Save the date to join #SolarChat founder Raina Brett Russo (@EcoOutfitters), president and co-founder of EcoOutfitters.net, for our next chat on 5/23/12. The topic: Consumer Protection & Installer Certification.

Join us to explore various credentials that bring credibility to the solar sales process. How crucial are these? What companies offer such credentials; are all things equal? How can we use this standard of certification to help mainstream solar? What structures are in place to protect consumers? How do you build confidence that the very roof over the consumer’s head will not be harmed in the solar process?

Russo will be joined by guest panelist, Carl Siegrist (@CarlSiegrist), of Carl Siegrest Consulting; Jeffrey Spies (@solarspies), business development manager for Quick Mount PV; Andrew Zimdahl, executive director Infinite Solar (@InfiniteSolar); and Christine Covington (@SEIA), SEIA’s manager of trade and competitiveness and the association's certification and training expert.

Carl is an experienced renewable energy strategist and leader who has been creating change and solutions for the effective promotion and use of solar power for more than a decade. He has held various management positions in renewable energy, energy efficiency, environmental, planning, and regulatory affairs at an investor-owned utility for over 27 years until he started his own consulting business earlier this year. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) and was a board member of the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) for nearly 10 years.

Jeffrey's role at Quick Mount PV includes managing all aspects of business development for the leading manufacturer of solar mounting and waterproof flashing systems. He also serves as secretary of NABCEP, the Solar Industry Certification Agency, and is a featured speaker at major tradeshows/conferences. He was director of training for the second largest solar distributor from 2007-10, produced the largest solar dealer training conferences, and maintained the #1 “Solar Training” webpage on Google from 2007-10. He boasts a degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University and has 20 years of sales/marketing experience working with electrical and mechanical motion control systems for industrial automation.

As Infinite Solar’s Executive Director, Andrew Zimdahl is responsible for managing business development projects, marketing strategy, and quality assurance. His professional background as an entrepreneur, financial consultant, and policy analyst has given him the resourcefulness and vision to guide Infinite Solar to a bright future. 

In her role, Christine serves as staff liaison to SEIA's Environment, Health & Safety Committee, where she advises members on environment and social responsibility, industry best practices, codes and standards, and proactive industry solutions, such as PV recycling. Christine also focuses on international trade, economic development, and solar supply chain initiatives. Before joining SEIA, Christine worked as a consultant, where she analyzed legislative and regulatory policies pertaining to clean-energy finance.

#SolarChat welcomes solar and renewable industry experts and consumers who are "solar curious" to discuss relevant issues like solar energy, solar PV, solar hot water, solar pool heating, and related subjects. The Twitter chat provides an opportunity to connect homeowners and qualified installation professionals, to demonstrate the affordability and environmental impact of all types of solar solutions, and to educate consumers on this emerging field. "We believe in the power of solar to change the world," says Russo. "We hope #SolarChat will further advance EcoOutfitters' goal of making solar a reality for every American home and business."

For those new to Twitter, a hashtag (#) is an easy way to find and follow people who are tweeting about a certain topic. #SolarChat has a simple mission: Curious consumers, energy experts, and installation professionals can tune into Twitter at the designated chat time to share advice and resources, weigh in on discussion topics, pose questions or concerns, and work together to advance solar awareness.

#SolarChat is held on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EST. 

SAVE THE PLANET --

Don't print this; use the tool at top right to "Add to Calendar" instead!