5.2 Powering Up the Electrification Workforce for an Equitable Clean Energy Future

We know that the world needs to rapidly transition from burning fossil fuels towards renewable energy to address the climate crisis. This includes in our homes: switching to electric appliances instead of using natural gas or oil to heat our spaces and cook our food. David Smedick from RMI explains how we have great technology in heat pumps and induction stoves and a pathway of incentives and rebates from the big climate bill, the Inflation Reduction Act, to make this transition happen. But there’s a big missing piece—the people to actually do these electrification installations. Dan and Emma speak with Dr. Janell Hills from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council and Vaughan Woodruff from ReVision Energy about the challenges and opportunities of growing this critical workforce in an equitable way. Shownotes: - Inflation Reduction Act incentives article: https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/new-climate-law-expands-household-efficiency-and-electrification-incentives - Reflection on switching to an induction stove: https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/i-made-the-switch-from-gas-to-electric-cooking-heres-why-i-love-my-new-induction-stove - Clean energy educational resources: https://sustainableenergyaction.org/clean-energy-clearinghouse/ - IREC’s Clean Energy Career Maps: https://irecusa.org/career-maps/ - ReVision’s Electricians Will Save the World video: https://www.revisionenergy.com/solar-company/solar-careers-and-training/electricians-will-save-world