Colorado Gives Day: Help us give back to our home state!

An International Renewable Energy Leader, and the Rural Valley it Calls Home

Solar Energy International (SEI) believes in a world powered by renewable energy, so it is only fitting that our mission begins at our homebase in Delta County, and in the surrounding communities in Colorado. Students who have visited SEI’s campus in Paonia know how special it is: the snow-capped mountains, the patchwork of orchards across the valley, and the resilient and kind-hearted community that works to sustain the success of the region. SEI is proud to support local solar initiatives that encourage economic development in the valley that we call home.

Energy Producing Communities in Transition

In the past few years, two of three major coal mines in Delta County have shut down and the surrounding community has suffered from nearly a thousand lost jobs. In the wake of the coal mine closures, SEI sought out a solution to aid in economic revitalization for the Valley, and the Solarize: Economic Revitalization Through Solar Program was born.  Solarize is an outreach model that includes a driving organization, partnered solar installers, and a streamlined process for community members to go solar with a tiered rebate system as an incentive. Combined with a 13-week outreach period, the model aims to inspire people to go solar together.

The project started in the North Fork Valley in 2015, and as a result of community interest in solar, expanded to include all of Delta County in 2016.  The final campaign, Solarize Delta County Farms, fell in line with the County’s adoption of C-PACE (Commercial-Property Assessed Clean Energy) financing, and in addition to the typical Solarize model,  it focused on bringing resources to farms and rural businesses on energy efficiency and renewable energy financing opportunities. Over the past three years SEI has reached over 1,200 people in the County through educational outreach on solar, and as a result of all three campaigns, there have been nearly 60 new solar installs equaling over 400kW, nine new jobs, and over $1.5 million invested by community members in solar energy in Delta County!

Our local initiatives also lead us into regional high school classrooms with the creation of the high school (Solar for Schools High School Solar Career and Technical Pathway) program. Through this program, we can offer SEI’s industry-leading technical training in solar to local students, providing a pathway to one of the fastest growing industries in America.

Our latest project is an extension of our Solar in Schools high school program. In partnership with our rural electric cooperative, Delta-Montrose Electric Association, and the Montrose and Delta County School Districts, we are installing 10kW of solar PV systems on six local high schools during the spring of 2018. Our objective is to include 200 high school students in the installation of these solar arrays at their high schools and have over 200 students a year learn about solar in their science or math classrooms. Additionally, a teacher training is in the works to help teachers include more hands on solar engineering projects in their curriculum specifically math and science classes. These systems will lower energy costs for schools, introduce students to the fastest growing industry in America, and start conversations about energy diversification in the community. We are not only creating a marketplace for solar in Rural America, but we are also working to educate and train the future leaders of a world powered by renewable energy.

Propelling Rural Solar Initiatives Forward
SEI now plans to take these Delta County initiatives and offer them throughout Colorado in a new program, Solar Forward. Through the program, SEI will work as a local solar development adviser, working within communities to host Solarize, SIS and even C-PACE outreach programs.

Communities Need You: Colorado Gives Day

These initiatives demonstrate that as the country, and the world transitions to adopting more renewable energy practices, rural America doesn’t have to be left in the dust, it can lead the way, and Delta County has been an example. SEI hopes to continue fostering the growth of local solar markets in rural Colorado, and we need your help to support these programs.

Now YOU can help SEI help rural communities in Colorado. This year Colorado Gives Day is Tuesday, December 5, and features a $1 million Incentive Fund. Every nonprofit receiving a donation on Colorado Gives Day will receive a portion of the fund, increasing the value of every dollar donated. Colorado Gives Day has grown to be the state’s largest one-day online giving event, raising more than $200 million since it began in 2010. All proceeds will go to SEI’s Colorado initiatives: Solar in Schools and Solar Forward. This is an opportunity to double your impact by making your gift on December 5 on the Colorado Gives Website!

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