonya Hicks, an electrician, overcame discrimination and sexual harassment. She now runs her own growing business. Tonya Hicks, president and chief executive of Power Solutions, an electrical contracting firm in Atlanta. Credit... Audra Melton for The New York Times This article is part of our Women and Leadership special section , which focuses on women challenging traditional ways of thinking.

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WIRED - The Latest in Technology, Science, Culture and Business

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We bring you the future as it happens. From the latest in science and technology to the big stories in business and culture, we've got you covered.

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Understanding how your home is wired can help you when it comes time to making minor repairs or planning a renovation project. Here's everything a homeowner should know about electricity.

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Recently I had the honor to be interviewed by Jason Bader of The DistributionTeam for his 50th podcast Distribution Talk. Our conversation, which you can listen to here, was wide-ranging. We touched on: Acquisitions Customer loyalty programs The role of

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My Podcast with Jason Bader Edit Recently I had the honor to be interviewed by Jason Bader of The DistributionTeam for his 50th podcast Distribution Talk. Our conversation, which you can listen to here, was wide-ranging. We touched on: Acquisitions [...]

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greenatwork.com

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TIANJIN, China (Reuters) - By 2020, Beijing says automakers must meet tough new green standards to cut epic pollution in China's cities. As domestic firms bet heavily on electric cars to meet that goal, foreign peers are set to stay in a different, petrol-driven gear. In the latest sign of caution from global automakers in [...]

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TIANJIN, China (Reuters) - By 2020, Beijing says automakers must meet tough new green standards to cut epic pollution in China's cities. As domestic firms bet heavily on electric cars to meet that goal, foreign peers are set to stay in a different, petrol-driven gear.

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www.edcmag.com/

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Are you bored with conventional two-dimensional circuit layouts, or looking for a way to add an artistic flair to your next project? I've taken point-to-point construction style a step further by making it self-supporting, which opens up a wide range of physical circuit topologies. (Point-to-point construction usually uses supporting structures like terminal strips that are functional but not pleasing to the eye.) I call this construction style the copper cobweb. Here's how to do it.

I can hardly imagine an electronics enthusiast without some sort of test bench. This can be as simple as a folding table and a couple of hand tools, along with a cheap DMM (Digital MultiMeter). Or, it can be as elaborate as a spare room just loaded with TE and a full complement of tools and accessories to go with it.

Erector sets helped to spark lifetime passions for building things. Take a trip down memory lane and follow the construction of a classic 1950's Gilbert Erector set Ferris wheel with some new bells and whistles added from today's technology.

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Are you bored with conventional two-dimensional circuit layouts, or looking for a way to add an artistic flair to your next project? I've taken point-to-point construction style a step further by making it self-supporting, which opens up a wide range of physical circuit topologies.

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Electrical Construction & Maintenance (EC&M) (email and account may be required for access)

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Electrical Construction & Maintenance (EC&M) (email and account may be required for access)

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www.ecmweb.com

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www.electricalengineeringschools.org/electricity-101/
A list of online resources related to electrical topics.

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Minuteman Library Media Center Databases Page

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Minuteman Library Media Center Databases Page

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Use the A-Z list or browse by shop. www.minutemanhs.libguides.com/databases

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tEDmag - The Electrical Distributor Magazine

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tEDmag - The Electrical Distributor Magazine

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https://tedmag.com/

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Sora ebooks & audiobooks (electricity search results)

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Sora ebooks & audiobooks (electricity search results)

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Login with your 5 digit student ID number

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Open a world of reading. Try Sora, the new reading app for students, by OverDrive.

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The New York Times is offering free digital subscriptions for students. A teacher must set it up, so please let me know if you'd like one.

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The New York Times - Breaking News, US News, World News and Videos

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Live news, investigations, opinion, photos and video by the journalists of The New York Times from more than 150 countries around the world. Subscribe for coverage of U.S. and international news, politics, business, technology, science, health, arts, sports and more.

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www.news.google.com

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Flipster Digital Magazines: Read digital versions of ArtNews, Discover, Eat Well, MotorTrend, & National Geographic

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https://www.ecmag.com