Charles Skelly did not grow up planning to become an electrician.
After graduating college in Virginia with a degree in occupational safety, he spent years working in mechanical fields where the expectations were high and the pay was not. Eventually, in his mid-30s, he found the IBEW apprenticeship program. Today, he serves as Business Manager for IBEW Local 666 in Richmond, representing workers across 19 counties and five cities in Central Virginia.
Looking back, he still calls joining the IBEW “the best career move” he ever made.
That experience shapes how he sees the future of America’s energy system and the workers who will build it.
“As an electrician, I can promise you, we need more power,” Skelly says. “Everything runs off electricity these days.”
Across Virginia and much of the country, energy demand is growing rapidly. Data centers, manufacturing facilities, hospitals, schools, and growing communities all depend on a grid that works every hour of every day. That growing demand is one reason renewable energy projects and Battery Energy Storage Systems, often called BESS, are becoming increasingly important parts of modern energy infrastructure.
Battery storage systems help stabilize the grid by storing electricity when supply is available and delivering it when demand rises. They improve flexibility, strengthen reliability, and help ensure energy can be delivered when communities need it most.
For renewable energy projects, storage also helps maximize the value of the power being generated by making it easier to deliver electricity when demand is highest. As more communities invest in solar and other renewable energy sources, storage is becoming a critical part of building a grid that is reliable, resilient, and prepared for the future.
But building reliable energy infrastructure is not as simple as placing equipment in the ground.
Utility-scale solar and battery storage projects require highly trained electricians, advanced safety knowledge, and workers who understand complex electrical systems, grid integration, and long-term maintenance. That is where union labor makes a difference.
“Using union electricians on these projects brings a workforce with training and experience across many different types of construction,” Skelly says.
At Local 666’s training center, apprentices are learning the skills needed to build the next generation of energy infrastructure, including solar and battery storage systems. For Skelly, these projects are not separate from the tradition of skilled trades work that has powered communities for generations. They are part of its future.
“Construction work has been talked down about for years,” he says. “At the same time, the electrical industry is booming like we’ve never seen before.”
That future will require more than energy generation alone. It will require reliable infrastructure, modern storage systems, and a highly trained workforce capable of building them safely and correctly.
Union-built renewable energy is not just about producing power. It is about strengthening the grid, creating long-term careers, and making sure America has the skilled workforce needed to power the future reliably.