Alumni Highlight: Josh Rogers, from SEI student to Director of Solar Operations for Duke Energy Renewables

At Solar Energy International (SEI) we love to share exciting news about what our alumni are up to as they move forward in their careers out in the field. Alumni Josh Rogers is the Director of Solar Operations for Duke Energy Renewables in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

According to Josh, he first learned about SEI a couple months after an honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy and started a position for Power-One, where he was developing training for their solar inverter business.

He then enrolled in SEI’s PV101: Solar Training – Solar Electric Design and Installation (Grid-Direct). PV101 covers various components, system architectures, and applications for PV systems. Additionally, it features lessons related to site analysis, system sizing, array configuration, electrical design characteristics such as wiring, a detailed look at module and inverter specifications and characteristics; mounting methods for various roof structures and ground-mounts, an introduction to safely and effectively commissioning grid-direct PV systems, and much more. 

“At first I was very skeptical and not quite sure about the course since when I got there it was a very diverse class of backgrounds and abilities,” Josh explained. “Once the class started the instructors were incredibly experienced and knowledgeable. The course work, materials, and interactions in the class really set my foundation in the design and operation of solar PV.”  

Josh attributes the successful launch of his career in part to the knowledge and experience gained in SEI classes.  “SEI played a huge role in launching my career by teaching me the fundamentals, industry lingo, and NEC information,” Josh said. “With some residential installation experience, and the support of several experienced colleagues, within months of entering the industry I was able to start teaching about inverter installations online and at distributors, installer warehouses, conferences and trade shows. I was able to apply the basics and fundamentals of the SEI course to not only residential solar but commercial and utility scale applications as well.”

Josh expressed his gratitude for the opportunities available in the fast-growing solar industry. “In my short career in the solar energy field, I have had the opportunity to interact with many parts of several businesses, and I am extremely fortunate and grateful for all my contacts and experiences.”

Looking to the future, Josh plans on continuing on his solar industry career path. “I truly believe in the need for clean, distributed energy and I want to ensure the teams operating these assets can do it safely and effectively as the industry continues to grow. Overall seeing solar makes financial sense for individuals, corporations, and utilities alike encouraging more and more investment in the energy of the future.”

Learn more about how to launch your career in the solar industry with SEI’s PV101 course either in-person or online. Check out our full training schedule: https://www.solarenergy.org/training-schedule/ 

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