Are taking advantage of SEI’s job board?

SEI’s job board can help employers find qualified employees, and help job seekers find opportunities in the solar industry

Did you know that SEI has trained over 60,000+ people from all over the world on solar energy?  Did you also know that SEI hosts an exclusive job board that only our 60,000+ alumni can view?  If your company is looking to add an SEI trained professional to your team, please consider hosting your next job opening on SEI’s job board!  Check out the job listing previews at https://www.solarenergy.org/careers-job-board/ (You cannot view full job posting without alumni log in credentials).

Employers: To have your solar job posted send, at minimum, the name/location of your company, job description, and contact info for potential employees to SEI@solarenergy.org .  Your company’s job opening will be hosted for all SEI alumni to view for 90 days; you may resubmit after 90 days.  In the hopes of bringing professionally trained solar personnel in contact with great solar companies looking to hire, this service is completely FREE for both employers and alumni!

Alumni: For those alumni seeking jobs, don’t forget to regularly log into your account at https://solarenergytraining.org/course/view.php?id=402 see the latest job postings.  To get full access to SEI’s exclusive employer job openings, you must be a student/alum with SEI and received your alumni login credentials via email at time of original training.  If you didn’t receive your alumni login credentials or have forgotten them, please contact student services at SEI@solarenergy.org with your full name.

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Solar Forward: The importance of empowering community groups to “be the change” they want to see in their energy future

Solar Forward is on a mission to bring Solar Energy International (SEI)’s industry-leading solar expertise to communities throughout Colorado looking to kickstart solar markets. We are so excited to see solar growth efforts are ramping up in Gunnison County. As the school year gets underway, our program partners are starting their planning process for a Solarize program which is slated to reach the entire County.

The Solar Forward program empowers community groups to implement solar growth initiatives in the regions in which they are located. In the case of Gunnison County, two graduate students at Western Colorado State University are overseeing and implementing a Solarize program as their capstone project, with SEI’s Solar Forward Technical Adviser as their mentor.

This model is so important to ensure the sustainability of local solar market growth. By simply empowering program drivers in communities with tools and expertise needed to foster a strong solar market, Solar Forward is able to catalyze grassroots solar movements throughout the state which are able to stand on their own, and grow following the end of their year of solar consulting. This model also encourages local job creation and economic development.

Solar Forward Program Manager Mary Marshall traveled to the City of Gunnison last week, where she met with the Solar Forward partnered program coordinators. Thursday night she attended a potluck and brainstorming session, organized by the program coordinators. In attendance were community stakeholders, potential program volunteers, and local installers. Discussions for up to two hours followed the dinner and ideas abound about the potential of the upcoming Solarize program.

The next day, Mary sat in on meetings with an area installation company, and then walked the program coordinators through how to use the Solar Forward toolkit. Here is her takeaway from the trip:

“Experiencing the energy of people looking to grow solar in their own communities is my favorite part of the Solar Forward program,” she said. “It’s so important to us at Solar Forward to share the ongoing story of partnerships to celebrate their successes and inspire future innovative partnerships. This program is truly about YOU: the communities across the state and the people in them who want to make a change. We are just here to save you time, and to empower you with knowledge based on our experience so you can be the driver in your own community. I like to end every conversation by conveying the fact that I love to talk about this program, and am constantly open to taking any questions people might have about it. Let’s keep moving forward!”

Mary can be reached at mary@solarenergy.org or at 630-607-4352.

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SEI Mourns the Loss of Ed Marston, Former Board President and Champion of SEI

By Kathy Swartz, Executive Director

I remember the day so clearly. We were gathered together and brainstorming SEI’s vision statement, and Ed Marston said, “What about ‘a world powered by renewable energy’?” And the room became quiet. It was perfect—visionary and simply stated. It’s with great sorrow that I share with you that Ed Marston, long-time board president and SEI champion, died last Friday, August 31, 2018. He died of complications from West Nile. Back in April, we almost lost him to a heart attack and a multiple bypass surgery. We thought we had more time with him, but we lost this great man to a tiny mosquito. Ed earned his PhD in solid-state physics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1968, and was a physics professor before he and his wife, Betsy, and children Wendy, 4, and David, 2, moved to Paonia in 1974. He switched to journalism, founding two papers and becoming publisher of the weekly North Fork Times, 1975-1980, and Western Colorado Report, 1982-83, when it was folded into High Country News. He always worked with his wife, an editor who continued as his working partner. In 1983, he became publisher of High Country News, which continues to cover the West for its 35,000 subscribers who live all over the country. He held that writing and administrative post for 19 years until 2002, when he retired. Ed was our champion and a fierce defender of the West’s birthright of public lands, of local empowerment, and disruption of any kind, including energy. Never an ideologue, he’d often talk about how he heated his home with a coal furnace with locally mined coal. Community was so incredibly important to him. Ed joined our board in 2010 and was our board president from May 2012 through March 2017. As a student of the human condition with insatiable curiosity, he loved listening to our students share their stories and would joke how they, like him, couldn’t hold a career. After introductions, Ed would paint the 30,000-foot picture. He would weave together Topsy, the elephant that Edison electrocuted, the local marijuana industry, the decline of the nearby coal mines, electric utilities and the disruptive power of renewables. Sometimes we, the staff, would cringe—where is he going with this?—but he always brought it together in the inspirational way that only Ed could. Ed led us through the turbulent times of 2012 when SEI almost went out of business. Ed, as a new Board President, and I, a new Executive Director, both stepped into our roles at the same time. Ed was a generous mentor with so many of us, myself included, and with our Americorps VISTAs. We would often have tea together and he challenged me to think bigger, even when we didn’t agree on the direction SEI should go. Our meetings, like his class talks, were circuitous and inspirational, but often days or months later, the gems of wisdom that he shared would find their way into my thoughts. Ed was incapable of thinking small, and had an amazing sense of humor and an easy, infectious laugh.  About a year ago, Ed asked if, when he died, if the memorial could be at SEI. We were incredibly honored that he asked. Even Ed, as wise as he was, didn’t fully understand the impact that he’s had on thousands of people,  many of whom will be coming to his memorial on Friday, September 7 at 2pm. To accommodate everyone, it’ll now be at Delicious Orchards in Paonia. To Betsy, his wife of 52 years, and David and Wendy, we send our love. We are incredibly fond of Ed, and grieve his death. Ed, we miss you… Kathryn Swartz, Executive Director Solar Energy International (SEI)

 

More SEI Team Members Remember Ed Marston In the past year, Ed sent out an incredibly “Ed-like” holiday card. On the back was this poem, Things to Think Think in ways you’ve never thought before. If the phone rings, think of it as carrying a message Larger than anything you’ve ever heard, Vaster than a thousand lines of Yeats. Think that someone may bring a bear to your door, Maybe wounded and deranged; or think that a moose Has risen out of a lake, and he’s carrying on his antlers A child of your own whom you’ve never seen. When someone knocks on the door, think that he’s about To give you something large; tell you you’re forgiven, Or that’s it’s not necessary to work all the time, or that it’s Been decided that if you lie down no one will die. – by Robert Bly “Ed was one of the most insightful persons I have ever met.  I will miss his sense of humor and genuine concern for everyone he came in contact with.” -Ken Gardner, Vice President of the SEI Board of Directors, and Instructor “It must be a tough day at HQ in Paonia. Ed was a visionary and I am sure the entire community of Paonia and beyond will celebrate his life and contributions. I look forward to hearing more stories that are ‘Ed-like.’ Sadly, I only spoke with him a few times, though I was aware of his work from reading High Country News before I ever attended SEI. Sending loving thoughts to SEI, HCN, Betsy (his wife) and all in the North Fork Valley.” -Roger Williams, SEI Curriculum Developer and Instructor “How hugely ironic, unjust and unexpected that a man of such great physical and mental capabilities should be laid low by something microscopic.  What a wakeup call to each of us to live each day to our fullest capability and lie down each night knowing we had done the best we could that day, but vowing to do better the next. I write this through tears. 30 years ago,  I consulted with Ed about a small non-profit business I was starting.  He challenged me to be more thoughtful about what I wanted to do, to use more head not just heart, and to plan carefully.  I did some of the things he suggested, but not others.  He did not dismiss me because I chose my own way (which was not always successful), but continued to support and encourage me.  When he recruited me to join the SEI BOD, I asked, why me?  He said he thought I could bring some non-profit leadership experience to the Board (this from someone who had lead High Country News for decades and raised a lot of money to support it!). This time, I tried to follow his guidance more carefully.  I have contributed to SEI’s – both Board and staff – understanding of what a well-managed non-profit organization should look like.  And as this highly respected organization moves into the world of seeking support from philanthropic institutions, it is well prepared to be most successful.  Ed was the spark.  I just helped fan the flame. While I have not seen him as much of late as I did when he was President of the SEI BOD, I enjoyed our occasional exchanges.  Oh how I will miss them!  There is a huge hole in our community.  My heart aches with sadness.  Too soon, Ed, too soon. With love and sympathy to Betsy and the family.” -Sarah Bishop, SEI Board Director “I am shocked and deeply saddened to learn about Ed Marston’s death. When we served together as board members at SEI, Ed always acted in what he saw were the best interests of SEI as an organization, never with a personal agenda. His honesty and forthright approach were always appreciated in meetings and beyond. SEI, the West Slope, and the American West have lost a good person who was a unique and valuable treasure.” -Don Phillipson, former President of the SEI Board of Directors “I really respected Ed for his way of thinking, his insightful words, and his overall kindness to everyone I ever saw him speak to. I will miss his openings at the SEI classroom very much. They always left me with something to think about. I am very sorry for his loss.” -Karo Fernandez, SEI Curriculum Developer and Instructor

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SEPA report predicts the rapid growth of solar+storage: SEI classes can help you get an edge on this emerging market

This week, The Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) released its 2018 Utility Energy Storage Market Snapshot. According to SEPA, the report delivers “unbiased analysis and figures based on verified interconnection data from over 130 US utilities.” This year’s Utility Energy Storage Market Snapshot covers the expanding applications of energy storage and key market trends.

Here are some of the key take-aways from the report, based on reporting done by Solar Power World:

• U.S. utilities interconnected 216.7 MW, 523.9 MWh of energy storage to the grid across a total of 2,588 systems in 2017. By the end of the year, cumulative deployed energy storage had reached 922.8 MW, 1,293.6 MWh across 5,167 systems nationwide.
• In 2017, residential energy sotrage accounted for 13.3 MW, 29.3 MWh; while non-residential added 59 MW, 139.7 MWh; and utility supply reported 144.4 MW, 354.9 MWh.
• The Advancing Commonwealth Energy Storage (ACES) initiative in Massachusetts has provided $20 million in funding for 26 storage pilot projects.
• Storage technologies are being deployed in demonstration projects across a wide range of applications including aggregated behind-the-meter batteries, stand-alone deployments for ancillary services and load shifting, traditional-battery hybrid power plants, non-wires alternatives and as the key asset of a microgrid.
• Behind-the-meter battery storage customer offerings are of key interest to utilities, 64% interested, planning or actively implementing an offering. Green Mountain Power is leading the charge with two pilots: a Tesla Powerwall and a Bring Your Own Battery.
• Solar+storage projects are rapidly emerging across the United States as the costs decline and utilities leverage the capabilities these systems can offer. Salt River Project is testing a solar+storage project for smoothing intermittent renewable generation, while the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative now has a solar+storage system that provides fully dispatchable solar power.

So what’s the best way to keep up on this new market trend? SEI offers multiple different storage-centered classes ranging from battery basics, to advanced microgrid design.

PVOL203: Solar Training-PV System Fundamentals (Battery-Based) is a great place to start. In PVOL203 the focus is on the fundamentals of battery­-based PV systems. The applications and configurations are many, and their complexity far exceeds that of grid­-direct PV systems. Components such as batteries, charge controllers, and battery­-based inverters are covered in detail, along with safety and maintenance considerations unique to battery­-based systems. Load analysis is critical to system design and will also be addressed along with other design criteria such as battery bank configuration and the electrical integration of the system.

In more advanced battery training, we also offer PVOL303: Solar Training- Advanced PV Mulitmode and Microgrid design (battery-based) and PVOL304: Solar Training- Advanced PV Standalone System Design (battery-based).

Our most intensive offering of battery-based training is our Battery-Based Photovoltaic Systems Certificate track. This track has 6 required courses. The recommended training progression is: PV101 or PVOL101 > PV203 or PVOL203 > PV201L > PV301L > PV303 or PVOL303 > PV304 or PVOL304.

To learn more about the trainings we offer, to inquire further about the Solar Professionals Certificate program, contact the Student Services Team at sei@solarenergy.org or call 970-527-7657 x1.

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Last chance to earn 12 FREE NABCEP CEUs- Register for SEI’s Free Online Solar Installation Safety by August 15th!

For folks new to solar to those with years of experience, SEI’s Solar Installation Safety Training has been a huge success. Hundreds of our earliest enrollees have completed the free online safety course, with glowing reviews. Says one student, “it was well worth every minute to listen and participate in the interactive online program”- woohoo thank you! And good news is, we are open for more free enrollments until August 15th!

The course, offered to qualified individuals, was created in early 2018 after SEI was awarded an OSHA Susan Harwood Training Grant. A common message among student evaluations was that the course is valuable to those of all experience levels. Says one industry newcomer, “this was a great introduction to material I will need in my new role as a solar site surveyor, assessing hazards for our installers. I feel much more equipped to protect their safety. Thanks SEI!”. Thank YOU! Another industry veteran writes “good course even if you have a good amount of experience. Some of the fatality examples reminded me to never get lazy or in a hurry and ignore safety”. Students also appreciated the course layout and content flow; says one installer “well organized, logical topic grouping – seems like all the most relevant/important safety topics for roof installations were covered”. We’re glad to hear it!

Many folks suggested that all new employees, again regardless of their experience in the PV industry, should take this course. Says one company owner, “it would be worth it for our company to pay for our new installers to do this program in the future.’ Other students, from installers to project managers to business owners, seemed to echo the statement that this course should be mandatory for any new hires. Remember, it is great to have well-educated crews doing top quality installations, and it is even more important that every installer go home safely to their friends and family each night.

As always, this course was created by a team of SEI curriculum developers with decades of PV field experience. This experience allowed the team to bring forward their most valuable “lessons learned” to develop a safety course tailored to solar installations. Says one student, “the course material was very specific to what I do every day. It’s a great course taught by skilled people- if you have spent any time in the field, you will recognize a lot of the techniques and hazards that are covered in this course”.

SEI thrives on creating training material that helps our industry become better at what we do, presented in a way that every individual can digest and learn from. Says Dana Hickenbottom of Itek Energy, “SEI continues to be the gold standard of solar energy education and training within the industry. I can’t think of any other organization that has earned a better reputation through their incredibly knowledgeable and experience staff, well-designed courses, and community outreach”. Thank you so much Dana! And thanks to all the students who have completed the inaugural offering of our Solar Installation Safety Training.

Once again, this online course is available for FREE until August 15th. Students will have 30 days to complete the 12-hr course and earn NABCEP CEUs. Take advantage of this amazing opportunity by registering here: https://www.solarenergy.org/shop/package-deals/solar-installation-safety-training/

Note: This course runs for 30 days with NO extensions or retakes. Read more: https://www.solarenergy.org/shop/package-deals/solar-installation-safety-training/

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Members of the SEI community team up with San Juan College for a service trip in the Himalayas

For two weeks this past June, several members of the SEI family together with volunteers from San Juan College participated in a solar project in the Himalayas. In a continuation of the late SEI instructor Mike Sullivan’s humanitarian work on the Tibetan Plateau and throughout the world, SEI instructor Chris Brooks and San Juan College professor and longtime friend of Mike, Chris Strouthopoulos led the group. The volunteers raised $8,270 dollars to install a new PV system for the Student Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) school. A huge thanks is owed to all those in solar community and friends who made this all possible!

Situated in the Ladakh region of Jammu & Kashmir, India, SECMOL marries traditional Ladakhi culture with STEM education, experiential learning, animal husbandry, permaculture, natural building and renewable energy. Across the region and even India, its message has carried bringing tourists from Delhi and as far away as the states to spend time, learn, create and visit.

Each morning after the morning chai, volunteers were joined by several students from the school as the group worked on the system. Former SEI instructor Professor Carl Bickford led a group to install a new Outback Inverter with MPPT charge controller, complete with a new battery bank. SEI Spanish Instructor Pablo Hernández led AC wiring complete with the installation of a transfer switch for an existing generator. SEI contractor Gerald Espinosa helped led the wiring of the three arrays. And despite the other two chai breaks throughout the days, “high” tea at noon and chai before dinner, the project was completed with time to site see!

Following the system’s commissioning, Chris Strouthopoulos led a dedication in honor of Mike’s memory. There were stories told of his humility, his humor and his service to others the world over. And at a picturesque spot between the pole-mounted arrays with the Indus River below offering up a nice breeze, Pablo strung out Tibetan prayer flags.

The students who worked alongside the group to build the system presented what they learned and how the system functions before the rest of the school. The students then presented the group with the ceremonial “khata” scarf, a Tibetan symbol to represent the spirit of the giver, draped over parting guests.

In addition to the immersion into the SECMOL community, the group’s highlights included traversing the highest road in the world at 18,380 feet. The Khardung La pass as its known, took them to the Nubra Valley with views along the way into the Pakistani mountain range and Tibet-China. Following the palaces and monastaries of greater Leh, Ladakh, the group flew back to New Delhi for a brief trip to the Taj Mahal before there time in India came to an end.

As San Juan College’s Chris Strouthopoulos aptly put it while speaking to the school upon the group’s departure, “Thank you for making me happy.” Recounting psychologist’s findings on happiness, Chris paraphrased how an enduring and whole sense of happiness is found when we serve others, something the Ladakhi people have long known and practiced. In allowing the group to come and be guests of service, all were happy.

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Improve your solar resume in minutes with these tips from our Student Services Team

At Solar Energy International (SEI) we train around 2,000 students per season, many of them looking to break into the solar industry as a new career path. One question we get asked all the time is, how do I format my resume with past experience in a different industry in a way that appeals to solar employers? We sat down with the SEI Student Services Team to provide some quick tips you can use to improve your resume today.  

Create a targeted resume objective:  Formulating your objective is a crucial first step in writing your resume. It is often the first thing hiring committee members read.  Be sure to make it clear and relevant to the position in which you are applying. A starting point to craft the perfect objective is asking yourself questions like: What are the specific reasons you want to work in the solar industry? What can you offer a potential employer? What transferable skills, if new to the industry, or current skill sets do you have? Often times hiring committees get hundreds of resumes and they do an initial scan of resumes.  Be clear, concise and intentional with your objective. 

Use the correct industry lingo: Take take the time to really read what the job description says, and be sure to note the specific wording used by the employer. Don’t make the hiring committee search your resume to find ways in which your skills match what they are looking for, make it obviously stated in the words you choose to write your resume. Creating a resume that speaks to the needs of the what the company is looking for, and clearly itemizing how your specific experience can meet those needs, is the key to selling yourself as the best fit for the job. Think about how your skill sets match the keywords in the job description and what the company is looking for. If you are new to the industry, you will need to be able to specifically identify how your skill set will transfer effectively to a solar-focused role. Don’t be discouraged if you lack experience in solar, many skill sets transcend industries, and your unique experience can make you an asset to a company.   

Make sure to include a well-crafted, personalized cover letter: Cover letters are your chance to set yourself apart. Hiring committees really appreciate a cover letter that not only address the skills and ways in which someone can be an asset to their team, but also clearly shows the applicant has thoroughly researched the position and the company. Think about things like: Why do you want to work for this specific company? What in their mission speaks to you?

Try out Solar Energy International’s Solar Professional Certificate Program (SPCP): SEI’s SPCP is the industry’s most rigorous training program to prepare professionals for the highly technical clean energy workforce. Certificate paths include: Residential and Commercial Photovoltaic Systems Certificate, Battery-Based Photovoltaic Systems Certificate, Battery-Based Photovoltaic Systems Certificate, Battery-Based Photovoltaic Systems Certificate, Renewable Energy Applications Certificate, and the Solar Professionals Trainer Certificate. Certificate paths offer the recommended trainings for a focused area of study in the solar industry.

Not sure what path you’d like to take in the solar industry? No problem! Our PV101: Solar Training- Solar Electric Design and Installation is a great place to start! For more tips, training information, and personalized resume help, contact our Student Services Team at 970-527-7657 x1 or email sei@solarenergy.org.

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