Crescent Park - largest solar installation for affordable housing in America
Every solar project, large or small, requires a significant amount of paperwork. After design and engineering of a project, a system must be expertly installed, and at various (and multiple) stages must have permits, rebates and other documentation and permissions secured. Sun Light & Power provides the coordination and completion of these requirements for each of their customers. Heidi is one of two full-timers doing this work. She shared the paperwork responsibilities for Crescent Park (see photo).
“I have always been interested in sustainability and a friend suggested I look into the solar industry, because it’s growing and evolving very quickly. I did some research and decided that solar really fits into the parameters of where I want to go in my career.
Two years ago we really had a boost in the industry, with increased production and manufacturing of solar panels, and a lot of technological advances. However, the economic downturn has slowed it all over the last year.
Definitely there is fierce competition for jobs. People see solar as an up and coming industry and they are anxious to get in, for their own benefit as well as the environment. However, I would not discourage people from trying to get into the industry. If you have a passion for something, you should go for it!
We look for employees that have some kind of environmental background, as that is a center point of the culture in our organization. We also look for people who are devoted to the environment in their own lives. For example, do they bicycle to work, do they eat organic and do they shop at the local farmers market? We do have a very laid-back atmosphere at work, which I love. We try not to be ‘corporate.’
For those with non-solar backgrounds, we look for anything environmental; administration skills are always very helpful as well. It does not have to be specific to the solar industry. We’re also looking at law students, even though they are not always directly involved in environmental law, as that is something we’re all going to need help with.
Besides having an education and training, my advice to those looking forward to a career in solar is to “get out there!” Join groups that install solar for non-profits. Learn the industry, make contacts and do your own research. I only had a few classes in solar. I did my own research.
We do not use a placement agency when looking for new recruits. The city of San Francisco has work development programs to provide intense training classes, with certification. We use those graduates. We also work with city colleges and state universities because students fresh from their studies have a lot of knowledge.”
Heidi gave unique advice, I’d not heard from anyone before. Getting out there, joining groups and volunteering for non-profit organizations sounds like an excellent way to make strong connections in the industry!
PS Interesting links this week are Big/Centralized vs. Small/Distributed and Tortoises vs. Big Solar Plant.
