Building the Clean Tech Workforce in the Energy Capital of the World
Next up in our series of Study Mission 6.0 deep dives: We’re talking jobs! Specifically, good-paying clean energy jobs.
We were thrilled to join Goodwill Houston to celebrate the Clean Tech Accelerator, their nation-leading program that trains communities for careers in HVAC and heat pump installation, solar and storage installation, and EV charging station installation. We toured their training lab and learned how the accelerator is preparing workers for careers in some of the country’s fastest-growing clean energy fields!
It was incredible to hear from instructors and program graduates on what the Clean Tech Accelerator means to them. These training pathways create significant opportunities to access good-paying jobs in rapidly growing trades. We would love to see Goodwill Industries bring this program to Washington state!
Later on in Houston, we saw clean energy jobs in action at the Daikin Texas Technology Park (DTTP), a 500-acre vertically-integrated campus that houses Daikin’s heat pump manufacturing. The DTTP is in part operated by one megawatt (MW) of on-site solar, with plans to house 10 MW of solar on-site. The facility is designed to encourage collaboration and innovation, allowing new product ideas to be quickly tested and implemented into manufacturing processes.
Washington has a goal of having heat pumps account for 65 percent of residential heating, cooling, and water heating equipment sales by 2030 and 90 percent by 2040, and we need a trained workforce, like the kind Goodwill Houston is producing, to make it happen.
As shown in our Build Sustainable High Impact Infrastructure Together analysis, the clean energy transition has the potential to create hundreds of thousands of good-paying, sustainable jobs. To help ensure those jobs become a reality, we need programs like the Clean Tech Accelerator and partners like Daikin who are building the technologies that will fuel our clean energy transition.
Thank you to our sponsors for making Study Mission 6.0: Building Bigger & Faster in Texas possible!
MHD fleet electrification program for WAZIP applicants
The Washington Zero-Emissions Incentive Program (WAZIP) is open! Make the most of it with the Medium- & Heavy-Duty Fleet Electrification Accelerator from WAZIP partner Breaking Barriers Collaborative.
This fall, join a cohort of peers tapping into 12 weeks of expert guidance and hands-on support. At the end, you’ll graduate with a customized electrification plan for your MHD fleet and a strategy for securing WAZIP incentives before they’re gone.
Through this program, you can:
- Understand your total cost of ownership for making the shift to EVs
- Build an actionable fleet electrification plan tailored to your organization
- Navigate WAZIP from application to voucher
- Learn directly from electrification experts, including industry leaders, government agencies, utilities, and experienced fleet managers
- Connect with peers doing the same work
- Get behind the wheel with an MHD EV ride-and drive
This Accelerator cohort is sponsored by WAZIP, and will run from September–December, 2026.
Read more about the program, or sign up for an informational webinar to see if the accelerator is the right fit for your organization. You can also reach out directly to Steven Alaman at steven.alaman@breakingbarrierscollaborative.org with any questions.
Celebrating Clean Maritime Infrastructure
We recently visited the Port of Friday Harbor to learn more about its Port Electrification Project and how partners like Photon Marine are helping accelerate the transition to all-electric marine operations.
Funded by the Climate Commitment Act, this three-year initiative is electrifying port operations and reducing marine emissions across the Salish Sea. The project combines a 200 kilowatt (kW) solar array, charging infrastructure, and electric marine equipment to create a more sustainable and resilient working waterfront.
Electric vessels like those showcased at the port are also supported through WAZIP, which provides point-of-sale vouchers for zero-emission vehicles and equipment. WAZIP offers $3 million for commercial zero-emission harbor craft, helping make clean marine technologies more affordable for ports and marine operations across Washington.
These investments will reduce diesel emissions, lower operating costs, support local jobs and tourism, and help preserve the pristine environment of the San Juan Islands.
Thank you to our friends at Photon Marine for hosting us!
Follow Clean & Prosperous
Follow Clean & Prosperous on social media to learn about our work to accelerate clean energy and power prosperity for communities across Washington. You can find us on these channels:
- LinkedIn: @clean-and-prosperous
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