With 1,900 apprentices, Net Zero Plus Electrical Training Institute is one of the largest JATCs in the United States. Attracting visitors from all over the world, it is the product of a partnership between IBEW Local 11 and the Los Angeles NECA Chapter.

The school’s mission is for apprentices to benefit from a campus that annually consumes only the electricity it produces. Fulfilling a charge to transition toward high-­performance buildings and reliance on renewable-energy technologies, the school trains apprentices to help customers reduce energy consumption, achieve energy independence and support a more sustainable and balanced electrical grid.

The push for net zero

Net Zero Plus’ effort to prepare apprentices for net-zero sustainability started in 2013, when it opted to retrofit a 144,000-square-foot building constructed in the 1970s. 

“Almost 10 years ago, we started looking for architects and engineers who did net-zero design, and they were rare back then,” said David Nott, apprentice coordinator and assistant NECA chapter manager. 

After forming a building committee, the school approached its upgrade like any contractor evaluating a much-needed retrofit project. 

“First, it was about gaining efficiencies with insulation; passive ventilation; variable-frequency drives on motors; lighting controls that included occupancy sensors, dimmable LED lights, and daylight harvesting; and HVAC controls that minimize energy waste,” Nott said. “But then it was about calculating how much solar we would need to meet our demands.”

Nott and the other retrofit planners calculated energy needs for 1,300 apprentices for the next five years. But the school quickly grew to 1,500 in just three. 

They decided to be a net-zero emissions facility and LEED Gold certified, “which meant no natural gas,” Nott said. “We got rid of propane, forklifts and gas heaters.” 

The first round of solar panels did not produce enough electricity and had to be replaced to compensate for electric powered boilers that drained additional energy to heat the building in winter. Newer panels included 15 photovoltaic rooftop arrays and 23 photovoltaic arrays forming a solar shade wall on a classroom building’s east side. 

For managing electricity generated by the panels, the school helped engineer an original inverter, which it expects to replace soon, Nott said.

Thanks to the early efforts, apprentices can track solar energy production and energy use on various circuits dedicated to light loads, electric vehicle charging stations and other campus features. Apprentices can also pinpoint use and adjust it to reduce consumption. 

But generating power and curbing usage are only part of the picture. Energy storage also helped Net Zero Plus achieve net-zero carbon emissions. In 2015, apprentices helped install batteries to store power generated on-site. This allowed the school to avoid tapping the grid during surge times, which Nott said was Monday mornings when the school powered back up. 

Net Zero Plus also joined the Energy Storage and Microgrid Training and Certification initiative led by Penn State University. The program is based on standards and codes developed and approved by the NFPA, National Electrical Installation Standards, National Electrical Code, American National Standards Institute and the Electric Power Research Institute. As part of that initiative, the campus operates a microgrid and smart home model. 

The on-site smart microgrid fulfills several functions, including responding to utility demand by injecting active power into the grid from stored energy, integrating multiple DC sources and varying voltages to improve efficiency and reliability of renewable-energy sources, providing uninterrupted power during power outages, tapping on-site solar to sustain the load during daylight hours, accessing battery storage to even out solar production and demand, and coordinating EV charging using three energy sources—on-site solar, battery storage and the utility.

The expertise apprentices gain in their fifth year prepares them to work for contractors already transitioning customers to reliance on renewables. 

“We couldn’t have as many apprentices as we do if contractors weren’t hiring them,” Nott said. “Those contractors understand how advanced energy systems should operate. And we’re seeing apprentices with great attitudes, who understand the opportunities that come with the greener technologies.”

The campus is living up its “Net Zero” name. “We’re actually over-generating a bit,” Nott said.

Header image: Twenty-three photovoltaic arrays form a solar shade wall at Net Zero Plus Electrical Training Institute in Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of the Net Zero Plus Electrical Training Institute.