Evaluation of Alternative Contractor License Requirements for Battery Energy Storage Systems
Final Report for UC Berkeley Contract with the Contractor State License Board for contract CSLB-20-01, entitled “Energy Storage Systems Consultant Services”
Green Economy
The Labor Center Green Economy Program conducts research on issues of job creation, quality, access, and training in the emergent green economy. In addition, we provide research and technical assistance to state agencies, labor, and other stakeholders who are engaged in developing and implementing policy related to energy and climate change in California and nationally.
Spotlight
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Report
April 13, 2021
High-Road Jobs and Climate Action: Lessons from California for the Nation
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Report
September 3, 2020
Putting California on the High Road: A Jobs and Climate Action Plan for 2030
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Blog
November 12, 2020
Prevailing wage in solar can deliver good jobs while keeping growth on track
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Press
October 3, 2020
My Turn: Recommendations to help California’s economic recovery and to take action on climate
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Press
September 3, 2020
Clean energy jobs are coming. Here’s how to make sure they’re good jobs
Research & Publications
April 13, 2021 -
Carol Zabin
High-Road Jobs and Climate Action: Lessons from California for the Nation
A series of briefs summarizing the recommendations for some of the critical climate sectors addressed in the Jobs and Climate Action Plan for 2030: electricity generation, energy efficiency, electric vehicle manufacturing and charging infrastructure, public transit and infill development, trucking, and waste.
November 12, 2020 -
Betony Jones
Prevailing wage in solar can deliver good jobs while keeping growth on track
Experience has shown that prevailing wage actually accelerates solar development. In California, the predominate use of union labor on utility-scale solar projects has fortified political support from organized labor for legislation and regulatory policy that continues to accelerate in-state solar development.
October 26, 2020 -
Carol Zabin
Progress on the Path Towards High-Road Jobs and Climate Action
Jobs v. environment is a false choice. And with the pandemic-induced economic downturn and the fires hurting Californians around the state, it’s clearer than ever that we must make meaningful progress on both fronts simultaneously, crafting an economic recovery that advances equity, climate resilience, and job quality.
September 3, 2020 -
Carol Zabin
Putting California on the High Road: A Jobs and Climate Action Plan for 2030
California’s ambitious path towards a carbon-neutral economy is complex, involves and affects different industries and occupations in multiple ways, and holds both promise and challenges for the state’s working families. The analysis and recommendations here present actions that show a high road to climate policy is both valuable and feasible.
Press Coverage
January 12, 2022 -
High Country News
Building equity into the renewable energy transition
The study, by the University of California Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education, found that large-scale solar projects, which were completed with union labor agreements, created high-quality career-track jobs for workers from disadvantaged and underrepresented communities.
November 11, 2021 -
Los Angeles Times
Newsletter: Why are unions clashing with the solar industry over clean energy batteries?
Carol Zabin said she and her team — which included a chemical safety expert — found little difference between the cost of a solar system installed by a firm using certified electricians and a firm not using certified electricians.
October 28, 2021 -
Capital & Main
How Trade Unions and Climate Advocates in California Can Forge an Alliance
Some critical coalition-building opportunities in California have already been lost, according to UC Berkeley’s Carol Zabin, director of UC Berkeley’s Labor Center Green Economy Program and a governor’s appointee to the executive council for the California Workforce Development Board.
October 27, 2021 -
Capital & Main
In Protecting Good Oil and Gas Jobs, Some California Trade Unions Clash With Climate Activists
“Over time,” says Zabin, “the skilled and trained workforce standard allowed the Building Trades to have enough leverage with these contractors and these oil companies to get project labor agreements on this work.”
September 13, 2021 -
County of San Diego NewsCenter
County Examines Job Impacts of Decarbonization
Recognizing things will change for workers in a decarbonized economy, the County of San Diego has undertaken a study to better understand how different policies may affect the region’s labor force and to identify tailored workforce development resources to adapt the skills of our region’s workers, including those from disadvantaged communities.
Program Contact
Carol Zabin
Director, Green Economy Program