Friday, October 16, 2009 at 11:30:23 AM - by Nate Lew

On October 14, The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) announced a funding initiative to the Midwest Renewable Energy Association, or MREA, of $3.3 million.

MREA, a Wisconsin-based non-profit with offices in Milwaukee and Custer, will use the funding to provide solar energy training and resources across the Midwest, targeting technical and community education, or 2-year, colleges.

The MREA has been in this solar teaching role since its founding in 1990, so the $3.3 million, delivered over five years, will essentially enable it to expand its reach, working with educational partners in Wisconsin and the surrounding states of Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio to provide instructor training in solar energy design and installation, as well as peripheral educational materials that said instructors can use in teaching their own classrooms.

It is one of eight similar initiatives by the DoE across the nation, all of which aim to increase the field of solar energy experts, including those in solar photovoltaics, solar hot water heating, and solar technologies used to heat and cool buildings.

As Dr. Tehri Parker of the MREA points out, this new era of solar training will put solar technologies front and center in every technical and community college across the nation, providing a “fundamental component” of degree programs in electrical engineering, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), plumbing, and related areas.

The MREA already has 38 instructors serving more than 2,000 people a year who participate in MREA’s nationally accredited training programs offered at the ReNew the Earth Institute in Custer. The funding will enable MREA to extend that reach to provide for the growing demand for certified solar developers, designers, installers.

Having qualified people on hand is an essential step in the progression of solar energy from a “green” fad to a mainstream source of clean, renewable energy, especially as falling panel and chip prices, combined with rising rebates and solar efficiency, prompt more and more individuals and businesses to consider solar energy as a viable means of getting their electricity, hot water and heating.