Related Articles

IBEW Members Help Power Up Solar Decathlon

October 23, 2009

A team of electricians from Washington, D.C. Local 26 helped power this year’s U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon on the National Mall.

The 10-part competition gives teams of college engineers a seemingly simple mission: design and build a home that is energy efficient, aesthetically pleasing and uses less power than it generates, thus returning electricity to the grid.

Local 26 journeymen built the micro-electrical grid that powered the 20 mobile-home sized buildings and served as the return-point for the power they generated.

 “This is an incredible thing to be a part of,” said Sean Myers, special projects coordinator of Local 26’s Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee. Six JATC apprentices—each paid by a different NECA contractor— and two instructors helped the student teams along the way. The contractors—Kelly & Sons, Perlectric, Dynalectric, J.E. Richards, Commercial Power, and Birckhead Electric—each provided five full days of wages, plus premium hours.

The apprentices assisted teams by installing photovoltaic systems, troubleshooting branch circuits and correcting lighting problems. They also pointed out potential code violations, all while being exposed to types of work they do not normally get to do.

“I’d never worked with any solar installations,” fifth-year apprentice Adam Osielski wrote in a blog post following the event. “I feel like I gained a year or two of exposure.”

The Local 26 JATC offers an extensive electrical training program, including courses on alternative energy, such as solar power.

Photo by Stefano Paltera of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.