After working at a business journal that covered various industry sectors, Gilbert Michaud found himself drawn to the energy and power sector and ultimately ended up pursuing a PhD in public policy.
Gilbert focused his PhD dissertation research on community solar and eventually began teaching classes and studying the social science behind solar deployment, such as community acceptance, zoning, economic and workforce development, policy evaluation, and more. His tireless and vibrant advocacy has led to him becoming a leading expert in Illinois’ solar industry.
“Solar is clearly a growing industry–here in Illinois, we have really strong sustainable energy policy via the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), which is putting us on a path toward 100% clean energy over the next few decades,” Gilbert said. “As a result, there are tons of emerging job opportunities to help the state achieve this target. Solar industry jobs are also incredibly diverse! From electrical engineers to IT specialists, project managers, attorneys, and many others, there’s a job for nearly everyone.”
He encourages people interested in solar to start advocating in their own neighborhoods and reaching out to elected officials.
“Go to a climate action lobby day in Springfield. Attend a neighborhood association meeting to see what energy issues people are talking about. Attend a local hearing for a large-scale solar facility. Learning about complex energy issues and then thinking about where you fit in can put you on a path to work in this industry,” Gilbert explained. “Some folks like data, writing, and research work. Others prefer speaking to citizens and doing community organizing and engagement. Maybe others prefer to work in the media covering clean energy topics. You can’t learn until you go out there and try!”
Gilbert strongly believes that maintaining strong policy incentives for solar energy, such as the Illinois Solar for All Program, tax credits, and rebate programs, will help Illinois’ industry flourish as will implementing clean energy legislation that will help provide those storage solutions for the state. Two proposed bills, HB 5856 / SB 3959, seek to provide those solutions.
“We’re already doing a great job,” Gilbert said. “ In 2023 alone, Illinois generated more solar energy than every other year before 2022 combined. We just need to sustain that momentum.”
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