SOLAR ENERGY NEWS & TECHNICAL INSIGHTS
A Life-changing Experience with Solar Education: Anaide’s Story
Solar Installation and Project Development is still a male-dominated sector of the solar industry, with just 27.8% of workers identifying as female. But through your support, SEI is changing that narrative by offering life-changing trainings and resources to women entering the solar workforce. Not only are we narrowing the gender gap and shifting the statistics, but we are empowering women to take a ...
Hispanic and Latinx’s Impact on the Future Solar Workforce
SEI has been training Spanish speakers worldwide since 2014, with over 15,000 people taking part in our program - and we're still counting! While the success of this milestone is meaningful to us and our longtime U.S. & Latin America partners, how does Hispanic and Latinx participation impact the solar workforce at large? Hispanics and Latinxs projected to represent 78% of new U.S. net workers ...
2022 Milestones and Empowering our Future
From all of us here at Solar Energy International (SEI), we want to say a big thank you for your support through tuition payments, partnerships, and donations! With your help, 2022 has been a year of growth towards our goal of empowering students, alumni and partners to build a well-trained solar workforce. Some 2022 highlights include: Students Trained In Scholarship Funds ...
Grist: Solar power’s continued success rests on diversifying its workforce
Meeting projected demand will require a far larger pool of installers and technicians. Employing women and people of color is the industry's best chance to achieve that. I’ve been working in the solar industry across three continents for nearly 20 years. I’ve been a part of community installations, and I’ve supported women in the remote Indian islands of Sundarbans as they’ve expanded their solar charging ...
Solar Energy International Announces New Scholarship Opportunity for Women
Paonia, CO., October 11, 2022 – Solar Energy International (SEI) announced today a new scholarship that empowers women from all over the world with solar energy training and professional development through the SEI Women in Solar Power program. The program aims to further bolster the growing network of women who are pursuing career pathways in the solar energy sector and support solar professionals actively ...
SEI and AES Launch Solar Workforce Development Program for Colorado Residents
Solar Energy International (SEI) and AES partner to create a solar training scholarship program that encourages participation in Colorado’s solar industry Paonia, Colo., October 10, 2022 — Solar Energy International (SEI), a leading solar training educational non-profit, has again collaborated with The AES Corporation, a global energy company accelerating the future of energy and a leading developer of utility-scale solar generation, to extend a solar ...
Solar, in spite of the tariff, will continue to thrive and disrupt
A message from Kathy Swartz, Solar Energy International (SEI) Executive Director Dear Friends and Alumni of SEI, On Monday, January 22, the Trump Administration made a deciding call on the anticipated solar trade case, announcing a 30 percent tariff on imported solar cells and modules, to taper off by five percent over four years. While we are disappointed in this decision, this is not doom ...
Preparing for NABCEP’s three new specialty certification exams with SEI’s solar installer training courses
This month, The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) officially announced three new specialty certifications. According to the NABCEP website, the certifications were developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Sunshot Initiative, in an effort to reflect the demands of the solar industry. So how does Solar Energy International (SEI)’s solar installer training prepare students for these new certifications? The ...
Alumni Highlight: SEI provides experience to take your career to the next level
Have you thought about your New Year’s resolution yet? 2018 is the perfect time to grow your solar career. Solar Energy International (SEI)’s Solar Professionals Certificate Program (SPCP) is the industry's most rigorous training program to prepare professionals for the highly technical clean energy workforce. SEI offers six different SPCP tracks for students to pursue certifications in technical areas such as Residential and Commercial Photovoltaic ...
New job opportunities are opened for Solar Energy International (SEI) solar training program graduates
"Never stop fighting for your dreams, renewable energy is a great passion, and opportunities are given, there are companies that offer internships, you just have to go out there and look for them,” recommends with conviction Javier Pacheco, graduated from the SEI Solar Professional Certificate Program to all those who are embarking on a new solar career. And Javier is speaking from experience. When he ...
An SEI Alum’s take on green jobs: Why Mark donated stock
Mark left his expiate job in Belgium and returned to the U.S. in pursuit of living his passion through a green job. From Belgium to Carbondale, Colorado in 2002 he studied solar PV, solar hot water, wind, and natural building at Solar Energy International (SEI). Fast forward to today, Mark’s passion led him to an unsuspecting place: working for a pharmaceutical company. In his packaging ...
Colorado Gives Day: Help us give back to our home state!
An International Renewable Energy Leader, and the Rural Valley it Calls Home Solar Energy International (SEI) believes in a world powered by renewable energy, so it is only fitting that our mission begins at our homebase in Delta County, and in the surrounding communities in Colorado. Students who have visited SEI’s campus in Paonia know how special it is: the snow-capped mountains, the patchwork of ...
Solar Energy International (SEI) Selected by Chilean Government for Technical Solar Training
¡The President of Chile announces the program “Scholarships for Human Capital,” solar workshops for 150 Chileans, lead by SEI! Last week the President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, announced the program “Scholarships for Human Capital,” a program that will train 150 professionals from Chile between November of 2015 and April of 2016. The program is made possible by the Corporation of Production Development (CORFO), a governmental ...
SEI Kicks Off Another Session of Solar Ready Vets Solar Training at Ft. Carson – Colorado
Congratulations to the 25 transitioning soldiers and vets who began SEI's Solar Ready Vets at Ft. Carson earlier this month. This is an intensive 5 week training program sponsored by the Department of Energy. Though this photo was shot in the classroom, over 50% of the class is hands-on. The class is being taught by Brian Mehalic and Tom Honey, who is a Navy vet. ...
SEI Volunteer Work Trader Highlight: Serendipity and Paonia, Colorado’s First EV Charging Station
by Gerald Espinosa - SEI Volunteer Work Trader I was on the way to move back to Denver, on a roadtrip from California with my dad. I had passed through Paonia last summer while camping in Crested Butte. That’s when I found out about SEI. I had just started exploring a budding passion for renewable energy back in California, and I thought, this town has ...
Solar Energy International (SEI) Launches Solarize North Fork Valley Colorado – Buy Together. Save Together.
On May 1, Solar Energy International (SEI) will be launching the Solarize North Fork Valley program, a 3 month energy efficiency and solar educational campaign in the North Fork Valley (Paonia, Hotchkiss & Crawford) running from May 1, 2015 through July 31, 2015. Check out the details on our website: https://www.solarenergy.org/solarize-north-fork/ Events: May 1, 2015 Paonia Launch Event - Western Colorado Solar Fair (Open and ...
Solar Energy International (SEI) Selected by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for Military Base Solar Training Program
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is piloting an intensive solar workforce training program—Reach for the Sun—to provide transitioning military personnel the highest quality professional skills to prepare them for a potential employment in the solar industry upon discharge. The DOE has partnered with Solar City, SunRun, Vivint Solar, SunEdison, and SunPower to interview and potentially hire veterans after leaving the service. Solar Energy International ...
Solar Energy International (SEI) Hosts Delta County 8th Grade Solar Technology Field Lab
SEI's Solar In the Schools (SIS) program finished its 2014 season of labs with local 8th grade students participating in an introductory solar technology lab October 21 - 24. A total of 320 students from Delta Middle, Cedaredge Middle, Hotchkiss K-8 and Paonia Jr. High arrived by school bus to explore SEI's lab facility in groups of 40 for morning and afternoon lab sessions. Boys ...
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SEI launches Solar Forward: A new solar advising program for rural Colorado communities
This year, Solar Energy International (SEI) has launched a new statewide initiative for rural communities in Colorado. Read more about the program that powers rural Colorado communities into the future by starting or supporting solar markets: SEI is seeking communities interested in growing their local solar, renewable energy, and energy efficiency markets to participate in a new program, Solar Forward. The Solar Forward program is ...
Solar Energy International (SEI) will be attending Greentech Media Mexico Solar Summit 2018
With Latin America's emergence as the hottest region for solar development in recent years, Mexico has taken the lead with a dynamic energy transition that sets the stage for unprecedented solar growth. Solar Summit Mexico will leverage GTM Research’s expertise in Mexico to ensure your company is uniquely positioned to capture specific opportunities while appropriately managing regulatory, political, and market risks. Solar Energy International (SEI) is ...
Invest in a future powered by renewable energy with the Clean Energy Credit Union
Have you ever wondered how you can support the clean energy movement? Clean Energy Credit Union presents a new, exciting opportunity to join the fight against climate change, protect the environment, and invest in sustainable practices. Clean Energy Credit Union is a member-owned, member-governed financial institution with a unique twist: it is focused exclusively on loans that help people fund clean energy projects such as ...
Solar Energy International (SEI) Launches Solar Ready Colorado Training Outreach Program
Building upon Solar Energy International’s (SEI) technical solar training program that has been in operation for over 25 years with over 45,000 alumni worldwide - SEI is launching a Colorado based training and career outreach program titled - Solar Ready Colorado: Solar Professionals Training and Outreach Program. SEI will lead a team of industry partners to promote and offer SEI’s industry recognized technical solar energy ...
SEI Alumni Highlight: Emily Petrossian Completes Battery-based Solar Installation Training
Emily Petrossian (second from the left in the photo) is the newest member of a battery manufacturing company based in California. She is the latest team member to attend solar installation training at Solar Energy International (SEI), sponsored by a company who routinely send their employees to train with SEI. Her goal was simple: to understand the uses and applications of her company’s battery technology ...
Solar Energy International (SEI) Alumnus Brings Renewable Energy to Small Pacific Island in Need
With our 45,000 alumni, we get to hear about some of the coolest, life-changing projects. This one comes via Adam Hammond (class of 2013). Bluetech Financing Solutions today signed a memorandum of understanding with the Area Council leaders of a remote island in Vanuatu to deliver a solar+storage based microgrid pilot project. "Today represents an important milestone in years of hard work on the business ...