|
Solar Energy International (SEI) and Western State Colorado University create partnership to offer college credit
|
|
|
|
We have had so many students tell us over the years that our reputation in the solar industry as a leading training provider is considered one of the best. We have even been called the MIT or Harvard of solar training by a few of our alumni, and we are proud of that status.
With that said, it was time for us to take things to the next level and offer college level credit for the training you receive from SEI. We are proud to announce an exciting new partnership with Western State Colorado University and their Extended Studies Department that will give students the ability to receive college credit for SEI’s industry-recognized solar training program.
Through a dual enrollment agreement, students will be able to enroll in SEI’s classes offered online, in-person and as hands-on labs to receive college credit from Western. Students can also enroll in SEI’s Solar Professionals Certificate Program, which is recognized by the Colorado Department of Higher Education and comprised of a combination of SEI class offerings.
Furthermore, this partnership opens new opportunities for AmeriCorps VISTAs (Volunteers in Service to America) who have educational benefits available to them through their time of service as a way to pay for their technical training with SEI. Reach out to our SEI Student Services Team for more information about this opportunity and hope to see you in class soon either online or in-person!
Sincerely,
Kathy Swartz
SEI Executive Director
Learn more…
|
|
|
|
Starting Monday, April 9th – the SEI Online Campus will be offering the following courses:
|
|
|
|
Alumni Spotlight: SEI student alum is site superintendent on a 6.6 MW solar farm
From Solar Energy International (SEI) student to site supervisor, we love to share success stories like those of Solar Training Alumni Andrew Niles, who began his solar journey at the Solar Ready Vets Cohort at Fort Carson, Colorado, where SEI was giving classes.
Andrew is currently a site supervisor at Strata Solar based out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but got his start with an energy-related career path in the Army, where he was a Power Generation Equipment Technician and Repairer. “Because I already had that background to electricity generation using fossil fuels, I knew that the solar industry is the future and would build on my power generation knowledge,” he explained.
Read more…
|
|
|
|
|
|
SEI Student Services Team Update:
The World is Our Classroom!
 When I joined the SEI Student Services Team a few years ago, I was excited to bring my years of experience working with college students to SEI’s non-profit mission to help people all over the world get connected with our training and educational offerings.
I have been a college and career counselor for my entire professional career so I wanted to use my skills and experience to help change the lives of others. Little did I realize, the students I have served over the last few years have changed my life as well. I have always known how important it was to protect our planet and how clean and sustainable energy was part of the solution to ensuring a more sustainable future so my son can have the opportunity to live on a healthy planet.
What I didn’t realize was how transformative it was going to be for me personally to hear the personal stories of the dozens of students I get to talk with every week. These stories include students wanting to electrify their homes and communities in regions of the world where electrical power is scarce to military veterans wanting to continue their service to our country through the solar industry to students who have worked in the oil and gas industries that want to take their transferable skills and use them in the clean energy sector and so many more.
I am so thankful for how those conversations have deepened my passion and belief in how important SEI’s mission is on a global scale. So thank you to the students I have talked with and counseled over the last few years. And to all the future students I will get to help – I look forward to your calls and emails!
– Monique Turek – SEI Student Services Team
|
|
|
|
|
SEI Engineering gets licensure in the state of Michigan! Our list of states is growing and expanding our reach across the country. More information >>
We are proud to perform third-party reviews of solar PV system designs by EPC’s and other design firms using our design staff, and even other instructors from SEI, in order to deliver a truly impartial, high-quality evaluation.
We offer electrical, civil, and structural engineering services, and complete design project management. We are experienced in acquiring all types of permits associated with solar installations in many states, and therefore are familiar with the potential variability of the AHJ’s involved. We are constantly acquiring licensure in more states, with the following states pending as of March 2018: AL, MT, NY, IL, MN
You can reach us at info@seisolarpros.com or (970) 527-3920. We look forward to assisting you on your next project or portfolio of projects.
Read more…
|
|
|
|
|
Thank you, Panasonic, for your generous donation!
We at Solar Energy International (SEI) would like to express our gratitude for Panasonic’s donation of a pallet of 40 HIT modules, that will be installed in SEI’s Colorado-based training facility later this spring. They are going to be installed on a carport that is being generously donated by Schletter. This system will continue to help offset SEI’s facility annual energy use, as well as be incorporated into our trainings. Industry supporters are always looking for ways to support SEI’s non-profit mission and Paonia, Colorado lab facility that serves hundreds of students every year. Some of the newest inverter technologies are on display in our lab and many of our industry partners are working with SEI on the details on the new technologies being sent to our lab in the coming year.
We’re very excited about this new development on campus and we are so thankful to Yessica Castillo, The National Marketing Manager for Panasonic, and Jack O’Donohue, SEI instructor and Panasonic’s Sales and Business Manager for Central U.S. region and Canada, for making this possible! A huge THANK YOU from us all!
|
|
|
|
|
Solar Energy International (SEI) has teamed up with GRID Alternatives and the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (COSEIA) to host the annual Solar Career Expo! Join us on March 14 at the Aurora Hyatt Regency Hotel, co-located with COSEIA’s Solar Power Mountain West, to meet employers of the solar industry and explore career pathways in solar.
We welcome anyone who is actively looking for a job, is interested in talking to prospective employers, or is just getting started in the industry to attend. Leading Colorado-based solar companies including Namaste Solar, Sunsense Solar, Clean Energy Collective and more will be in attendance!
Register here…
|
|
|
|
SEI Alum spearheads Village Solar Technician Accreditation (ViSTA) Program in the Philippines
In the fall, Solar Energy International (SEI) received a message from an organization in the Philippines, Stiftung SolarEnergie (StS), sharing updates on how classes positively impacted their organization.
StS’s mission is to “empower rural and marginalized villages throughout the Philippines by providing access to sustainable solar energy solutions.” Their focus areas are empowering schools, health (birthing) centers, emergency response, and communities, with sustainability resources. In the Philippines, StS is partnered with We Care Solar, a non-profit with the mission of “promoting safe motherhood and reducing maternal mortality in developing regions by providing health workers with reliable lighting, mobile communication, and medical devices using solar electricity.”
Through their connection with We Care Solar, StS solar practitioners were able to link up with SEI co-founder Johnny Weiss, and in August 2015, three Filipino solar practitioners completed an SEI online course on Advanced Battery-based PV System Design. They were sponsored by Johnny Weiss and SEI.
Read more…
|
|
|
The mountains are calling… And I must go (to SEI’s campus in the Western Rockies)!
|
|
|
|
Classes at our scenic Paonia, Colorado campus start in April. Sign up today!
|
|
|
|
|
|
SEI is looking for bilingual instructors for our Spanish Program! Apply today!
Solar Energy International (SEI) is a 501(c)3 non-profit education organization with a mission to provide industry-leading technical training and expertise in renewable energy to empower people, communities and businesses worldwide. Founded in 1991, SEI has trained more than 60,000 people from around the world. As an organization, we are committed to offering the highest quality, unbiased renewable energy training that we can. We are a group of people passionate about renewable energy and are continually striving to be the best training organization that we can be.
Since 2013 SEI has provided the same industry leading technical solar training for Spanish speakers within and outside of the USA, with a focus in Latin America. Over the past four years SEI has trained over 3,000 Spanish speakers from around the world.
As Spanish classes continue to grow, SEI is hiring two new bilingual instructors to be a part of our Training Team. Instructors combine their solar technical knowledge and vocation with their ability to effectively communicate concepts to various audiences to share knowledge and empower others. Instructors are contractors who must be available to teach a minimum of two classes per year, depending on course demand. SEI offers online and in-person classes, and hands-on lab classes in Spanish. We are looking for bilingual instructors who can teach either online and/or in-person Spanish language courses.
More info…
|
|
|
|
|
|
