Morgan Solar is hiring

We just updated the Careers section of website with three new positions, and will be posting more very soon. We are currently looking for:

• Electrical Engineer – Entry level position – Some experience required – Download Job Description.
• Optical Designer – Experience required – Download Job Description.
• Senior Manufacturing Manager – Executive/Director level position – Download Job Description.

We’re going to be posting some additional positions soon, so if you’re interested, keep an eye on the Career’s page.

Edit: Thanks to everyone who applied for the elec and optical positions.

Solar Panel Installer Job Seekers in Ontario

I get quite a few emails a week for job seekers and I usually try to send more than just a simple “We”re not hiring right now” reply.  I love that people want to work in this industry and so I try to give a little advice where I can.  One of the groups of people that I hear from occasionally are people interested in being solar panel installers.  The following points are a distillation of the advice that I’ve given out.  (If you don’t want to be climbing up on rooftops, or don’t want to install solar farms, then this blog post might not be that useful to you.)

Know the Industry:

If you’re job hunting for a solar installer job, there are a few things you should really start with.  These might help you figure out where the opportunities are and if you’re lucky, might help you figure out who’s hiring.

• Ontario’s Green Energy Act – Learn everything you can about the act, the Feed-In Tariffs, the job creation programs etc.  These programs are specifically being created to encourage green job creation, and the programs have been very explicitly designed to mimic successful programs in Germany, Spain and other regions.  The more you understand these programs, the more likely you’ll be able to figure out where the opportunities are and the better you can demonstrate that you’re the right employee for the job.  Some links:
  • The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure Green Energy Act Page
  • OPA Feed-In Tariff Page – Very important.
  • Employment Ontario – Don’t just look for job postings and advice, learn about the different incentives.  If you’re a student, make sure you understand coop  and summer job incentives for employers.  If you’re looking for training or apprentiships, there are incentives there too.  Understand them.
• FIT Rates – I’ve covered this in a recent post, and there are some links there to get you started.
• Current Players – Figure out who’s actually doing solar panel installs.  If you want to get into home roof top, or solar farm work, figure out who’s already done it.  Look up the types of projects that have been done already – they’re the most likely to be expanding as solar installs increase.  This is partly research on your part, but the CanSIA member list above, and people who exhibit at Green and Solar shows are a good list.  The Toronto Green Living Expo is coming up in a few weeks – figure out who’s going to be exhibiting, sponsoring, and make sure you go.  (Hint, don’t take resumes and don’t ask people for jobs at the show, they’re busy and they’ll forget you.  Apply before, be friendly and treat the show itself as a networking event.)
• Know the technology – I’m not going to put together a series of links here, but if you want to do rooftop, have an opinion about the major silicon panel manufacturers and thin films, different inverters, mounting schemes etc.  Also, look at micro inverters and wiring in parallel to solve shading issues and meters and grid tie issues.  Make sure you know the actual stuff you’ll be installing, and have specific knowledge of specific companies.
• Understand the Basics of Solar Resource – Look up insolation, kWh/kw and understand panel efficiency.  Don’t just know electrician and roofing stuff (but know that too).  If you don’t know the latitude of the town you want to work in, and you can’t figure out the correct tilt for a panel, go learn.

Network, attend and visit

• Networking events – Like Green Drinks, and different events on campuses and organized by the city and the province.
• Eco, solar and green events – Good green events posted at:
  • GreenGTA.ca Calendar
  • Toronto Clean Air Partnership
  • Live Green Toronto – I especially like the Doors Open Ontario Events where you can tour green buildings.
• Visit solar installations – It’s surprising how many there are that you can find out about.
  • Kortright Centre – Amazing place, they have tours of different green energy installations on site, workshops and other educational resources.  Go.  Take your kids.
  • Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative – They offer Solar Neighborhood Tours.
• Volunteer Experience – There are lots of ways to do this, but why not try Habitat for Humanity.  Pick up some valuable experience, get some roofing experience, show that you’re a decent guy and meet lots of other people that are interested in doing good and pound nails.  Good experience, makes you more employable and excellent networking.  Also, I’m not sure how much solar they do, but if they do one project a year in solar, they’ll give first dibs to the active volunteers.  There are probably ten other good ideas out there for good volunteering.
• Other Green and Solar Organizations -
  • Canadian Solar Energy Industries Association.  Here is their member list of solar energy companies, consider joining CanSIA, especially if you’re still a student, look at their training for solar panel installation, and most relevant, their CanSIA Employment page.
  • The Ontario Sustainable Energy Association has a number of Educational Links to programs they offer or are affiliated with.  There are others, use your google-fu.

Solar Panels at Exhibition Place - This picture was taken last year when we helped out in some testing with the system on the Automotive Centre in Exhibition Place.

It’s tough out there, but fortune favours the prepared.  I wish I were hiring solar installers, but for now, other people are and more will be soon.  Good luck.

Green Job Sites

Green Collar Jobs

So, a little more on Green Jobs.  A couple of people emailed me to thank me for posting a couple of Green Job alerts.  I started doing these because I felt bad when people would call me asking me for a job, and we’re at least a few months away from being able to hire anyone.  Originally, I would email people individually when I caught a green job opportunity, but this seems like a better way to get the word out.

Good Work, a green jobs site in association with Planet Friendly has a number of new green job listings, including three full time positions in Toronto that were posted today.  There are 50 listings posted since July 18th, and they run the gamut from paid internships and warehouse work at Green companies, to project managers and scientists.  Definitely an excellent resource for people seeking green jobs.  (They have listings for positions all over, Canada and the USA, not just Toronto.)

Eco Canada (registration required, but no fees that I could see) also has some new jobs up, but they seem to have a little less “warehouse” and a little more manager, consultant and scientist type positions.

Work Cabin has more, and they have a “Job Alerts” email sign up on the front page.

Sadly, Monstertrak’s green jobs portal appears to be down (I can’t find it anyway), but GreenBiz.com has a good Green Jobs section with a more American and International bent to it.

I have no connection to any of these sites, and I’ve never used their services, but if anyone tries any of them out – let me know what you thought.  Also, recommend more green job sites, and good luck to you green job seekers.

Edit:  Oops, I wanted to include this site too, AlternativeEnergy.com has a green jobs section as well.  This site is growing, and sometimes tries to be too many things, but it’s a good site and worth checking out.  (US centric.)

Green Job Alert – Evaluation Contractor

Green Collar Jobs

RFP for Evaluation Contractor for Multifamily Buildings Program

Because I get emails from tonnes of different sources, occasionally Green Jobs cross my desk. Obviously I’m not looking, but it’s possible that someone reading this might be, so I figure, I’ll post them here.

Green Jobs

Green Collar Jobs

An outstanding post on Green Jobs over on Treehugger, includes a list of Green job sites, well worth bookmarking.

Green Job Alert – OPA Conservation Program Manager

Green Collar Jobs

RFP for 2009 to 2010 Every Kilowatt Counts Power Savings Event External Program Manager

Because I get emails from tonnes of different sources, occasionally Green Jobs cross my desk.  Obviously I’m not looking, but it’s possible that someone reading this might be, so I figure, I’ll post them here.

Solar Industry Countdown

I’ll offer up a sample of what’s happening in the solar industry every week, if you catch an article that you think is solar-newsworthy, send it my way.

Significant numbers and events in the solar industry for the week of July 4, 2008.

• $148 Billion – Worldwide cleantech investments in 2007 according to a report by the U.N. Environment Program. From Greentech Media:

Wind-energy projects received the most money in 2007, getting $50 billion, a 40 percent spike from 2006, according to the report. But solar investments grew the fastest, increasing 90 percent to $28 billion.

• $10 Billion – The amount the DOE has announced in loan guarantees for renewables. (Source Renewable Energy World)
• $3.59 billion – Amount of investment in PV plants in Spain this year alone, from Reuters:

Lending to Spanish photovoltaic plants has risen to $3.59 billion in the year to date from $230.9 million in 2007 and $192.44 million in 2006, according to Reuters Loan Pricing Corp data.

• 4 and 52000 – The number of New Mexico electrical utilities partnering on a major solar power installation, and the number of homes the new plant will power. (Source United Press International)
• 2400 - The number of new solar jobs in Nevada (1400) according to Cleantechnia and Michigan (1000) according to the Ann Arbor Business Review. Green-collar jobs are out pacing regular job growth, forecast to increase, can’t be exported, pay well and offer more job security too, so kudos
• Complete 180 – A good description of the US Bureau of Land Management’s decision to reverse their bone-headed two year moratorium on new solar development on public land. (Many sources including Treehugger.)