Electrification

We'll mention even a few new ones.

Electrification also is escaping from just the SUV cage or cute runabouts.

You're getting propane electric vehicles, you're getting the huge, you're getting vans and an MPV, which is a bit like a people mover, I guess.

And the third trend is that plug-in hybrids are becoming much more a part of the electric show.

Students are only part of the audience.

Faculty, sustainability directors, and facilities managers can also access training covering electrification, building performance standards, extreme heat, wildfire defense, and embodied carbon.

Installation is only the beginning.

Los Angeles has already run into this problem while planning the decarbonization of its own buildings.

The fund itself has grown from about $3 million to $20 million annually, letting programs expand training capacity, buy equipment, and update curricula.

Roughly $20 million is available again for the 2026-2027 cycle.

The USGBC California agreements add a different layer on top of that pipeline, connecting higher education and existing campus staff with more specialized building sustainability knowledge rather than training additional installers alone, an approach that fills in one of the workforce gaps already shaping how commercial electrification projects get planned and financed.

Los Angeles Experience suggests electrification planning cannot stop at equipment selection, installation cost, and projected energy savings.