March 2014

SEI's 7th Annual Instructor Training

If you've ever taken an SEI training, you know that SEI's instructors are top-notch at what they do. Not only do they have a wealth of experience in designing and installing renewable energy systems, but they love to share their knowledge with students.

SEI recently brought together 40 of our instructors, staff, and industry guests for our 7th Annual Instructor Training from March 3-5 in Paonia, Colorado.  The training consisted of a variety of specialized, high level trainings including: 2014 NEC training with Bill Brooks, Online Education and Training with Barbara Martin, Performance Modeling, Common NEC Violations in Large-Scale PV Systems, and lots of shared knowledge from our incredible instructors.

Plus, there was fabulous locally-grown food from Paonia chefs and farmers, Revolution Brewery beer, and tech talk that stretched well after midnight. SEI Instructor Kelly Larson said, "This training is like tech camp, Disneyland, and a family reunion all in one.” The positive energy from this group was simply electric!

Many thanks to our industry sponsors and presenters including Quickmount PV, Advanced Energy Corp., Folsom Labs/ Helioscope, RBI Solar, and Ilsco.

View Full 2014 SEI Instructor Training Event Photo Gallery >>
 

Ed Franklin – Passion for Solar Energy

Ed is part of the Department of Energy's Solar Instructor Training Network and has been working closely with SEI through this grant.

What is your passion project? What is the project that gets you excited and makes your work worthwhile? For Ed Franklin, PV is his passion project.

Ed is an Associate Professor of Agricultural Education at the University of Arizona. He teaches courses in welding, machinery management, electrical wiring, irrigation, and turf management, and integrates his passion project, PV, into almost all of these topics. For Ed, PV is a vehicle to teach the basic concepts of math and science. Classroom theory, such as Ohm’s Law, is applied when students design and install PV systems at their Campus Agricultural Center.

Read the full story…
 

Boulder, Colorado – PV101: Solar Electric Design and Installation – April 14th

In April and May SEI will be kicking off the 2014 hands-on lab training season with the following training opportunities:

• PV301L: Solar Electric Lab Week (Battery-Based)
• PV201L: Solar Electric Lab Week (Grid-Direct)
• SH101: Solar Hot Water Design and Installation
• MH101: Micro-Hydro Design & Installation

SEI Teams with Pacheco Company
Receives GSA Schedule Approval

SEI has teamed with Pacheco Company on a U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) schedule GS07F-0286W. Pacheco Company is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB). The GSA establishes long-term government-wide contracts with commercial firms to provide access to millions of commercial products and services at volume discount pricing.  SEI offers online, in-person and hands-on training in a variety of renewable energy technologies on the GSA.

“SEI is honored to be teaming with Pacheco Company on the GSA schedule. President Obama has made renewable energy a priority within the federal government and this opens up opportunities for SEI to provide our industry-leading renewable energy training to individuals from all departments within the government" stated Kathy Swartz, SEI’s Executive Director.

Swartz went onto to say, "Whether a specialized trainer within the Air Force, a maintenance technician on an Army base, a nursery manager in the US Forest Service, or a program manager within the Department of Energy, SEI offers customized online and in-person trainings to meet the renewable energy goals of each Department.”

For more information – contact SEI at (970) 527-7657
 

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SEI Alumni and Friends from SunSense Solar Wins the SunPower 2013
“Intelegant Award for Excellence”

Many of the team members at Sunsense Solar are SEI alums and have been great supporters of SEI for years.  

Sunsense Solar, a Colorado-based solar installer and SunPower Premier Dealer, today announced that it has received the national SunPower “Intelegant Award for Excellence” for a 123-kilowatt solar photovoltaic project installed on the roof of the Wayne N. Aspinall Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Grand Junction, Colo., in 2013.

The SunPower Intelegant Award recognizes residential and commercial dealer installations that exemplify SunPower’s commitment to excellence in aesthetics, quality, workmanship and customer satisfaction. This is an annual award open to the nearly 400 SunPower dealer partners throughout the United States. Sunsense Solar received the 2010 Residential Intelegant Award and has now been honored with the prestigious 2013 Commercial Intelegant Award.

Read full story at SunSenseSolar.com…