Shannon Ware is a Senior Commercial PV Designer based in St. Louis, MO. This week she traveled to Solar Energy International (SEI) to take PV351L: Tools and Techniques for Operations and Maintenance Lab Week (Grid-Direct), an intensive, advanced training designed for solar professionals already working in the PV industry who want to take their technical skills to the next level. Shannon certainly has a lot of experience in the industry. She primarily designs commercial systems, recently completing a large 322 kW DC parking structure in San Diego. In 2014, she became a NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional.
Before getting into the solar industry, she had a full career beginning with a Bachelors of Science in Ocean Engineering,followed by a stint in commercial printing and digital publishing, and then successful time in real estate sales of historic homes. After taking an interest in green home building, she grew into a larger passion for sustainability. Shannon eventually took solar training and through an influx of serendipity immediately landed her first PV installation contract.
For that install, Shannon acted as the project manager and also designed, permitted and ran the installation of that first 25kW commercial PV system. She was drawn to the design process of PV installations because of the creativity and problem solving skills needed. Shannon said “you need to have an engineering mindset. Every roof is different and you’re dealing with shadows and shading while looking to be efficient for your customer.”
Though Shannon has a diverse range of experience designing PV systems, she came so SEI “looking to expand skill set in commissioning and troubleshooting.” She said “I’ve always wanted to come out [to SEI]. It’s the best in the world!”
