Happy 2021! 

I have been teaching solar and energy storage classes for almost 15 years now and it is about time I sent out my first newsletter. Some of you I have not heard from for over a decade.

If you are not interested in seeing what I am up to, just unsubscribe from this list. One of the reasons I did not do a newsletter before, is that I do not like getting extra stuff in my inbox, so I will not be doing this too often.

As many of you know, my main job over the last 15 years has been teaching solar classes around the world. There are some of you in every time zone and I have a million airline miles to show for it. It has been an exciting time getting to visit over 40 countries and about as many US states.

I started teaching online classes on the HeatSpring platform in 2014 and this has especially paid off in 2020, as I had on-demand classes ready to go for this new online learning world. As many others have been learning how to make online courses, I was already rolling at full steam. I am pretty sure I am at or near the top of the list of online NABCEP trainers, which seems to be my niche. I have successfully prepared many for different NABCEP exams and continue to teach many of the continuing education classes required by NABCEP to keep certifications active.

Years ago, I was on the NABCEP PVIP technical committee and helped NABCEP. After that was 2 years in the past, I was allowed to write books and teach classes that would prepare people to take NABCEP exams. So far, I have written 8 books (3 of them 2nd editions) which I hear were popular at the NABCEP testing sites. Now all NABCEP exams can be taken from home!

The HeatSpring classes have been the best! I really like working with Brian and Duncan (the founders of HeatSpring). We have an arrangement where we divide things up, so that what is good for one is good for all. HeatSpring also has a program where people and companies, such as yourselves can become partners, where you get 20% for promoting a tracking link, which is good passive income. You cannot argue with passive income!

HeatSpring also has group and low-income discounts. For instance, we have let underprivileged students in Philadelphia take the PV Boot Camp course at cost, in order to help some students and the instructors who have never taught online classes before.

One of my favorite classes I teach is a class for Grid Alternatives in Washington DC 2 times per year. I love living in DC a few weeks per year, visiting friends and riding bikes around the capitol.

It has been interesting seeing this industry evolve, seeing PV go from a small niche, to the majority of new energy projects. Riding the waves of new incentives in different places, such as the Ontario Canada FIT, the NJ SRECS, the PA rebates and of course all of the activity in California. Now, with the price of PV being an order of magnitude less than it was a decade ago, new markets are opening up. Energy storage is also becoming mainstream and I have been teaching Energy Storage classes. I just published Energy Storage Basics.

If you want to see what I am up to, I have a page with all of my links, which is www.solarsean.com and from there you can see my HeatSpring classes, the Sean White Solar and Energy Storage Podcast, a discussion board, my books and more.

I am always at all the big conferences, such as SPI, Intersolar US, Intersolar Germany, SNEC China and more, so be sure to say hi when the conferencing starts up again. In the meantime, stay healthy and see you online!
 

Here are some photos of my journey teaching around the world.