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Online Sessions Starting October 2nd!
SEI Alumni Highlight: Daniel Saldarriaga
Vulcano Operations Director in Colombia
Shares Advice and Experience
Danial Vulcano was born in Medellín, Colombia and has been in the energy industry for about 9 years. Daniel is an energetic, passionate Business Administrator who started working for Vulcano 10 years ago. Four years ago his company began exploring with different energy technologies which initiated them into solar. Experiencing the transition of his company to solar energy created a huge curiosity for Daniel about PV technologies.
With no previous solar energy knowledge, he started searching for information until he found SEI’s free spanish online class – ER100 . His experience of SEI’s expertise and curriculum led him to pursue the first course in the Solar Professionals Certificate program. Once he was finished, he realized he needed a place to practice what he had learned, so he decided to take SEI’s lab classes in Paonia, Colorado. He decided to finish the entire program of study and SEI is proud to announce that Daniel is graduating this month. Daniel shared with us what SEI meant for his career:
“Our sales on solar installations have grown 200% in the last year while there are other solar companies in Colombia that have had no growth at all. I realized by placing myself in the customer’s shoes that I learned what they need, and that is someone who knows what they are doing. They need someone who is able to provide guidance on what is the best option. And, I learned all of that from SEI; how to understand customer needs and how to put in simple words how solar works and what is the best option for each one of them. Another thing I learned is that you might not always find all that you need on the market, especially in Colombia, so you’ll have to find away to work with what you have and be creative, without losing efficiency or security.”
Read more about Daniel…
SEI Announces the 2017 / 2018
Solar Training Schedule!
We aren’t quite done yet with 2017, but it has been an amazing year of solar training and serving so many students from all over the world!
Every year we meticulously put together a training schedule that hopefully accommodates the needs and training goals for all of our students both online and in-person.
Take some time to look over our offerings for the coming year. Please feel free to reach out to our SEI Student Services team who can help you chart your course to meet your training and career goals.
SEI’s Spanish Program Welcomes Students from Latin America and Around the World
Fall is here in Paonia, Colorado and the Aspens are at peak color in many areas around our home state, but the sun continues to shine strong providing SEI students amazing hands-on lab experiences.
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This month, 17 students from our Spanish Program completed a week long training and this week we have another 13 students learning about battery-based solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. Upon completion these students will receive their professional certificate from SEI!
We are so proud of this group of students who all plan on returning to their countries to continue developing a strong and healthy solar industry in Latin America and beyond. Congratulations to everyone!
Learn more about our SEI Programa Hispano…
SEI and Industry Partners Offer Career Fair at the 2017 Solar Decathlon in Denver
REMINDER! Mark your calendar for the Solar Decathlon Career Fair Oct. 10th in Denver! SEI will be there supporting this awesome event offering solar training advising and career counseling for people wanting to find careers in the solar industry!
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is a collegiate competition made up of 10 contests that challenge student teams to design and build full-size, solar-powered houses. This year, in Denver, CO, the Solar Decathlon is also co-hosting a Solar & Related Industries Career Fair with the Solar Training Network. We invite you to come enjoy this FREE career networking event and meet some awesome companies that are hiring in your area.
Event Logistics:
- When: The fair will take place from 12-3pm, on Tuesday, October 10, 2017
- Where: The Solar Career Fair will be held at the 61st & Peña Station on RTD’s University of Colorado A line commuter rail in the “Education Tent.”
- Cost: FREE for all to attend
Solar Energy International (SEI) Curriculum Team Members Selected to Provide Input for the 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC®)
If you are looking for a solar training program that offers the very best expert insight from your instructors and curriculum – SEI IS THE PLACE TO GO TO SCHOOL!
Enroll today!
Solar Energy International (SEI) is proud to announce our non-profit’s selection onto Code-Making Panel 4 of the National Electrical Code (NEC®), which covers Article 690 “Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems,” along with several other areas.
SEI is represented on Code-Making Panel 4 (CMP-4 / NEC-P04) by two of its Curriculum Developers and Instructors: Rebekah Hren as the Principal and Brian Mehalic as an Alternate.
This is a tremendous honor and responsibility: SEI’s participation in this process gives a voice to our instructors, students, and alumni currently working in the industry. SEI’s years of experience and dedication to the solar industry will complement the viewpoints and strong representation already provided by manufacturers, trade industries, labor organizations, utilities, and AHJs.
Read more…
SEI Alumni Highlight: Tim Chester
A confluence of passions led Tim to spend 8 weeks pursuing solar training at SEI’s training facility in Paonia, CO. A veteran and an educator, Tim recently completed SEI’s Solar Professionals Trainer Certificate Program before he begins his new job as a solar instructor newly developed solar training program at the Rural Institute for Veterans Education and Research (RIVER). RIVER is a a special program for veterans who need additional resources and support to pursue educational opportunities after returning to civilian life.
The new position is the perfect progression for Tim’s career. Tim came into solar as he began his career with the US Coast Guard in 1991, servicing solar-powered aids to navigation buoys. However, his career was unexpectedly cemented in solar after his retirement from the Coast Guard in 2012 when he realized his love for teaching. This led him to the Missoula College Energy Technology Program at the University of Montana. His three years of teaching at the university connected him with SEI Instructor Orion Thornton. As the renewable energy program was ending and Tim found himself wanting to focus more on PV. Orion said to him “you gotta go to SEI, there’s no way around it.”
Read more about Tim…
