Solar For All

From corporate engineer to non-profit construction manager – Laura's experience in the solar industry is far-reaching.

Laura fell in love with photovoltaics at 16 when she saw her first Casio solar calculator. Finding out how to turn that love into a profession took her a lot longer. Born and raised in “oil-rich” Venezuela, Laura opted to pursue a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering that, as Jigar Shaw puts it, “is like the liberal arts of engineering”. After graduating in 2008 she applied to the 5 solar companies that existed in her country at the time. No opportunities opened then, but she continued to seek out internships, continuing education classes and read a lot of PV magazines. Her jobs ranged from engineering consultant to nanny to medical interpreter. She relocated to the US in 2009. At beginning of 2014 she took vacation days from her job at Cintas to volunteer with GRID Alternatives. Being on the roof installing solar panels made her take the plunge. She gave a 2 months’ notice with her employer and decided PV construction would be her career. She was hired as a Solar Corp fellow by GRID San Diego and continued her journey working with Third Sun Solar, Enphase and Sunrun. Earlier this year she returned to GRID to continue training the next generation of installers.

Gilbert Michaud, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Policy at Loyola University in Chicago.

His applied research portfolio focuses on renewable energy policy, electric utilities, and economic and workforce development. Dr. Michaud also serves as a Faculty Affiliate at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, and as a Senior Research Fellow at Global Law Initiatives for Sustainable Development (gLAWcal).

He holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy & Administration from the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and PublicAffairs at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), as well as a certificate in Data Analytics from Cornell University.

In this Episode, Dan and Geoff cover everything from working in a region with deep roots in coal mining to working for bipartisan solar policies, how the solar investment tax credit works (and doesn’t work) in middle America and a management led unionization of Solar Holler.

In this episode Julia Discusses the history of inclusion at Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) and two up and coming projects the organization is launching. The projects goals are to give a platform to diverse voices and to elevate and expedite career growth for under-represented individuals in the clean energy industry.

In the Show Geoff and Ruby tackle issues from Creating company policies, practices and cultures to support mothers in the workplace to discrimination based on class and race, and finding talent outside of the rooms we’re used to looking in.

Micah Gold-Markel founded Solar States with the mission of providing both solar installation and education.

Micah grew up in Philadelphia, going to the local public school district, and in 7th grade, he started going to a private school. This experience provided some of his first exposure to the disparities in class and race in his own neighborhood.

After high school, Micah worked in music production and software development. Looking for more fulfillment in his work, he found green energy. He was most inspired by Van Jones, a clean energy advocate brought in by the Sustainable Business Network of great Philadelphia. Van Jones, speaking on the Green Collar Economy, asked him personally why there weren't more diverse people in the clean energy movement and what he as a Philadelphia resident would do about it.

The founding ethos behind Micah's company, Solar States is that the company will be the on-ramp to the green collar economy for inner-city Philadelphians.

Micah says he found the right place at the right time and built partnerships in his community to make his mission possible.

Youth Build Philly is an innovative school that takes students who have dropped out of high school and trains them on a vocation. Micah became a teacher and built out the solar installation vocation program. After hiring some of his students post-graduation, Micah began to understand what he had to be aware of to employ low-income individuals.

Philadelphia Power Authority and Powercore PHL proved to be additional partners who provided a good employee base. Their partnership allowed Solar States to blossom further and run more training programs. Spencer Wright, who came through this program, currently runs the program.

Macha's advice for others looking to do similar work?

Don't recreate the wheel. There are partners out there who are doing similar work. Reach out, integrate yourself in the community, ask if a program is wanted, build partnerships to get started.

Also - don't be afraid of failure. And don't think because you've failed a bunch of times that it isn't going to work. If you are dedicated to it – don't allow yourself to fail.

Matthew Harris first began his renewable energy journey in 1999 as a student of Solar Energy International (SEI) where he has also worked since 2004. Matthew holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Architecture with a focus on restorative and resilient buildings. Matthew believes that the story of place is a key component to communities and to renewable energy development. During his time with Solar Energy International, Matthew has played collaborative roles in SEI’s natural building education program, co-leading the planning and development of two training centers for solar PV installers in Colorado, USA and Costa Rica, launching the SEI training program for Spanish speakers which he has served as Director of Business Development since 2013. Matthew and his team have an aim to create long term value for Spanish speakers in the solar PV industry in the USA and Latin America through innovative technical training programs. Since 2013 these efforts have brought training to over 9 Spanish speaking countries, established a comprehensive online learning platform, have trained over 7,000 Spanish speakers, and developed the aforementioned training center in Costa Rica. Matthew is passionate about a world powered by renewable energy.

Justine has worked in the solar industry for the past 26 years, and brings a wealth of experience in PV and energy storage system design, education, and industry leadership to the Mayfield team.

Justine joined Mayfield Renewables in January of 2020, and currently spends her days developing and teaching workshops on energy storage systems, reviewing electrical plan sets for PV and solar-plus-storage projects, and acting as a project consultant and facilitator for commercial-scale solar-plus-storage systems. Through the years Justine has played many technical roles in the industry, such as an NREL research assistant to a NABCEP-certified system installer, to a PV system designer and project manager. However, during the majority of those years Justine has been an educator for the solar industry both as curriculum developer and IREC Certified Master Trainer for Solar Energy International, and as a senior technical editor and author for Home Power Magazine. These roles, in particular, necessitated that she stayed continually current with the developing PV and solar-plus-storage markets. As such she has cultivated a deep understanding of the industry and has honed her skills to relay knowledge about industry best practices, along with electrical, building and fire code requirements.

Ms. Bybee has worked in the solar industry since 2003, first as coordinator of the Solar Austin Campaign and then at solar installers Meridian Energy and Namasté Solar. Over her 11 years at Namasté Solar, itself an employee-owned cooperative, she helped launch cooperatives Amicus Solar (www.amicussolar.com), Clean Energy Credit Union ([http://www.cleanenergycu.org)]www.cleanenergycu.org) and Amicus O&M Cooperative ([http://www.AmicusOM.com)]www.AmicusOM.com). She now serves the latter as its CEO and is committed to its mission “to ensure that solar PV fulfills its promise as a responsible and reliable energy source, for generations to come.” She obtained a BA in English and French from the University of Texas at Austin.

SeMia Bray is a strategic business consultant and thought leader, with a passion for cross sector knowledge exchange and facilitating real conversations that engage leaders in innovative thinking.  For nearly 30 years, she has provided consulting services in the private, manufacturing and non-profit sectors.  A veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard, SeMia honorably served our country for six years.

Her work, focused on the intersection of Equity, Democracy and the Environment allows her to  serve on numerous committees, task forces and coalitions ranging from Black Environmental Leaders Association to Sierra Club Ohio to the Ohio Climate Justice Fund.

In our first episode, SeMia talks with Geoff about belief systems, imagining an abundant future, and workplace culture.