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In this episode Geoff and Jason cover topics ranging from Jason’s policy experience and suggestions to life owning a solar company.
They also discuss what’s needed if companies want to succeed in bringing diversity and inclusion into their companies. Spoiler alert: it can’t just be to check a box.
What’s the secret? Companies have to actually want to succeed if they want people of color and women to thrive at their organization. In this episode, Jason provides suggestions for integrating non-traditional solar workers into your company if you’re starting from square one .
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Ralph Jacobson is the chief innovation officer and co-owner at Impact power Solutions (IPS), which he founded in 1991.
Impact Power Solutions develops and installs solar energy systems in Minnesota and Illinois.
Ralph is a member of the Religious Society of Friends, was a founding board chair of the Minnesota Solar Energy Industries Association (2009-2019), board member of Cooperative Energy Futures (2012-2018), board member of Minnesota Renewable Energy Society (1990-2010), member of the Just Solar Coalition, board member of Chorus Polaris.
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Emilie Oxel O’Leary is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sunshine Solar with a strong passion and expertise in the solar industry. She has worked with many of Fortune 500 companies across the nation such as Amazon, L’Oreal, Target, Perry Ellis, Blue Cross Blue Shield and continues to develop relationships with clients throughout the United States while making Sunshine Solar the best in the industry.
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Cesar Barbosa is a solar professional with over 12 years of EPC and O&M experience. Having an extensive amount of experience from working with some of the industry leading companies, he now turns his focus to an increasing challenge of maintaining and in some cases decommissioning of aging Solar assets deployed across North America, with a mission to bring NuLife to solar and the world.
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Kelsey Misbrener is senior editor at Solar Power World magazine, the premier media outlet for the U.S. solar market. She gets excited about all things solar policy and also enjoys covering the inverter and software beats for SPW. She has a degree in magazine journalism from Kent State University and is passionate about renewable energy and the environment. In her free time, she loves to go hiking, birding and camping, or just hang out on the deck or at a local brewery.
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In this episode Geoff talks with Amanda Woodrum of Policy Matters Ohio about her organizing work reimagining Appalachia. incorporating voices from around the region, reimagine Appalachia has built a blueprint that lays a way to a 21st century Appalachia.
Amanda Woodrum is a Senior Researcher focusing on issues found at the intersection of health, equity and the economy. After living in New York City and experiencing 9/11, she returned to Ohio determined to make the state the kind of place she wanted to live. She joined Policy Matters Ohio in 2007 after receiving a master’s degree in economics and a law degree from the University of Akron. She conducts research on the role transportation, energy, health and anti-poverty policy can play to promote a more sustainable and equitable economy in Ohio.
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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.
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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.
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An 8 year veteran of the solar industry, Dan Conent is the CEO and Founder of Solar Holler, a West Virginia Solar Installation Company. Dan previously helped start up the largest solar installer in Vermont and served as a technical advisor to the US Dept of Energy’s SunShot Initiative. He has an MS in Energy Policy and Climate from Johns Hopkins.
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Julia has served as SEPA’s President & CEO since 2004, providing leadership and strategic direction for the organization. She is responsible for guiding and overseeing all of SEPA’s research, education, and collaboration activities for its 1,100 member companies and the broader energy industry. Julia is a visionary non-profit leader at the center of the transformation underway in the electric power sector to a clean and modern energy future. For the past 20 years she has been advising and collaborating with utilities, solution providers and government agencies on business models, grid modernization, and clean energy policies, strategies and programs. She has led SEPA through significant expansion in recent years, including rebranding from the Solar Electric Power Association to the Smart Electric Power Alliance, and merging with both the Association for Demand Response and Smart Grid (ADS) and Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP). Prior to joining SEPA, Julia worked for ICF International where she supported EPA’s implementation of the ENERGY STAR program. Julia – a graduate of Cornell University – walks the talk, driving an EV and living in a PV-powered home in Northern Virginia with her husband, two children, and dog.
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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.
Ruby has been in solar since 2003. Despite the lack of women in the industry in 2003, she saw the potential for a great and fulfilling career in the solar industry.
When she was pregnant with her first child, key mentors asked for her help in developing a workplace that could support and keep women in their sales roles.
Ruby spent 14 years in sales at Kyocera before beginning with the Amicus Solar Cooperative as the Director of Vendor Engagement manager in 2017.
Throughout her years in the industry she has seen and contributed to a lot of positive changes.
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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.
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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.
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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.
