NEWS
SEI and AES Launch Solar Workforce Development Program for New Mexico Residents
In partnership with Solar Energy International (SEI), AES supports solar scholarship program to stimulate local participation in New Mexico’s solar industry Paonia, Colo., July 26, 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 expand a solar ...
SEI is hosting multiple technical training seminars at RE+
Many of SEI’s team members will be attending and teaching at this year’s RE+ Conference (former SPI)! Join us in Anaheim between September 19-22, where you can connect with North American solar industry professionals and vendors as they share the latest insights impacting your business and showcase the newest products and services in the industry. RE+ gives you access to an attendee-base that represents over ...
Utah Solar Career Training Program Scholarship Launched by Solar Energy International (SEI) and AES
AES, a global energy company accelerating the future of energy and a leading developer of utility-scale solar generation, recently partnered with Solar Energy International (SEI), a leading solar training educational non-profit, to provide solar workforce development services in Utah. SEI's training program prepares people for a career in the clean energy sector with a focus on solar photovoltaic (electrical) technologies. With over 30 years of ...
Solar Energy International Secures Scholarship Funding, Now Enrolling for Women Training Women Program October 2022
SOLV Energy invests in a more diverse solar future through scholarship funds Solar Energy International (SEI), the world’s leading renewable energy technical training and education provider, today announced it has secured scholarship funding for its new SEI Women in Solar Power program. The SEI Women in Solar Power program was created to empower women (and anyone who identifies as such in a significant way) world-wide ...
SEI’s Solar Forward Program has developed an online Resource Center for program participants
The Solar Forward outreach program has created an information clearinghouse and forum for community partners Paonia, CO - The outreach program, Solar Forward, has developed the online “Solar Forward Resource Center” for community partners to be able to access marketing and training resources, receive updates from Solar Forward about sustainability and renewable energy funding sources, and communicate with other Solar Forward communities through an online ...
ASES Conference: Continual Learning about an Inexhaustible Resource
The theme of the 2022 American Solar Energy Society (ASES) annual conference was “Energy Transition with Economic Justice”. Three poets and a philosopher helped kick-off the opening reception; Beata Tsosie, Hakim Bellamy, and Jimmy Santiago Baca welcomed the assembly to their homeland, Albuquerque, New Mexico and interrogated the premise of equitable conversations in a majority white, privileged audience. Poet Baca did not let the ...
Everything you need to know about SEI, all in one place! Take a look at SEI’s new smart phone app
SEI Launches the SEI Training360 App! Download Today! The Solar Energy International (SEI) Training360 Mobile App and Student Orientation is your one stop informational resource and full 360 degree view of everything you will need to be successful during your time as a student with SEI and beyond. Even if you are considering enrolling with SEI - you should download this app to check out ...
Announcing the new Solar Energy International (SEI) Online Alumni and Career Center!
SEI is excited to announce the launch of our brand new Online Alumni and Career Center (ACC). SEI students have helped SEI become what it is today - the leading Renewable Energy Training provider in the world! In return, we strive to continually improve the resources and information that we provide to our students and alumni, that you will need throughout your solar career. We are ...
Happy Summer Solstice! Are you 100 for 100?
Paul Ruiz envisions a world powered by renewable energy. He grew up in an off-grid cabin in the rural mountains of Costa Rica powered by solar and hydropower. He accessed electricity for the essentials only – lighting and refrigeration. He rode wild horses, wrangled cattle, and built things with his hands. As a young adult he sold roses to tourists, guided as a Costa Rican ...
SEI Instructor Highlight: Meet Eissa Ali
From enrolling in Solar Energy International (SEI)’s RE100: Introduction to Renewable Energy to supervising the transition of more than 522 mobile network stations from conventional power supply to Off-Grid and Hybrid solar systems in Sudan, Mali, Ethiopia and Egypt, SEI Instructor Eissa Ali credits SEI’s solar energy training for his success in the solar industry. Now, he’s SEI’s newest instructor leading courses in the Middle ...
Solar Energy International and Shams Global Solutions Leaders of Solar Training in Oman
Solar Energy International (SEI) and Shams Global Solutions (SGS), a local Omani company, have partnered to launch Oman’s first and only certified solar photovoltaic training course! The course, PV101: Solar Electric Design and Installation (Grid-Direct) is officially certified by Oman’s Distribution Code Review Panel (DCRP) and supports applications to become a DCRP approved Solar Professional. This DCRP certification is required for individuals looking to work ...
Take a deep dive into SEI campus’s battery technology and meet the lab yard’s first Lithium Ion battery
Solar Energy International recently added a brand new SMA Sunny Island AC-coupled system to it's battery-based hands-on training in the Paonia, Colorado lab yard. Danny Bailey, SEI’s PV Lab manager weighs in on system: The new Sunny Island AC coupled system is comprised of the following components: The primary battery based inverter is an SMA, Sunny Island SI4548 which has a 4500W output at 48Vdc. ...
Register Today for the NABCEP Virtual CE Conference
Will you be attending the NABCEP Virtual CE Conference between September 9th-24th? Many of our students and alumni will be there, and we highly recommend getting connected with NABCEP if you are serious about a career in solar energy! This is one of the MUST ATTEND conferences for solar professionals in the industry. In addition, don't miss the certified training opportunities that we will be ...
FIMER supports Solar Energy International (SEI) through Industry Sponsorship
FIMER’s generous donations over the next 3 years will help SEI realize their vision of building a global solar energy workforce. PAONIA, CO. , JUNE 5, 2020 – Solar Energy International (SEI) is excited to announce its collaboration with FIMER as a watt-level industry sponsor through SEI’s Industry Sponsorship Program. FIMER’s generous contributions will help cover SEI’s general operating expenses to facilitate the building of ...
Solar energy education opportunities expand for Caribbean practitioners through the launch of the Caribbean Solar Energy Training Network (CaribSETNet)
Paonia, Colo., August 20, 2020 – Solar Island Energy and Solar Energy International (SEI) announced today their partnership to provide practical, technical skills training to current and aspiring Caribbean PV practitioners through the launch of the Caribbean Solar Energy Training Network (CaribSETNet). This year CaribSETNet will award 10 to 20 partial or full tuition scholarships in solar training to selected applicants to advance their professional ...
You’re Invited to EMPOWER 2020 | Virtual Solar Summit 20+ Speakers | 7 Sessions | Up to 4 NABCEP CEUs
https://youtu.be/4XBCksn_xw8 On July 23rd, join Aurora Solar with solar industry leaders, policy insiders, and growth experts as we discuss how the solar industry can navigate the challenges and possible opportunities amid COVID-19. The one-day virtual event features six panel sessions on practical topics such as digital lead generation, solar plus battery storage, digital permitting and more. View the summit schedule here—sign up for all ...
FREE Webinar on Drones, 3D Mapping and LiDAR on April 22nd!
SEI is partnering with Scanifly to offer a first time ever course on Drones, 3D Mapping and LiDAR. Attendees of this FREE 90 minute webinar can expect to learn everything about using drones for project development purposes: what drone to buy, how to fly drones, best practices for building an in-house or third party drone team, how to incorporate drones into onsite assessments, and what benefits drones will have to ...
Solar Energy International expanding online solar training during pandemic
Solar training organization Solar Energy International is postponing all in-person training that was scheduled for March through May, but will have an expanded focus and training options through the SEI Online Campus during that time. “We wanted to reach out to all of our students, alumni, employers and supporters to let you know SEI is open for business and that we are pushing forward ...
SEI’s Solar in Schools grows with the help of Jared Polis Foundation Grant
As cities across the country pledge their commitment to go 100% renewable, a challenge is presented to rural communities, like Delta County, who have been historically coal-producing, to transition into adopting energy practices of the future with limited resources compared to bigger cities. Since 2015, Solar Energy International (SEI) has recognized this struggle, and as a result sought out a means of economic development for ...
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 ...
The season of giving: Donations benefit SEI’s scholarship program
Around this time last year, Solar Energy International (SEI) alum, Brittany Heller, sat down and made a list of goals for the upcoming year, one of them being to further her solar education through solar PV training, specifically in battery-based technology. Soon after Brittany met SEI Marketing and Communications Manager, Mary Marshall, and SEI Development Director, Marla Korpar, at a 200-kW installation in Norwood, ...
Rural Renewable Energy Alliance and SEI partner to teach a Liberian technician training
The following is a guest blog post submission from Carol Weis, former SEI staff member and co-founder of Remote Energy, who recently completed a training with the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance. In October 2017, Solar Energy International (SEI) taught a 2-week intensive battery-based class, partnering with Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL) at their facility in northern Minnesota for technicians from Africa. This training was part ...
Help support a solar-powered radio station in Tanzania
In 1997, Lukas Kariongi was an eager young Maasai from East Africa who traveled to Solar Energy International (SEI) for solar energy training. At SEI, he began his life-changing training to be a solar technician as a tuition-funded scholarship student. When Lukas first began his SEI journey back when the campus was based in Carbondale, Colorado, he linked up with SEI co-founder, Johnny Weiss. Aligning ...
SEI’s local solar initiative, Solarize, concludes with over 400kW of solar installed in Delta County
Solar Energy International’s (SEI) Solarize Delta County Farms has officially come to a close, and the cumulative success of all three Solarize campaigns can finally be revealed. The final results are: nearly 60 new solar installs equaling over 400kW, nine new jobs, and over $1.5 million invested by community members in solar energy in Delta County! Solarize is an outreach model that includes a driving ...
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 ...
SEI Welcomes ECOMARK Solar as Solar Ready Colorado Employer Partner
SEI welcomes ECOMARK Solar as an employer partner to the Solar Ready Colorado outreach and training initiative! More info about Solar Ready Colorado - visit www.SolarReadyColorado.org "ECOMARK is excited to partner with Solar Energy International's (SEI) Solar Ready Colorado Training Program. We trust this program will ensure Colorado's clean energy workforce is trained at the highest level and will give our company a large pool ...
Solar Energy International (SEI) Celebrates 25th Anniversary at Solar Battle of the Bands 2016
Solar Battle of the Bands, a solar industry party and musical competition, announces its sixth annual event at the Mezzanine in San Francisco on Wednesday, July 13 at 8 pm. Founded in 2011, Solar Battle of the Bands (SBOB) is produced by Quick Mount PV, a solar mounting manufacturer based in Walnut Creek, CA. SBOB is a unique industry event that coincides with the Intersolar ...
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) Kicks Off Instructor Training Week
SEI's 9th Annual Instructor Training Week kicks off with dozens of SEI instructors and staff converging on Paonia, Colorado for a full week of professional development. This professional development event is for the nation's leading solar energy instructors from SEI who are preparing the nation's (and the world's) students for a clean energy workforce. The event is filled with technical and instructional training to keep ...
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. ...
A Community In Transition: SEI’s solar PV training offered at local High School
There are 13 students at Paonia High School at the fore-front of the growing applications of renewable energy production in Colorado’s North Fork Valley; Paonia, CO. These inquisitive high school students are exploring the nationally-growing industry of solar PV. Paonia Colorado, known for its roots in agriculture and coal mining is the home of Solar Energy International (SEI). SEI is committed to an innovative future ...
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SEI’s local solar initiative, Solarize, concludes with over 400kW of solar installed in Delta County
Solar Energy International’s (SEI) Solarize Delta County Farms has officially come to a close, and the cumulative success of all three Solarize campaigns can finally be revealed. The final results are: nearly 60 new solar installs equaling over 400kW, nine new jobs, and over $1.5 million invested by community members in solar energy in Delta County! Solarize is an outreach model that includes a driving ...
SEI Celebrates Women in Solar
International Women’s Day is a day to celebrate women's achievement, raise awareness against bias and take action for equality. At SEI, we want to honor all of the women working in the solar industry - both for their contribution in the energy transformation field, and for overcoming the barriers and challenges that women in the sector face every day. Furthermore, inspiring others with their experiences, ...
Solar Energy International (SEI) recognized by Clinton Foundation for Solar Workforce Training in Latin America
Puerto Rico, February 19, 2020 - Solar Energy International (SEI) was recognized as an exemplary commitment maker by Secretary Hillary Clinton during the Clinton Foundation CGI Action Network on Post-Disaster Recovery event in Puerto Rico. Matthew Harris, SEI’s Spanish Program Business Development Director, represented SEI’s partnership with Bosque Modelo on the Work-Based Training for Women in Renewable Energy commitment to action. [yotuwp type="videos" id="LiSi-WxzvHU" column="1" ...
From the Biopharmaceutical industry to teaching solar to kindergarteners – the path of an SEI alumnus
Saul Gonzalez Mendoza is an SEI alumnus from Puerto Rico. With no previous background in solar, Saul completed two SEI Certificate Programs (in both english and spanish) and is finishing his third one. He also earned his NABCEP associate credentials. Highlights of his solar journey include working on Footprint Project solar installations alongside of communities that helped energize areas most affected by hurricane Maria, becoming ...
Kathy Swartz, SEI’s Executive Director, elected as new board member of Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)
PAONIA, CO. – Solar Energy International (SEI) is thrilled to announce that Kathy Swartz, SEI’s Executive Director, was recently elected as a board member of Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). Swartz is one of four other newly elected at-large SEIA members that will serve for a two-year tenure, helping SEIA create strategies that facilitate growing tax and trade policies, strong state solar markets and secure ...
Intersolar North America 2020 is coming – get FREE access to the Expo Hall before Dec. 31, 2019
Intersolar North America is the premier solar event that connects innovators and decision makers in the solar + energy storage industry. With a dynamic exhibition floor and robust conference program, Intersolar North America provides business-to-business professionals a platform to advance business, expand education, and drive networking. Happening February 4-6 in San Diego, California, immerse yourself in three days of face-to-face business and networking and cutting-edge technical ...
SEI’s Solar In the Schools (SIS) outreach program hosts its sixth Solar Lab Days for Delta County 8th graders
This week SEI's Solar In the Schools (SIS) outreach program hosted its sixth Solar Lab Days for Delta County 8th grade students. Due to weather 3 of the 4 middle schools were able to participate. Over two days 160 students spent the day at SEI’s campus rotating through hands-on energy labs which included lessons and activities in energy efficiency, climate change, solar site analysis, testing properties of ...