Janet Hughes

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

 

Janet is a community leader as a business woman, educator and consultant.  She has been a leader in the development of the solar Industry in Texas for many years and has been training solar energy installers for electrical, solar contracting companies since 1997, and has developed a PV training program in 6 cities in Louisiana and Texas in the last year. She actively participated in developing Austin Energy’s Solar Rebate Program.

 

Janet Hughes has a BA from the University of California, Santa Cruz, has 30 years of electrical and business experience, and 15 years of photovoltaic expertise. She is a licensed Master Electrician and successfully owned and operated an electrical contracting business for 16 years and an electrical and solar installation business for 10 years. Janet has extensive experience in small to large residential and commercial solar projects. Her contracting company installed over a hundred residential systems ranging from 1kW to 10kW and installed commercial systems ranging from 1kW to 71kW. She has extensive design and installation experience in grid tied, grid tied with battery back up, and off grid systems of all types and sizes.  Janet’s current company is Adven, LLC focusing on advanced energy strategies. In Adven she is currently doing solar PV training, solar design, and consultation for individuals and companies moving into the solar industry. She contracts for solar business development and design of net-zero residential solar subdivisions, and commercial PV projects from 10kW to the MW scale.

 

Janet has been involved in PV training for the past 10 years. She began by training electricians in her company and offering week end workshops for women in basic electrical and photovoltaic theory including hands on installation training. In 2003, Janet served as an instructor at a week-long Photovoltaic Women’s Training Workshop held at the American Solar Energy Society national convention, locally sponsored by Texas Solar Energy Society, during which a solar system was installed on the Austin Youth Hostel. Janet now is lead trainer for NABCEP approved PV installer classes in Louisiana and Texas. Adven and Janet have been contracted by Louisiana CleanTech Network to develop a state wide training program for solar installers. The program is a partnership between LA CleanTech and the Louisiana Community and Technical College System “LCTCS”. The program will eventually be deployed as PV installation training incorporated into the LCTCS regular curriculum. In Texas, Adven has partnered with “TREEC” Texas Renewable Energy Education Consortium and The American Youth Works to offer the same Louisiana program in Texas. Janet is developing the curriculum, overseeing the PV training program, instructing classes, training additional solar instructors, and leading on site solar PV installations that offer hands on training to the trainees. She is working towards attaining the IREC ISPQ certified master trainer designation. She has also worked with the Texas Renewable Industries Association and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation to develop a Solar Contractor's Licensing program for the state of Texas.

 

Janet has been committed to energy efficiency and green building for many years as she has worked with many green builders and made wiring green buildings a focus of her past business.  She has experience designing systems for and wiring structural insulated panel homes (SIPS), insulated concrete form homes (ICF), rastra block homes, rammed earth homes, hebel block homes, straw bale homes and faswall block homes. She encourages all her customers and clients to use and promote energy efficiency methods and energy efficient products as a first step in order to get the best results from solar energy systems. Janet’s company Adven is also developing and offering training classes in Solar Thermal, Home Performance Auditing, Home Performance Contracting, Home Performance Technicians, and Ulta – efficient HVAC retrofitting.