SOLAR ENERGY NEWS & TECHNICAL INSIGHTS
Solar Power World: Solar and storage industry players launch equitable workforce training program
A new nationwide, equitable workforce training program has officially launched, called Building Equity in Solar Training (BEST). The program will provide skills-based training and certifications needed for a successful career in solar, energy storage and EV charging. Click here to read full article.
Working Safe in Solar: Your Tools Matter – Get 15% Off Fluke Tools
Working in solar can be both exciting and rewarding, but risks can loom large. While SEI strives to equip you with safety-minded education, the tools you use in the field play a vital role in your safety as well. To better protect yourself while working in potentially hazardous environments, SEI is proudly partnering with Fluke to offer you 15% OFF their industry-leading ...
SEI offering technical training at the 2023 NABCEP CE Conference
The NABCEP 2023 CE Conference is a unique event that is created by solar professionals for solar professionals and is intended to provide an affordable continuing education option for professionals who are interested in gaining the skills and knowledge to stay ahead of their competition. Earn up to 22.5 hours of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to recertify your NABCEP Board Certification or 18 hours ...
New Course: EV Charging Equipment Preparedness
It can be tough to figure out all the details when it comes to Electric Vehicles (EV) and their associated charging equipment. SEI’s new on-demand course is designed to introduce you to what you need to know about EV’s and how to understand and implement electric vehicle charging equipment. Start today! After completing this course, participants will be able to: Contrast the difference between types ...
Serving Those Who Have Served
At SEI, we are proud to support all U.S. military service members who are currently wearing the uniform or have honorably served our country in the past through our Veteran’s Program. In recent years, we helped launch the Solar Ready Veterans Program through the Department of Energy's SunShot initiative, offering our training to help veterans start their solar career journey. Today, one of the ways ...
The Future is Bright for Our Youth Thanks to the Solar in the Schools Program
SEI’s Solar In the Schools (SIS) program is empowering K-12 teachers and students through renewable energy training, both online and in-person through experiential learning. This year, the program delivered hands-on learning presentations and training to over 800 students! With two focuses of the program, one aligned with younger students (K-8), and the other aimed at highschoolers, the program is having an impact across ...
Alumni Spotlight: SEI student alum is site superintendent on a 6.6 MW solar farm
From Solar Energy International (SEI) student to site supervisor, we love to share success stories like those of Solar Training Alumni Andrew Niles, who began his solar journey at the Solar Ready Vets Cohort at Fort Carson, Colorado, where SEI was giving classes. Andrew is currently a site supervisor at Strata Solar based out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but got his start with an ...
2017 National Solar Jobs Census: SEI supports solar job market growth
The 2017 National Solar Jobs Census, the leading and most comprehensive report on solar labor market trends in the United States, was made public on Wednesday, January 2, revealing that solar jobs increased in 29 states with emerging solar markets including Utah, Arizona, Minnesota, New York, New Jersey, Tennessee and others. The annual report, by The Solar Foundation, an independent 5019(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has shown ...
Solar Energy International, Western join forces: Partnership to offer college-level courses in solar energy
GUNNISON, Colo. – Solar Energy International (SEI) and Western State Colorado University are proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership through the Western Extended Studies Department that will give students the ability to receive college credit for SEI's industry-recognized solar training program. Through a dual enrollment agreement, students will be able to enroll in SEI's classes offered online, in-person and as hands-on labs to receive college credit ...
Solar Energy International (SEI) Represented on the 2020 NFPA Code-Making Panel 4 for the National Electrical Code (NEC)
Nationally, SEI is directly involved with the 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC). Rebekah Hren, (Principal) and Brian Mehalic (Alternate) represent SEI on NFPA Code-Making Panel 4 for the NEC. At the First Draft meeting in January, they worked with other panel members to review and respond to hundreds of public inputs submitted for consideration as revisions to Articles 690, 691, 692, 694, 705, 710, and ...
Solar Service Projects in the Himalaya, in memory of SEI Instructor Mike Sullivan
Solar Service Projects in the Himalaya, in memory of SEI Instructor Mike Sullivan! Click here to learn more and apply: https://www.sanjuancollege.edu/learning/departments/global-studies/travel-study/india-solar-project-in-the-himalaya/ SEI is pleased to share San Juan Community College’s Solar Project in the Himalaya, from June 16-29 in the Ladakh region of northern India. The class will be limited to 12 people. Not only will participants be installing a PV system at a remote SECMOL ...
A message from SEI Executive Director Kathy Swartz–Thank you!
To Our Supporters, Friends, and Alumni, THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! We are so pleased to announce that we reached our goal of raising $120,000 to build our first international training facility in Costa Rica! We couldn’t have done it without you! The solar training facility in Costa Rica will serve people within the region, including all of Latin America and the Caribbean. The ...
Solar Energy International (SEI) Responds to U.S. Travel Ban and Refugee Targeting with Scholarship Program
To SEI's International Alumni, Future Students, and Friends, The recent actions taken and announcements made by the new U.S. administration concerning travel bans, building border walls, and targeting refugees have been deeply upsetting to us because these actions directly impact our relationship with you. As the status of these policies are quickly evolving, we rightly understand that some of you may be anxious or unable ...
SEI and WISE Team Up to Empower Women Through Solar Training Partnership
“Solar Energy International (SEI) is thrilled to announce our expanded partnership with WISE - Women in Solar Energy, encouraging even more women to enter the solar industry. Since SEI’s founding in 1991, they have empowered women to enter the renewable energy workforce through scholarships, women’s-only trainings, and by the incredible women that teach and work for SEI. By partnering with WISE, our alumni will have ...
The Day After the Election: A Letter from Solar Energy International’s (SEI) Executive Director
Dear SEI Students, Alumni, and Supporters, So it’s Wednesday, November, 9th - the day after yesterday - the day after the election. Regardless of how you voted, it feels like a profound shift has happened. SEI is re-committing ourselves as a non-profit educational organization to continue our passionate work we do each and every day working in support of our mission. SEI’s mission of providing ...
Solar Energy International (SEI) Spanish Program Job Opportunity – Marketing and Communications Assistant
SEI is excited to be hiring a NEW position to our growing Spanish training program. The Spanish Program at SEI was founded in 2013 to provide solar PV training for Spanish speakers within and outside the US, namely Latin America. The SEI Marketing and Communications Associate (MCA) is responsible for implementing the strategy around the messaging and marketing of SEI’s Spanish Program. Through working with ...
SEI Alumni Highlight: Ben Graves – Science Teacher at Delta High School
Solar in the Schools - A 21st Century Education for the Next Generation The final weeks of summer brought teachers, as well as students to Solar Energy International's (SEI) campus. Ben Graves, a science teacher at Delta High School (about 30 miles from SEI), came to SEI for PV 201L: Solar Electric Lab Week (Grid Direct). Ben joined the hands-on lab week as part of ...
Solarize Delta County Launches April 15!
Solar Energy International (SEI) is proud to announce the April 15th launch of Solarize Delta County, an effort to increase the accessibility and affordability of solar energy for all Delta County residents. With the support of the Delta County Economic Development (DCED), Solarize Delta County seeks to raise local awareness of solar, lower the cost of solar electric (PV) systems, and significantly ramp up adoption ...
Solar Energy International (SEI) Participates in 2017 NEC Meeting to Discuss Code Changes Effecting Solar PV Industry
2017 NEC in Full Swing...What?!? That's right, the deadline to submit proposals for the 2017 National Electrical Code is rapidly approaching. As of this writing, around a quarter of the states have adopted the 2014 NEC; the majority are still on 2011 - though that number is continually shrinking - along with a few lingerers stuck on 2008. Regardless of what Code is enforced in ...
Solar Energy International (SEI) Breaks Ground in Accrediting Architects in Renewable Energy Technologies
Architects attending the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in New Orleans from October 22-24, 2014 can learn more about how to receive continuing education credits through Solar Energy International (SEI). Inspired by their new course, Inspecting Solar Heating Systems in New York State, developed in collaboration with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), SEI is extending continuing education credits (CEUs) not ...
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SEI Team Member, Bertram Peterson helped solar power a refugee camp in Greece
Bertram Peterson, SEI Spanish Program Curriculum Translator and Developer, recently participated on an installation of 24 kw interconnected PV systems in a refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece. "In order to improve the living conditions in the camp, I joined a team from TU Delft to found Energy for Refugees, an NGO that aims to provide energy to those who need it most. With a couple ...
First cohort of 13 women graduated using SEI’s curriculum in Puerto Rico Model Forest
On Saturday July 13th, Bosque Modelo graduated its first cohort of 13 women from 9 municipalities in the western highlands of Puerto Rico. The graduating women participated in (15) 6-hour weekly training sessions using Solar Energy International's (FV101) Solar Electric Design and Installation (Grid-Direct) and (FV203) PV System Fundamentals (Battery-Based) spanish curriculum. In addition, the women participated in 6 supervised, practice community installations in residential and ...
Alumni Highlight: From SEI student to 165 MW of solar projects across Minnesota!
John Middendorf attended Solar Energy International in 2008. After attending SEI, he worked for a small company called Apex out Saint Cloud, Minnesota. At Apex, John worked on residential and small commercial systems. In 2013, he started working for TruNorth Solar, where he built portfolios of up to 2.5 MW on rooftops and ground mounts. In 2015, John worked at Gehrlicher Solar, which turned into ...
A letter of gratitude and warm wishes for the holiday season from SEI Executive Director Kathy Swartz
Dear Alumni and Friends, Happy Solstice! Winter has officially arrived in Colorado. While there are just a few patches of snow throughout our PV training campus in Paonia, the mountains are already deep in snow. There’s a cautious optimism that the snowpack will continue throughout the winter, which in spring and summer, provides water for drinking, irrigation for local farms, and outdoor adventures. We often ...
The one thing industry experts say you must do before growing your solar business
The solar industry is growing faster than ever. Maybe you own a solar business that has been booming, or you’re looking to expand into more local markets. We sat down with Will White, Solar Energy International (SEI) curriculum developer and instructor of PVOL206: Solar Training-Solar Business and Technical Sales, to get his expert insight on the most important things to consider before growing your solar ...
SEI Teams Up with Remote Energy to Train Ugandan Engineers on Solar Water Pumping Design
In mid-May, a team of eight Ugandan engineers and one sociologist from the Ministry of Water & the Environment made the long journey to SEI headquarters in Paonia, CO to learn about solar water pumping design. The Ugandan Ministry of Water installs large community-sized water pumping systems, and the group came to SEI as a part of their work on the Energy for Rural Transformation ...