Oct. 6, 2015
In my first article in this series, I wrote about Texas having one of the nation’s largest concentrations of military bases. Every branch of the military calls Texas its home. Each year, thousands of veterans either leave the service after an initial enlistment period or like me, retire after twenty plus years of military service. But what’s important for Texas is that these veterans, myself included, choose to make Texas their new home because we know that Texas has put in place the infrastructure and commitment to economic prosperity that will be important for our families. Texas can leverage the military commitment to renewable energy by helping these highly skilled, new Texans transition from “national security” to “Texas Energy Security.”
Texas will be part of a national competition to attract the skilled workforce necessary to sustain our economic progress. Already, the Texas unemployment rate is at 6.1%, dropping from 8.2% just three years earlier. We’re not slowing down and all signs point to accelerating economic expansion. Texas has a tremendous opportunity to help itself and veterans who have volunteered to serve their nation. These veterans are ready to move to their next cause in their new home state, and nothing screams for renewed commitment more than improving our electrical capacity.
Let me bring this closer to a branch of the service I know – the Army. The Army is preparing for a significant draw down from over 570,000 in uniform to under 485,000. 85,000 Soldiers will leave the service and if history is any indication of the future, we know many will stay here in Texas.
Consider what these veterans can provide to our expanding renewable energy industry. Imagine you’re leading and growing a new company and I said you could have a 28-year old young man or woman with an engineering degree from a top school, who has led over 100 people in a field that uses the latest technology. And imagine that this leader has been doing this in the most complex environments and has demonstrated how to tie broad guidance into actionable results. What I’d be describing is an Army Captain. Whether he has been leading Apache helicopter units, infantrymen, or coordinating supply efforts, he or she is a treasure that Corporate America and the nation’s top business schools love to pull into their sphere. Imagine what they can do in Texas renewable energy companies.
“Send me every noncommissioned officer you can.” These words were spoken to me by a senior executive of a national solar company at the Solar Power International conference in Dallas. This corporate leader went on to say that he learned that his best work crew team leaders were former NCOs who like their military officer partners, understand how to take general guidance and a desired end state and make things happen. Last summer, I spent some time getting practical experience putting solar PV on rooftops and couldn’t help but think that some of my former NCOs would be GREAT at this. Able to work in tough conditions, and able to motivate others to get results in these conditions, our veteran NCOs are a treasure find for companies that need to get renewable systems installed on schedule and on budget.
I cannot forget an essential part of the DoD team: the civilian workforce. The professional civilians who have dedicated a career to the military are just as committed to its success as the uniformed service members. Unfortunately, many of these highly skilled managers will also be departing the military workforce as it down sizes. The Texas renewable industry would be smart to attract many of them to their own ranks. While some may not see this as an attribute, their ability to work with the inherent complexities and interrelationships of a large bureaucracy has prepared them well for the Texas energy industry, itself a maze of regulated and market-driven utilities. Who better to help Texas renewable energy companies compete for the Army’s $7 billion request for renewable power purchase agreements than Department of Defense acquisition professionals who understand the language and complexities of military contracting.
How Texas can do this? Texas can improve how it will help veterans transition to its renewable energy industry. Here are two areas to start with:
Both the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) and the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) have tremendous programs to develop skilled workers and help veterans. Imagine what they could do together. Some are imagining this and trying to put it into action. Central Texas College in Killeen, next to Fort Hood, is collaborating with SolPowerPeople to start a solar training program that will not just develop its local construction trades workforce, but will help Soldiers learn the skills for the Solar PV trades. With TWC now offering a pilot program to develop industry required skills preceding employment, Texas has a mechanism to solve the “chicken or the egg” dilemma where untrained workers couldn’t get employment and thus couldn’t access skill development programs. TVC veterans assistance grants can supplement this effort with the potential to supplement the TVC funding so that veterans can build on their base skills with the industry-specific certifications that the solar companies are looking for.
The Hazelwood Act is perhaps the crown jewel and most significant evidence of Texas’ support of its veterans. Just as the federal government recently revised the World War II era GI Bill, perhaps now is the time to update the Hazelwood Act. Now set aside for veterans who were Texas residents prior to their enlistment, Texas should consider how expanding this to all veterans who choose to become Texas residents can address the approaching competition for skilled labor. Whether broad-based or specific industry-targeted, a modern day Hazelwood Act would be another way to keep trained veterans right here in Texas.
Texas is becoming increasingly aware that like its water resources, its electricity generation must be developed and guarded. But unlike water, we have the potential like no other state to expand our electricity production with fuels from both above and below the ground. Whether by natural gas or renewable energy, and likely a smart combination of the two, this expansion won’t happen without a broad-based Texas commitment to developing the right workforce to meet the challenge. The U.S. Military has brought the resource of its veterans to our state. Now it’s time to help put them to work to solve Texas energy needs for the next twenty years.
Colonel Scot Arey recently retired from the Army and in February joined Nexolon, San Antonio’s solar manufacturing facility. He is also Vice-President of TXSES.