Learners Live

Home Builders Institute: “Welcome to the Future Builders of America®”

HBI’s job training focus begins early in a student’s life. The organization believes that introducing students to the skilled trades in middle and high school is essential to building tomorrow’s workforce, and over the last five years, HBI has introduced over 80,000 students to the industry through the Future Builders of America® program. From there, HBI supports or operates more than 600 training locations across the country, where experienced instructors prepare students for careers and connect them with employers in both the residential and commercial construction industries. As a national nonprofit with a proven model, decades of experience, and an established network across the country, HBI is well-positioned to scale their impact through thoughtful investments that transform lives while strengthening America’s workforce. Home – HBI

Doroni: We’re on Track to Bring Flying Cars to Neighborhoods by 2028

A $1 Trillion Mobility Market by 2040.

  • Received FAA clearance for prototype testing
  • Full showroom model of the H1-X unveiled
  • Targeted commercial deliveries for 2028
  • Maxed out our last raise in under 100 days
  • Officially reserved Nasdaq ticker $DRNI*

Personal flight is finally becoming viable. The urban mobility market is projected to reach $1T by 2040, driven by the rise of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The FAA’s new MOSAIC rule creates a clear path for personal eVTOL certification, opening a $457B+ market for everyday personal aircraft. Invest in Doroni Aerospace | The Future of Personal Flight

U.S. Battery Storage Capacity Grows 70% Annually Over the Past Three Years by Ryan Kennedy

National operational storage reached 52 GW in June 2026, with developers planning another 54 GW of capacity through 2028, according to the latest EIA data. Looking ahead, project developers report plans to bring another 54 GW of battery storage online over the next two and a half years. The planned pipeline includes 14 GW scheduled for the second half of 2026, 26 GW scheduled for 2027, and 14 GW scheduled for 2028. Total national operational storage capacity is expected to pass 105 GW by the end of 2028. Solar photovoltaic (PV) facilities host the largest battery storage units on the U.S. grid. Storage expansion is following solar additions regionally. U.S. battery storage capacity grows 70% annually over the past three years – pv magazine USA

Solar, Batteries Dominate New US Power Plants in H1

Solar has dominated a surge in utility-scale projects between January and June, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. Of the 368 utility-scale power plants added in the first half of the year, 207 were solar projects with a combined 11,458 megawatts of capacity across 207 projects. Batteries followed with 8,207 megawatts from 95 projects. However, the largest new projects were the SunZia Wind farms in New Mexico. So Much Solar: Digging Into the List of Every US Power Plant That Went Online This Year – Inside Climate News

Updated DLC Qualified Products List Streamlines the Search of Rebate-Eligible Lighting by Jason Jeunnette

The DLC’s enhancements to the SSL QPL now enable contractors to easily identify rebate-eligible products with precise control features. Just as LED technology turbo-charged lighting sector energy savings 15 years ago, controls are now poised to take lighting savings to a whole other level. A 2020 studyby DLC showed that adding networked controls to LED lighting projects can boost energy savings by an average of about 50% across various building types. Follow up research in 2023 illustrated even greater savings opportunities through integration of lighting controls with HVAC – a practice the study showed could reduce a building’s HVAC energy usage by 30% and potentially cut whole building energy consumption by up to 20%. The DLC’s recently updated Solid-State Lighting (SSL) Technical Requirements and Qualified Products List (QPL) address one crucial barrier to wider controls adoption – the time and effort required to find luminaires that have integral controls capabilities tailored to specific project needs and can also earn valuable rebates and incentives. Finding listed products is simple — just create a free myDLC account. Updated DLC Qualified Products List Streamlines the Search and Selection of Rebate-Eligible Lighting with Specific Controls Capabilities | EC&M

SpaceX Plans to Power $16.8B Terafab Without the Grid by Shane Snider

SpaceX plans to power its massive Terafab semiconductor and advanced-computing campus in Grimes County, Texas, with onsite generation and battery storage rather than electricity from the grid, according to a fully executed tax-abatement agreement with the county.  The agreement states that the facilities, once operational, “are expected to be powered by electricity generated by on-site power plant(s) and are not expected to use electricity from the grid.”  SpaceX plans to build natural gas-fired power plants and large battery arrays. SpaceX Plans to Power $16.8B Terafab Without the Grid

Sabin’s CYLINDER Acoustic Lighting Solution is Highly Customizable

Use CYLINDER in any interior space where effective lighting and noise absorption are important. CYLINDER by Sabin is an acoustical lighting solution crafted from recycled PET acoustic material. It’s fully customizable, with options for external light engines, heights up to 100 inches, and a selection of trim finishes.  Suitable for many environments from hospitality to the workplace, CYLINDER is a beautiful and functional workhorse for any setting where effective lighting, acoustical performance, and aesthetic precision are needed. Use it as a standalone statement piece or as part of a larger ecosystem. CYLINDER — SABIN

Manufacturing Finds Opportunity as College Skepticism Grows by John Dorer

It’s nothing new. Manufacturers have been struggling for years to attract younger workers to the skilled trades—many of the roles that keep plants functioning. In recent years, however, the broader conversation about this type of work is evolving….. Many young Americans share growing skepticism of the traditional college pathas white-collar office jobs face increasing pressure. It’s a meaningful shift as the manufacturing industry continues to face a consistent labor gap. Recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that there were roughly 438,000 open manufacturing jobs in early 2026. Long-term projections show little relief, as it’s expected the sector will need 3.8 million workers by 2033.  But there may be a very important break in that chain, as a growing section of younger workers are questioning whether the traditional college path is right for them. Plant roles and skilled-trade careers can be presented not as fallbacks, but as stable and practical career options that offer real pay, advancement and long-term demand. Manufacturing Finds Opportunity as College Skepticism Grows | Workforce Development | advancedmanufacturing.org

Elon Musk’s Terafab Will Be Earth’s Most Valuable Building, 50x the Size of the Pentagon by Phil Haunhorst

Elon Musk announced Terafab, a Texas chip factory that Tesla and SpaceX will build together. The comparisons landed as Tesla-SpaceX merger speculation intensifies. The planned semiconductor plant for artificial intelligence and robotics is expected to become the largest building in the world at more than 100 million square feet and will be built in Grimes, Texas, outside of Houston. Terafab will build chips for Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robots and Full Self-Driving software. It will also produce space-hardened chips for SpaceX satellites and orbital data centers tied to xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence venture. The project promises at least 3,000 local jobs. Musk said Terafab Texas would become the most valuable building on Earth by far. Tesla and SpaceX plan to invest $16.8 billion to start construction. Total spending could reach $119 billion across multiple phases, according to regulatory filings reported this week. Terafab Texas will be the largest and most valuable building on Earth by far. And it will be stunningly beautiful says Musk. Elon Musk’s Terafab Will Be Earth’s Most Valuable Building, 50x the Size of the Pentagon

VIDEO:  https://twitter.com/i/status/2085377974396752305  

Interesting: The Three Pillars of Independence of an Organization

The 3 Pillars of Independence most commonly refers to a framework from the UK voluntary sector (specifically promoted by organizations like Bond and the Directory of Social Change). It is a toolkit for assessing and maintaining the independence of charities, NGOs, or civil society organizations.

The Three Pillars are:

  1. Independent of Party Politics – The organization (or regulator) must remain free from bias or influence by any political party or the government of the day. Decisions should be impartial, not favoring one political side.
  2. Independent of Populism – It should not be swayed by popular public opinion, media-driven campaigns, or transient public pressure, especially on controversial or unpopular causes.
  3. Independent of the Press – Freedom from media influence or pressure, ensuring decisions are based on evidence and law rather than headlines or public narratives.

This toolkit was created to monitor potential political encroachment on charitable regulation and to ensure charities can operate without undue external interference.

 

Check out the learning sessions we posted…

August Blog: Learning to Get Better by Bill Attardi

WE ARE NOW LIVE ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@BillAttardi