DOE Selects SEI for Military Base
Solar Training Pilot 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 the soldiers after leaving the service.

Solar Energy International (SEI) is honored to have been selected to lead the pilot programs at Camp Pendleton and Fort Carson. The first round of training at Camp Pendleton kicked off on January 20th. Twenty transitioning Marines were selected to be the first cohort of trainees. This four week intensive training, which is taught by some of SEI’s finest instructors including Kelly Larson, Kyle Bolger, Gary Handlin, Jay Peltz, JR Whitley, Joe Villacci and Ken Gardner, includes our PV101 to establish the foundation, a version of our grid-tied lab week, a focus on the NEC and design, troubleshooting and O&M, and battery-based PV system design.
Read the full blog at solarenergy.org…
SEI Online Campus Early Bird Deadline for March 2nd Sessions – Register Today!
EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION IS FEBRUARY 2nd!
Save $$$ by registering early!
Just getting started learning about Solar PV?
SEI's Online Course PVOL101: Solar Electric Design and Installation (Grid-direct) is the perfect place to start.
This SEI online course has launched thousands of careers for solar professionals worldwide. Many of SEI's 35,000+ Alumni started their professional development with SEI's PVOL101: Solar Electric Design and Installation (Grid-direct).
PVOL101 Online is also a great place to start for home owners, educators, policy makers, and anyone generally interested in the technical aspects of Solar PV.
View the Full 2015 SEI Training Schedule
or call SEI's Student Services at (970) 527-7657 x1
BIG GAME BREAKING NEWS
PATRIOTS DEFLATE-GATE MYSTERY SOLVED!
SOLAR ENERGY TO BLAME!

According to a recent report, the air pressure inflation discrepancy for the footballs used in previous games by the New England Patriots was due to the overly efficient electrical system found in the stadium. This was caused by a mis-calibrated football pump calibrated to be used on coal fired electrical grids – NOT solar powered grids. The Patriot's Gillette Stadium/Patriots Place is ranked 5th among all major venues for integration of Solar Energy.
For the fourth time in just three years, a major professional sports championship will be decided on Sunday by teams which have invested significantly in clean, dependable solar energy. In what some are calling the “Solar Super Bowl,” the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, whose stadiums rank fifth and sixth among all sports franchises in installed solar capacity, will play for the NFL championship in Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday, and bragging rights for fans of clean energy.
Read the full story on SEI's Facebook page…
SEI Alumni Highlight Martin Hirschhorn

We recently received a great story by one of our SEI Alumni that demonstrates the connections you can make in the solar industry by becoming an Alumni of SEI’s solar training program. Your path WILL cross many times with fellow SEI alumni and instructors on many projects during your career.
“The last system I project managed was a 1.1MW system featuring 28, PVI 28TL’s and 5, PVI 23TL’s 1000 VDC, three-phase, transformer less inverters. Build at Bausch and Lomb in Rochester NY. It is a ground mounted system on 3.5 acres, the largest installation in Rochester, NY. I’ve built since going to SEI for training and becoming a project manager for over 5 megawatts of solar installations.
During this project, there were multiple SEI Alumni that were part of the installation from multiple companies and the inspection was performed by SEI Instructor, Kyle Bolger. Talk about all the pieces coming together for an all-star team and an all-star PV install!"
Read Martin's Full Story…
SEI Travels to Middle East to
Offer Training at Conference

SEI Announces Certificate Program Application Deadline – March 2nd

If you are considering completing SEI's Solar Professionals Certificate Program in 2015, you will want to apply for admission and scheduling of your prerequisite training by March 2nd in order to complete the program in a timely manner this year.
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 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) 527-7657 x1
SEI Work Trader Position Open

For over 20 years, SEI’s Work-Trade Program has enabled people from around the world to hone their renewable energy technology skills and improve their capabilities while helping to strengthen and grow SEI. In fact, the majority of our current staff were once work-traders!
Summer Helper position
This person will work at SEI’s PV lab facility in Paonia, Colorado. More than one person will be hired, as coverage is needed from April through mid-October. The job entails assisting Paonia office manager Chris Smith. Duties can be extremely varied. They include taking care of the drink station for lab students, running errands, data entry, assisting with potluck set-up, weeding and trash pick-up, creating and laminating signs, making name tags, making Records of Completion for students, helping with bicycle rental, etc.
Read the full job description…
SEI is Hiring a New Team Member for our Popular and Expanding Spanish Program

Solar Energy International, a world leader in renewable energy education is hiring a Program Assistant for our growing Spanish Solar Program. The Spanish Program Assistant serves as the office and program support person for the SEI Spanish Program. Deadline to apply is February 12, 2015. Candidates should have strong written and verbal skills in the Spanish language. This is a full time hourly position located in Paonia, CO.
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. Currently the program seeks to expand within this market to serve individuals, governments, rural communities and the private sector.
Summary: The SEI Spanish Program Assistant (SPA) is responsible for overseeing and working on office and program support components of the Spanish Program at SEI. The SPA will work closely with the Spanish Program Director (SPD), Spanish Program Manager (SPM), SEI staff, and hired contractors on the success and development of the Spanish Program. The SPA’s main focus will be in the following areas of the program:
- Student services
- Program marketing & branding
- Program & fundraising research
- Program development
- Spanish Translations and Interpretation
To Learn more contact Matthew Harris, Spanish Program Manager at [email protected] or Download full job description below to apply.
Congrats to SEI's First Cohort of 2015 Solar Professionals Certificate Program Graduates

Congratulations to the first cohort of 2015 SEI Alumni / SPCP Graduates who have completed SEI's most rigorous training program we offer – the SEI Solar Professionals Certificate Program (SPCP).
Each person below has completed at least 170 contact training hours in renewable energy technologies leading to a SPCP track completion. Apply for admission to SEI's SPCP program…
Elvis Agyin
Ignacio Canete
Carlos Canete Zuloaga
Kathleen Cannons
Aaron Cartterfield
Brendan Cassidy
Jennifer Clemons
Karolina Fernandez
Edward Franklin PhD.
Clinton Gentry
Evan Hernandez
Rick Hindman
|
Ajinkya Kulkarni
Julanne McCulley
Sonya Metz
John Ratcliffe
Phil Ribble
James Ruiz
Janadass Shanmugam
Daniel Shifley
David Stansbury
Harold Stonier
Derek Terrillion
Duane Watson
Katrina Wilson |
|