More than just installing solar, our mission is to help grow the solar industry in any way possible. Often times that work takes the form of promoting policy initiatives that remove barriers ( like our support of AB 186, which allows 3rd party ownership ) and corrects oversights ( like our successful efforts to get Nevada’s Public Utility Commission to put expired rebates back in the pool for others to use).

But it’s also about hands-on training, to create a new generation of installers who can do the actual nuts and bolts work of getting these projects built. And that’s why we’re so happy to share this story.

Back in April, we built a 30kW solar array for the Medical Clinic on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe’s Reservation north of Wadsworth. During that project, we asked for community members to help out, and recruited two to take some advanced solar training and work with us as apprentices on the project. One of them, Wakan Waci ( Konch ) Blindman, really connected with our crew, and continued after that project to work as an apprentice on our project in Lovelock.

But to work with the wiring involved with a solar installation, you need to be licensed by Nevada’s OSHA office, and doing that means passing a very difficult test. On November 12th, Konch passed his test and got his OSHA blue card, indicating he is now a fully licensed solar installer. We believe he’s the first person in his community to get one, and are proud to have him, his great attitude, and his expertise, on our team.