IIT Welcomes Opening of IBEW-NECA Technical Institute Renewable Energy Training Center

Members of the IIT NECA (National Electrical Contractors Association) Student Chapter are celebrating the opening of the IBEW-NECA Technical Institute (INTECH) Renewable Energy Training Center in south suburban Alsip, Illinois. This new facility will be an unparalleled platform in which to showcase green energy to meet the growing demand for rooftop solar generation and other renewable energy technologies in commercial and large residential buildings. The on-site resources are a 60-foot wind turbine, a commercial-sized solar array, a solar-powered carport, and spaces for technicians to practice installing rooftop solar panels. All of these features will be operational, allowing electricians to learn about battery storage and energy transfer systems as the facility returns some of the energy it generates back to the grid.

Dr. Dan Tomal, Adjunct Professor in IIT’s Industrial Technology and Management Program (INTM) and Faculty Advisor of the IIT NECA Student Chapter represented IIT at the grand opening event on September 16. Prominent guests included Illinois Congressmen Michael J. Madigan and Michael Hastings, and Officers of the Electrical Contractors’ Association of City of Chicago (ECA). Dr. John Donahue, director of the IBEW/NECA Technical Institute and former INTM adjunct professor, gave the opening remarks.

IIT and INTM have a long-standing relationship with ECA and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 134. IBEW Local 134 member benefits include an educational pathway from INTECH to City Colleges of Chicago’s Richard J. Daley College program in Electrical Construction Technology to the Bachelor of Industrial Technology and Management program at IIT.