Celebrate Energy Independence this July 4th!
Dear Friends and Alumni of SEI,
Happy Fourth of July (in a few more days)! Here in Paonia, Colorado, home of SEI’s headquarters, our little community is transformed. Flags line the streets, there’s a parade through our downtown, and a carnival in town park with lots of contests, including coal shoveling. Everyone comes out in force (and in red, white and blue) to celebrate America’s Independence.
What if July 4th also became synonymous with Energy Independence? What if we celebrated the day when all people, regardless of socioeconomic status, would have access to clean, affordable, renewable energy? What if we celebrated the day when our communities stopped exporting millions of dollars for electricity and instead kept the money (and jobs) locally? What if we celebrated our independence from behemoths that monopolize local control of our electricity?
Read the full letter from Kathy Swartz, SEI Executive Director…
SEI Announces Womens PVOL101: Solar Electric Design and Installation (Grid-Direct)
Online Course! Starting August 18th
Course Description: With female-only instructors and participants, this online course offers women a uniquely supportive learning environment to build their solar knowledge foundation. This course offers the same curriculum as SEI's co-ed PVOL101, but is intended to further encourage participants to get ALL those solar questions answered and offer networking opportunities with each other and existing women in the solar industry.
June's #SolarSelfie Month is Almost Over
Winner Will Be Announced at Intersolar
SEI Blue Grass Night a Huge Success
Hundreds Came Out to Support SEI
Over 160 students, friends, community members, SEI staff and instructors all participated in a magical night of rousing music and frivolity with our special guest band, Chatham County Line.
This nationally recognized band was headed to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and agreed to do this special exclusive show as a fund-raiser for the continued development of our beautiful SEI campus in Paonia, Colorado.
There was great home grown food from the Living Farm that was absolutely fabulous! Beer from Revolution Brewery and Big B's Organic Juices and Hard Ciders were flowing! What a great night! Stay tuned as this WILL happen again at the SEI campus!
View full Photo Gallery on Facebook…
SEI Provides Solar PV Training to
Annobon Island Equatorial Guinea
On Monday, June 23, 2014 Solar Energy International began a 2 week training on Annobon Island in Equatorial Guinea, located in west Africa. The training, a first for this African country, was contracted by Maeci Solar, a division of Management an Economic Consulting Inc., the company hired by the government of Equatorial Guinea to develop the world's largest self sufficient solar and battery based system.
The 5MW microgrid will supply 100% of the island's current electrical demand and provide much needed power to the local population, which today depend on unreliable generator based energy provided only a few hours every day. The solar project will play a crucial role in the improvement of education, medical services, refrigeration, food supply and a number of other areas still in short supply in Annobon.
See photos and more info on Facebook…
SEI Attends 2nd Arab Forum for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
SEI is continuing its international mission! In recent weeks, SEI associate and alum, Ibrahim Awwad, represented SEI at the Arab Forum for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in Gouna, Egypt. The forum was sponsored by entities involved in promoting Renewable Energy in the region, including: the League of Arab States, Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, and many others.
See full Photo Gallery on Facebook…
SEI Solar PV Lab Sessions Are Filling Fast!
Photo Gallery from PV201L Lab Sessions
View the full photo gallery from PV201L: Solar Electric Lab Week
PV201L Course Description: This is the ultimate hands-on experience available! This solar training workshop offers five days of hands-on installation practice with grid-direct systems at SEI's world-class PV Lab training facility in Paonia, Colorado. The maximum eight to one student-to-instructor ratio and comprehensive lab setting create the perfect environment to get your first hands-on PV experience.
For more Lab sessions – view SEI's 2014 Training Schedule: https://www.solarenergy.org/workshop-schedule
SEI Online Campus Solar Training Sessions Start July 7th – Register Today!
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.
SEI's Solar Professionals Certificate Program
Are you ready to go solar pro? Just getting started on your renewable energy education path? Already working in the solar industry and want to take your career to the next level? Apply for the SEI Solar Professional Certificate Program!
What are Your Goals?
No matter if your goals are NABCEP certification, start or expand your own business, build your own off-grid home, land a career with a large scale solar integration company, bring needed electricity to the developing world, or just to become the smartest solar energy person in the room no matter where you go – the SEI Solar Professionals Certificate Program has a track for you!
Dedication to Professional Development
Completing SEI's Solar Professionals Certificate Program (SPCP) indicates a level of dedication to professional development and focus on quality that is necessary in this fast paced industry. Call 970-527-7657 x1 to speak with a SEI Student Services Advisor!
More Info about SPCP >>
SEI Training at Intersolar – July 7-10
Be sure to visit Solar Energy International (SEI) , at Intersolar North America, July 7-10, 2014 in San Francisco, Moscone Center. Visit us at booth #9337!
SEI is offering four different educational workshops.
Check out the schedule here >>
More Info about Intersolar North America…
SEI Alumni Highlight Greg Blake
After a long career in high tech manufacturing engineering and management I found myself more or less outsourced as the industry I grew up in had more or less picked up and moved to Asia…without me!
Around the same time a local elderly friend that had purchased a PV system 12 years before noticed that her electrical usage had been creeping up for no obvious reason. The company that installed it was long gone so she asked me to check out it out.
My electronics background provided just the right combination of confidence (completely unfounded) and naivety to attempt the effort and it quickly became obvious that I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Amazingly, I determined that the system wasn’t working and was able to isolate an ailing charge controller as the main problem and got the thing limping.
The experience renewed my interest in PV and I undertook a search for solar training which in turn lead me to SEI. Its reputation as the absolute best source of solar training was impossible to ignore so I applied and was accepted in the Solar Professional training program. I wasn’t disappointed; I spent the first ¾ of 2012 on site in Tucson + Paonia and did 2 online courses to complete the requirements for both the Commercial and Residential PV and Business and Technical Sales certificates. The information, presentation and support of the staff were outstanding – the best I’ve ever experienced!
Post training was initially rough; I had a couple of PV projects including modernizing the original system I had band-aided the previous year. But In early 2013 I got a contract gig with Zep Solar, got trained on their innovative mounting technology and conducted nearly 20 on the job trainings on their behalf for a major national PV installer.
At the same time my business (South Pack Solar) started to take off. In less than a year I’ve designed and installed about 100 kw of PV ranging from 2.5kw residential to 20kw commercial; most have been really non-conventional and therefore really interesting. I’m a one man show but work with a great network of local contractors on an as-needed basis. I plan to sit for the NABCEP test in the fall…if I can find the time!
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