As the demand for renewable energy in California expands, the need for a skilled workforce of contractors, electricians, and workers to install and maintain clean energy technology and infrastructure also increases. To meet this demand, CPA has dedicated more than $1 million in workforce development programs and skills training with union labor training organizations that connect job opportunities to people in marginalized communities.
Battery storage capacity is expected to dramatically increase to meet California’s clean energy goals in 2045. To prepare the battery storage workforce, CPA has partnered with the Advanced Prototyping Center at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) on their microgrid (solar + storage) maintenance workforce training program. CPA has invested to date $50,000 in curriculum development, hands-on training for tools and equipment, certifications, and extended internship stipends.
This program engages underserved communities to provide training, certifications and internship opportunities to a diverse group of Los Angeles County residents. The first training kicked off in April 2022, with 35 students enrolled in the first cohort, 26 of whom successfully graduated from the program. Fifteen graduates were placed in internships to jumpstart their renewable energy careers.
California’s growing urbanization calls for more advanced clean technologies and infrastructure to develop smart buildings—buildings that achieve maximum safety, resource, and system efficiency. Developing smart buildings can ultimately lead to designing a smart city, where its residents enjoy an improved quality of living.
To contribute to this effort, CPA has partnered with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) on the Smart Buildings and Smart Cities Program, a cybersecurity apprenticeship training that is part of the Western Electrical
Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Training (WECAT) curriculum. The 5-year WECAT program was developed through a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and is being currently taught by the Los Angeles Electrical Training Institute (LAETI) and the Ventura County Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (VCEJATC).
This program develops a highly trained, high-earning, workforce in the solar, storage and wind sectors, some of whom have worked directly on CPA’s clean power projects. CPA’s funding ($123,000 for VCEJATC and $225,500 for LAETI) will supplement the existing program by providing classroom materials and training boards used during testing. The 17 CPA-funded training boards (11 for LAETI and 6 for VCEJATC) are expected to serve 200 students from 2023 to 2026.
The partnering community colleges in this program include Antelope Valley College, Compton College, Moorpark College, Rio Hondo College, Oxnard College, East Los Angeles College, and Ventura College.
For more information on the program and to meet some of our recipients, please visit our Voyager Scholarship page.
Sergei Kotsan serves the Energy Risk Manager for Clean Power Alliance. He has over a decade of experience working on quantitative research and modelling of the wholesale power markets as well as hedging commercial risk and market monitoring. He led commercial operations at TexGen and fundamentals research at Talen Energy on the power supply side. He also has utility experience at Portland General Electric and Pacific Gas and Electric evaluating market risks and financial valuation on the demand side. In addition, he worked at the Market Monitoring Unit at CAISO, developing dashboards and preparing market reports. Sergei holds Ph.D. in Economics from West Virginia University.
Rachel serves as Project Manager, Settlements for Clean Power Alliance. Rachel is responsible for reviewing and identifying discrepancies with our California Independent System Operator (CASIO) and bilateral counterparty invoices, validating transactions of wholesale market products, and performing after the fact analysis on settlements and Congestion Revenue Rights (CRR) to influence resource optimization and CRR strategies. Prior to joining Clean Power Alliance, Rachel served as a Power Settlements Analyst at Utah Municipal Power Agency for two years where she developed and finalized all settlement processes. Rachel earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from Lewis-Clark State College.
Riju serves as the Website Developer, Communications and Marketing at CPA. He brings over 10 years of software development experience in addition to having a strong background in information technology and server infrastructure. Riju oversees all web related functions at CPA to ensure that the organization is able to effectively sustain meeting the requirements of its rapidly growing digital presence. Prior to joining CPA, Riju worked as a digital content developer at Claremont Graduate University where he developed and launched an online learning platform for the federally funded POLARIS mentoring program for museum professionals. More recently, Riju founded and operated a web development and digital marketing agency which served government organizations, non-profits, and other multi agency partners. Riju holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems & E-Business from Cal Poly Pomona. Riju supports CPA’s overall goal and mission to a cleaner, brighter future.
Jacob Adamson is an Analyst, Data and Systems, at Clean Power Alliance (CPA), where he collaborates with the Data and Systems team to develop and maintain robust data analytics frameworks. Jacob supports cross-functional departments in data enablement and business intelligence, focusing on automating reporting tasks and assisting staff with data requests. With a background in engineering, information technology, regulatory analysis, and data analytics, Jacob brings a wealth of expertise to CPA’s work in the renewable energy sector. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geological Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, is a former licensed professional engineer in the state of Colorado, and is a GCP certified professional data engineer. Outside of work, Jacob is passionate about outdoor recreation, conservation, and engineering sustainable community development.
Ammad serves as the Analyst, Strategic Finance at CPA. He comes to CPA with 3 years of prior experience in financial planning and analysis. Ammad most recently served as a Financial Analyst at Georgia Power, the largest subsidiary of the Southern Company. In this role, he supported various areas in the Customer Experience division where he ensured timely and accurate financial reporting, conducted monthly expense forecasting, and created 5-year budgets with the approval of the Georgia PSC. He also sat on the 2024 Budget Committee where he contributed to developing guidelines for the company’s budgeting process and identifying areas for cost savings. Ammad earned his Bachelor’s in Finance from the University of Central Florida.