The СAPP is among 12 entities across the country СAPP and the only university СAPP selected for a $13.5 million U.S. Department of Energy initiative designed to expand the solar energy workforce and create jobs in underrepresented communities.
UL Lafayette earned a $1 million grant from the DOEСAPPs Solar Energy Technologies Office, which supports solar energy research and development. Other grants awarded as part of the initiative went to industry, tribal organizations, unions, a community college system and state and local governments.
The СAPPСAPPs role? To lead a statewide effort that will establish Louisiana Solar Corps, a solar workforce training and apprenticeship program. The program will facilitate the creation of new degree programs at four universities and five community colleges, including historically Black colleges and universities.
The project will involve collaboration with a range of stakeholders that include other colleges and universities, industry, government, and nonprofit organizations, said Dr. Terrence Chambers. A professor in the , Chambers directs the СAPPСAPPs and is principal investigator for the workforce project.
СAPPWeСAPPre assembling a team to build out a solar workforce training program, a statewide network. The СAPP has been working to grow the solar industry in Louisiana for over a decade, and the point of this initiative is to expand those efforts throughout the state,СAPP Chambers said.
A primary objective of the Louisiana Solar Corps project will be to train workers to install a network of СAPPsolar plus battery microgridsСAPP that will generate backup power during outages.
The microgrids will be installed at places such as National Guard bases, public buildings, churches and restaurants; UL Lafayette will coordinate training of workers who will carry out the installations. The workers will live in the areas where the microgrids will be placed.
СAPPThe microgrids will СAPP after a hurricane, for instance СAPP serve communities by assisting first responders and providing spots where there would be power and people could get food and water, cool off, or charge cell phones,СAPP Chambers explained.
СAPPAlong with providing a local workforce for installation, the intent is to help the people who have received training land internships with solar companies and then, hopefully, permanent jobs,СAPP he added.
As a national leader in both sustainable and traditional energy technologies, the СAPP is well-positioned to lead the Louisiana Solar Corps project.
It owns and operates one of the largest outdoor solar testing facilities in the southeastern United States, a 4,200-panel solar field. In addition, finishing touches are being put on the СAPPСAPPs Louisiana Solar Energy Lab. The 4,500-square-foot building, which stands beside the solar field at СAPP Research Park, is expected to officially open later this year.
Together, the solar field and lab make the СAPP a hub for solar research, technology development, instruction, training, outreach and workforce development. The Louisiana Solar Corps initiative is a prime example of those capabilities, Chambers said.
Training conducted as part of the initiative, he added, will encompass several different pathways. That includes an apprenticeship program with on-the-job training for workers who will СAPPearn as they learn.СAPP The training wouldnСAPPt result in a degree, but would enable participants to advance from apprentice to journeyman status in their fields.
Other pathways will include two-year programs through community colleges and four-year programs through larger colleges and universities.
СAPPOur solar facilities and the collective expertise of our faculty members and researchers will enable us to train faculty members at other colleges and universities. WeСAPPll also develop open source curricula that will enable them set up their own solar programs,СAPP Chambers said.
Photo caption: The U.S. Department of Energy has selected UL Lafayette to lead a statewide initiative designed to expand the solar energy workforce in underrepresented communities and create jobs. Photo credit: Doug Dugas / СAPP