For over 30 years SEI has delivered industry-leading technical training and expertise in renewable energy to empower people, communities, and businesses worldwide. Why? Because we envision a world powered by renewable energy!
Share Where YOU Are!
We invite you to share your story of how you are using the education and training you received here at SEI in your work, in your community, and in your life to help the world move closer to being powered by renewable energy. We will be sharing these stories in our communication channels and your story will help inspire others. On behalf of the SEI board, staff, and instructors we thank all of our students and alumni for sharing our vision of a world powered by renewable energy.
The Early Days of SEI
Solar Energy International (SEI) was originally birthed out of the Solar Retrofit Training Program at Colorado Mountain College that was available to students in the 1980’s and early 90’s. With a vision to empower the world with renewable energies, SEI officially became a non-profit vocational school in May of 1991, and slowly began to grow by training technicians worldwide.
In the early days, there was no formal renewable energy industry – solar was not the buzzword it is today, so it was a challenging time. Many of the first students were homeowners personally committed to installing off-grid solar on their own houses and in their communities, with PV as an expensive novelty more than the globally accessible necessity it is today. Even so, SEI’s founders discovered ways to span the globe with their vision.
At home in Colorado, SEI’s early training was purely hands-on, with students from all over the world performing on-site community PV installations throughout the state, including projects such as installing solar on cross-country ski huts around Aspen and Vail. Eventually a small lab yard was erected along with the adoption of online training in the mid-90’s, where students were offered a unique chance to learn the language of solar without having to give up their day job and travel to SEI’s facilities. While small in it’s origin, this positioned SEI to grow and centralize their online training as a vital component to the entire training process.
30 Years of Quality Solar Training
As a mission-driven, non-profit educational institution, SEI’s goal has always been to educate, engage and empower. While SEI has had its share of setbacks and struggles, as PV became the driving force in renewable energy, SEI came to be known as the place to get practical training. While early focus included off-grid solar applications, as the industry grew, SEI has stayed on top of new technologies and PV concepts, bringing unrivaled expertise and passion to the industry.
With the entire world recognizing renewables as the way to make a dramatic difference in our fight against climate change, solar has become paramount, and SEI is poised to take an even greater role in training the global solar workforce. If we work together, we can make a tremendous difference and make the world a better place for us all. Make a donation to our scholarship fund today and help empower others to get training through SEI’s program of study.
Where SEI’s Alumni Are Now
