Paonia, Colo., October 13, 2020 – Solar Energy International (SEI) and Swinerton Renewable Energy (SRE) announced today their new partnership to provide a scholarship aimed to increase diversity representation among the clean energy industry. The scholarship will award $10,000 in solar training tuition fees to hand-selected women and non-binary students to help facilitate their professional development and eventual entry into the solar energy workforce. 

With a strong belief that there is a career for everyone in the solar industry, the scholarship aims to elevate underrepresented voices to strategically address some of the weaknesses prevalent in the industry. By empowering soon-to-be solar energy experts with the necessary training, the scholarship will help strengthen and build a more diversified solar workforce.

 “We are thrilled to be working in concert with SRE’s team to encourage an industry that represents all communities more holistically,” said Kathryn Swartz, Executive Director at SEI. “The Swinerton scholarship is presenting a solution to some of the imbalances the solar industry has had for a while”.

The scholarship funding is open to female or non-binary students in the U.S. with a strong preference towards persons of color and indigenous people. Selected candidates will be given tuition funds to cover SEI’s online or in-person training, with a goal of eventual job placement with a partner company. 

“This year has challenged our industry to look inward and recognize that we have a long way to go to build a more diverse, equitable solar workforce,” said George Hershman, President of Swinerton Renewable Energy. “Now is the time to take action to recruit, hire and train individuals from a diversity of backgrounds, nationalities and cultures. We look forward to partnering with SEI to create more opportunities for women and persons of color in the solar industry.”

For more information and to apply for a Swinerton Renewable Energy (SRE) Scholarship, visit:

www.solarenergy.org/scholarship-funds

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About Solar Energy International (SEI)
Solar Energy International (SEI) was founded in 1991 as a nonprofit educational organization with a vision of a world powered by renewable energy. We’re dedicated to training the global solar energy workforce to significantly impact climate change. For more information, visit https://www.solarenergy.org.

About Swinerton Renewable Energy (SRE)
Swinerton Renewable Energy (SRE) offers engineering, procurement, construction, and SOLV® operations and maintenance (O&M) services for solar photovoltaic plants throughout North America to a diverse range of clients. Over 130 years of building landmark projects, Swinerton has forged a reputation for unsurpassed safety, workmanship, on-time delivery, and customer satisfaction. Today, our team takes pride in building cost-effective solar systems that will generate reliable, clean power for many years to come. SRE has delivered over 5.5 GW of solar projects and our SOLV team manages over 6.2 GW of PV plants. Learn more about Swinerton Renewable Energy at swinertonrenewable.com.

Media Contacts
Marla Korpar: [email protected] | 970-527-7657 x208
Scarlett Chepke: [email protected] | 858-815-2414