After a successful Solar Education Week 2023, RE-volv wants to highlight and celebrate the incredible events and conversations hosted by our Solar Ambassadors and partners! 

Solar Education Week is a chance to help spread the word about solar energy and its benefits to communities. Solar is affordable, sustainable, and provides energy independence for communities at all economic levels. This year’s Solar Education Week highlighted topics ranging from the importance of adopting clean energy, environmental justice, the green economy, and climate optimism! 

As the solar industry grows, ensuring our workforce is informed and supports climate literacy is essential. Our solar industry partners hosted events focused on the just transition to clean energy. Our partners at Solar United Neighbors presented a virtual screening of the film “How to Power a City.” The film follows the stories of communities from 6 cities across the U.S. that want to bring clean, renewable energy projects to their hometowns and the roles that leadership, innovation, technology, and public participation play in energy transition. 

GRID Alternatives dedicated an installment of their webinar series, GRID Talks, to Solar Education Week. The webinar discussed how we can implement equity and community-centered practices in the clean energy industry. Their conversation called attention to the dual need to provide access to renewable energy in low and moderate-income communities and create economic opportunities within clean energy through workforce development. Their executive directors emphasized the value of community engagement at every level of the just energy transition. A recording of the webinar is available here.

In addition to our partners, our Solar Ambassadors hosted events that educated their classmates and local communities on climate change, solar energy, and solar careers. Worcester Polytechnic Institute fostered climate consciousness at a local elementary school by playing a solar energy-themed Jeopardy game with students. Swarthmore University used Solar Education Week as an opportunity to partner with a local nonprofit to present careers and training opportunities within the solar energy industry to local high school students. 

Our Solar Ambassadors at Princeton University and the University of Dayton tabled at their universities to teach fellow students about solar and recruit Solar Ambassadors for the next year! Georgia Tech hosted their Sustainability Professionals Panel networking event, inviting alumni who work in renewable energy to answer questions from students interested in clean energy careers. 

If you weren’t able to participate in a Solar Education Week event this year, or are looking to learn more, our partners at Heatspring have you covered. Heatspring celebrates solar education everyday by providing online courses and tools that prepare the workforce of tomorrow for the clean energy transition and upskill the leaders of today. They have over 240 courses covering solar basics, financing, policy, design, and continuing education on new technology. 

To learn more about HeatSpring’s available courses, click the link below!

https://www.heatspring.com/courses/solar-power-101?aff_id=ygfqnw