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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Except for three spiral wind turbines and a solar <br />panel tree planted in front, the building at 14600 <br />Catalina St. in San Leandro looks like the other <br />nondescript industrial structures that surround it. <br />The former data center is taking on new life as <br />one of few buildings in the region and state that <br />will produce as much energy as it uses, or even <br />more. <br />An East Bay electrician’s union bought the <br />46,000-square-foot building in 2010 to house a <br />training center for apprentices. Union leaders <br />saw an opportunity to teach future electricians <br />about energy efficiency, and create a center that <br />embodies the most current and sustainable <br />practices. <br />“We were willing to spend more up front <br />because we know we’ll recuperate the costs in <br />savings over time,” said Byron Benton, training <br />director for the Alameda County Electrical Joint <br />Apprenticeship and Training Committee. “We <br />wanted to do this also because this is what we <br />train our apprentices for.” <br />The training center is a partnership between the <br />National Electrical Contractors Association, <br />which represents electrical contractors and <br />employers, and the International Brotherhood of <br />Electrical Workers Union. <br />While planning the renovation, union leaders <br />considered various green alternatives such as <br />pursuing LEED certification from the U.S. Green <br />Building Council. Instead, leaders decided to <br />reach further to meet U.S. Dept. of Energy <br />guidelines for zero-net-energy buildings. <br />Zero net energy is a concept that is gaining <br />traction with policy makers and the commercial <br />real estate industry. In 2008, the California <br />Public Utilities Commission set a goal for all new <br />commercial construction to achieve zero net <br />energy by 2030. President Barack Obama <br />established a national goal in 2011 to improve <br />energy efficiency in commercial buildings by 20 <br />percent during the next decade. <br />In 2009, nationwide contractors and government <br />agencies launched the Zero Energy Commercial <br />Buildings Consortium, an association working to <br />identify barriers to zero net energy and <br />recommend ways to achieve it. Zero net energy <br />in essence means achieving low energy <br />consumption and offsetting that consumption <br />with renewable energy, said Jeff Harris, senior <br />vice president of the Alliance for Saving Energy, <br />a Washington D.C.-based non-profit <br />organization that advocates for energy <br />efficiency. <br />“(Zero net energy) is a challenging target,” <br />Harris said. “It’s easier to achieve in a <br />relatively friendly climate like in California. <br />E LECTRICIANS S PARK R ALLY FOR <br />Z ERO-N ET-E NERGY U SAGE <br /> <br />San Francisco <br />Business Times <br />December 7, 2012 <br />By Bianca Torres (excerpt from full article) <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />San Leandro, CA <br />