Partner Highlight: Powering NYC’s Green Workforce

INSTRUCTOR GARY SMITH LEADS A TRAINING.

Community and collaboration only begin to describe the work being done at the NYC-based non-profit Solar One. The organization uses education to promote the adoption of solar energy to foster sustainability and resiliency in the New York City area. Max Levitzke, Green Workforce Director at Solar One, spoke with us about how Solar One uses education, including Urban Green’s GPRO training, to teach their students about sustainability.

Solar One was founded over 10 years ago with the goal of combining sustainability, renewable energy and education to mitigate climate change. They do so by educating K-12 students and providing adult workforce training. Their hands-on classroom curriculum has recently focused on integrating skills used in green construction, solar energy and building operations and maintenance. Teaching skills that are transferrable between trades helps to make their students more employable and efficient, enabling them to work in renewables sector and more traditional construction trades.

Solar One believes that having students understand “why” is an essential element of education. They challenge their students with questions about climate change and the effects of carbon emissions. GPRO training is a key part of this. “These courses help students gain an understanding of how and why the work is important,” Levitzke said. Solar One has trained more than 1,000 GPRO students since becoming a Delivery Partner in 2012.

 Aside from a trained workforce, widespread solar adoption in NYC faces numerous challenges. Almost 70 percent of NYC residents are renters, making individual solar investments difficult. Community Solar is a potential solution, but projects are still few and far between given the lack of space in dense urban communities like NYC. Additionally, battery storage faces several challenges that manufacturers and advocates are working to overcome. 

These barriers have encouraged Solar One to develop solutions and promote citywide solar adoption through their “Here Comes Solar” program, which aims to make solar energy “affordable, accessible and incredibly common.” Here Comes Solar is a technical assistance program where Solar One works with installers in the area, including placing their trained students with these contractors. By collaborating with businesses and organizations around the city who share a similar mission of wide-scale solar adoption, they are engaging thousands of community members and driving over 100 new projects forward.

As NYC transitions to renewables to reduce carbon emissions, Solar One’s programs and advocacy will drive more opportunities in the solar industry for workers, owners and communities. It’s inspiring and uplifting to see Solar One’s current impact, which will only continue to grow in the years ahead. Thank you for your hard work!

INSTRUCTOR JAMES KINYANJUI SHOWS HOW TO USE A COMBUSTION ANALYZER.

ONE OF MANY SOLAR PROJECTS SOLAR ONE HAS BEEN INVOLVED WITH.

SOLAR ONE STUDENTS WORK ON AN ELECTRICAL PROJECT.