New Course: Utility Scale Solar Construction & Project Management

Are you just getting started in the large scale solar construction industry, or have you been in it for a while but unable to take the next step in your career and move up as quickly as you’d like? If so, I’m stoked to announce that I’ve partnered with HeatSpring to provide you with a world class educational resource with the focused goal of helping people like yourself expand their opportunities and get the roles (and the paychecks) they deserve.

I’ve spent the last seven years fully immersed in the project management, construction and quality management of large scale solar power plants throughout the United States. I’ve been involved in jobs in California, Arizona, Idaho, New Mexico, Colorado, Oregon, Rhode Island, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Arkansas, Indiana, Connecticut, Louisiana, Virginia and Maryland – and installed 2kW rooftop systems in a day all the way to eight month long, 100MW jobs requiring over 300,000 panels. During my time on the road, I’ve been lucky enough to meet people from all walks of life – from $10/hr laborers scraping to make ends meet, to high powered executives earning way into the six figures.

Throughout it all, the dominant theme that’s jumped out to me is one of opportunity – if you work hard, apply yourself, always look for openings and put yourself out of your comfort zone, then you can progress and grow extremely rapidly. However – there have been plenty of good, hardworking men and women that I’ve met over the years that haven’t taken the leap from a solid Crew Lead to Foreman, or from Superintendent to Construction Manager. I don’t buy into the idea that this is due to a lack of willpower, intelligence or discipline – or that some “have it” and others don’t.

In my book, there is a huge gap in basic training for the multitude of men and women entering the solar industry – when I personally started out in utility solar in late 2014, I’d never stepped onto a construction site in my life. I didn’t know what a JHA was, I probably couldn’t tell the difference between a skidsteer, an excavator and a trencher, and I’d certainly never heard of a PD10. Guys show up every day to the jobsite who aren’t aware of the difference between a clutch drill and an impact gun, and have no knowledge of the bigger picture of solar and how they could make a better life for themselves via this incredible industry. There’s constantly people joining the industry with similar gaps in their knowledge – but who would jump at the opportunity to learn and prepare properly so that they can hit the ground running from day one. Some companies have great training programs, and others just throw you in the deep end and expect you to swim… which works for some, but leaves many behind – and surely isn’t the most sustainable and efficient method to upskill and improve people.

I believe that one of the key things currently missing in utility scale solar is that there are very few high quality educational resources specifically designed and built for those men and women who either spend the majority of their time in the field but want to expand their opportunities and take the next step in their careers, or those who want to set themselves up for immediate success when they hit the jobsite.

That’s why I put this course together on Utility Scale Solar Construction & Project Management – it’s intended to be your one stop shop if you’re keen to learn about the basics of solar from a construction & execution perspective. It’s a four week course packed with great educational content, a weekly call-in where you can ask your instructor anything you’d like, access to vibrant discussion boards where you can engage with your peers and most importantly, a chance to expand your opportunities!

All our courses are limited to a maximum of 20 persons to ensure a high level of student:coach interaction and to maximize your learning potential – and since we’re already filling up fast, get in quick and secure your spot for by signing up today!