| SEI Celebrates 10 Years of Hands-on
Lab Training in Paonia, Colorado
Solar Energy International (SEI) is pleased to celebrate our 10th year of offering hands-on labs at our Paonia, Colorado campus with a full schedule of training available. The 2015 lab training season starts on April, 20th – we hope to see you here! Check out the 2015 Hands-on Labs training schedule…
SEI has a rich tradition of teaching by doing. Over the past 24 years since SEI’s educational non-profit inception, more than 40,000 people from all 50 states and 66 countries have attended SEI’s renewable energy courses both online and in-person.
Ten years ago, SEI expanded operations to include a 7-acre parcel of land amongst the thriving agricultural community in Paonia, Colorado. Since then, thousands of people have come through SEI’s training program which is one of the most rigorous educational experiences in the renewable energy industry. Many of these participants went on to work for large scale solar companies, started their own business, or traveled back to their homeland to implement all they had learned during their time in Paonia.
Read more about SEI’s Paonia, Colorado Lab Facility…
SEI Alumni Highlight:
Vincent Curry – SolarCity
SEI is proud to highlight Vincent Curry, one of our recent graduates from the DOE “Reach for the Sun” pilot training program helping military personnel transition to the clean energy workforce.
About Vincent
“As a Safety & Quality Coach for SolarCity, I am responsible for observing work, both completed and in-process, and ensuring work environments are in compliance with SolarCity Safety and Quality policies. I report directly to the Area Safety Manager to whom I convey the results of job site audits, accident/incident investigations and develop innovative solutions to new risks. Safety & Quality Coaches are responsible for coaching field operations team members to exhibit processes and behaviors that create a safe work environment and a quality work product.”
“I will never forget the times that we had as the pilot class for this program. I sing the praises of Solar Energy International throughout the solar and military communities. I cannot say enough good things about their instructors, materials and course work given to us. The intensive 140 hour training among the numerous courses that Solar Energy International provides are more than enough to prepare you for a position within the solar industry from installation, sight survey to safety. I highly recommend that this program be offered nationwide and abroad to all transitioning service members to better prepare them to enter the civilian work force and especially the renewable energy market.” – Vincent Curry
Solar Energy International (SEI) Announces Women’s PV Training Package Scholarship
SEI is empowering women to enter the solar industry!
SEI has created the best packaged training opportunity yet by offering dedicated training and outreach for women who wish to work as solar professionals in the renewable energy industry. To date, SEI has trained thousands of women, many of whom are leaders in the solar industry. It is time to do more!
SEI is offering a universal scholarship for all women wanting to take training from SEI with an immediate reduction of tuition. Check out the Women’s PV Training Package! The online course in this package starts April 20th!
SEI’s 8th Annual Instructor Training Week
This past month, SEI instructors from all over the world converged on the Delta / Montrose Technical College Energy Center in Paonia, Colorado. Some of the leading minds in the solar industry were here in Paonia for the 8th Annual SEI Instructor Training Week.
An exciting contribution towards the professional development of SEI’s instructors came this year from Mike Holt. Mike Holt is the nation’s foremost guru on electrical code and is well known in the electrical and construction trades for his depth of knowledge. The SEI team had the opportunity and privilege to give Mike a tour of the SEI Lab Facility.
This event was SEI’s 8th annual instructor training event and is a professional development opportunity for the industry’s leading solar energy instructors from SEI who are preparing the nation’s (and world’s) students for a clean energy workforce. Educational sessions are provided throughout the week by guest speakers and from peers around topics and technologies that are pushing the solar industry forward.
SEI has over 40 instructors who are among some of the most experienced and industry recognized professionals teaching for our non-profit organization. SEI’s cadre of instructors have over 400 years of combined experience.
SEI Kicks Off Another Military Base
Training at Fort Carson, Colorado
This month, SEI kicked off another round of military base training at Ft. Carson through the DOE’s “Reach for the Sun” training program. Good luck in the coming weeks to our new soldier students! Welcome to the SEI Family!
SEI Online Campus Sessions Start on
Monday – April 20th – register today!
Starting April 20th, SEI’s Online Campus will be offering: View the Full 2015 SEI Training Schedule
or call SEI’s Student Services at (970) 963-8855 x1
Paonia, Colorado’s Revolution Brewing Honors SEI with New SEIPA Can Label
A big thank you to our friends over at Revolution Brewing for honoring SEI with a custom label for their award winning SEIPA! When you are in Paonia, Colorado attending SEI’s in-person training, make sure to swing by our local micro-brewery for a cold beer after a great day of class! More info about Revolution Brewing – Paonia, Colorado…
SEI Offers Training at 2015 NABCEP Continuing Education Conference
When: March 30-April 1, 2015
Where: The Desmond Hotel & Conference Center, Albany NY
More info: http://www.nabcep.org/ce-2015
Yesterday, SEI’s Rebekah Hren moderated a panel on Rapid Shutdown. Today, SEI’s Brian Mehalic will be offering a 2 hour session on O&M and on Wednesday, April 1, Brian and Rebekah are teaching an all-day class on grid-tied with battery backup systems.
This conference is primarily intended for NABCEP Certified Professionals who need continuing education credits in order to maintain their certification. The content presented in this conference is geared toward seasoned PV industry professionals who have several years of installation and/or technical sales experience. This is the ideal opportunity for NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professionals and PV Technical Sales Professionals to obtain all of the continuing education credits needed for recertification (18 hours every three years). Non-certified professionals can earn up to 18 hours toward certification eligibility.
SEI Travels to Santiago, Chile for the International Fair of Energetic Technologies
SEI’s Programa Hispano has been invited to present in Santiago, Chile for one of the largest energy conferences in the region – IFT ENERGY 2015!
SEI will speak to the general assembly during the closing ceremony at IFT ENERGY 2015 along with First Solar, Sun Edison and others.
The International Fair of Energetic Technologies, IFT ENERGY 2015, is the fair with the broadest scope/coverage in Latin America. Meant to gather the largest energy conglomerates in the industry, it includes actors from every area such as generation, transmission, distribution and NCRE, sustainable production companies, as well as companies and corporations that render related energy services.
Partly sponsored by the US government through the trade.gov program, participants will include gov’t reps from the region, solar companies, distributors, manufacturers, mining industry (currently the region’s main PV drivers), EPCs, military, residential installers, regional US Chambers of Commerce, US State dept., and many more.
Read more about IFT ENERGY 2015.
SEI Highlighted by CBS News in
Grand Junction Colorado
Recently, SEI was the lead news story for the 10 o’clock local CBS news here in Colorado! Our local CBS News affiliate sent a news truck to our lab facility in Paonia as the SEI crew packed the mobile PV lab trailer with gear headed to Ft. Carson for the next round of military base trainings.
Click here to watch video…
SEI’s Solar Professionals Certificate Program
Go Solar Pro and Apply Today!
If you are considering completing SEI’s Solar Professionals Certificate Program (SPCP) in 2015, you will want to apply for admission and scheduling of your prerequisite training as soon as possible in order to complete the program in a timely manner this year.
SPCP is our most rigorous training program where you will have the opportunity to complete a multi-course track leading towards completing a program of study with SEI. As the solar industry becomes more and more competitive, SEI’s full training program will help you stand apart from the growing number of people who have taken only the bare minimum to sit for NABCEP Certification or who have not received formal training at all.
Program completion is still possible if you start later in the training year, but becomes more and more difficult from a scheduling standpoint due to our full courses. Contact SEI Student Services today to speak to a SPCP advisor or complete the online application today.
or call SEI’s Student Services at (970) 963-8855 x1
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