November 21, 2019 - Paonia, CO. Solar Energy International (SEI), SolarReviews, and Solar-Estimate.org are joining forces to bring new resources to solar energy consumers on SolarReviews’ industry-leading quality assurance platform. As the largest consumer website for reviews of solar installation companies in America, SolarReviews is dedicated to providing accurate and unbiased information to home and business owners as they evaluate the costs and benefits of going solar.

Recent news of electrical grid blackouts in the Western states included narrative on how some home and business owners were unaware that their grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) systems did not operate during blackouts and power outages to offer emergency backup electricity. With that said, grid-connected solar PV systems with battery storage backup do in fact provide emergency power when the grid goes down.

The issue during these blackouts wasn’t about the technology, as some news outlets have attempted to portray. The real issue has been uninformed consumers who have adopted solar energy technologies in the past. The goal of this partnership is to avoid these types of issues and increase consumer awareness about solar PV technologies and how they differ.

The partnership involves an exchange of information and resources from SEI’s industry-leading solar training program to be shared with SolarReviews and Solar-Estimate.org. It will be used to educate solar customers about critical industry topics, such as system sizing, site analysis, solar PV system component selection, and many other topics that will help consumers make informed decisions.

SEI’s Director of Marketing and Communications said, “Educated consumers are an important aspect to the growth of solar adoption not only for consumer protection considerations, but also giving the home or business owners a deeper level of understanding of the technology so they can share that information with others. This partnership will help ensure quality installations of solar power all over the country will continue to grow.”

SEI is a nonprofit training organization which offers cutting-edge solar and renewable energy training. With over 70,000 alumni worldwide, 28 years of experience, and over 100 course sessions offered each year, SEI is an industry leader in solar training. Training topics include grid-tied, solar+storage, advanced operations and maintenance, and OSHA safety courses. SEI will provide this partnership with cutting-edge training tools derived from their industry-leading curriculum.

SolarReviews is the largest consumer reviews website in the solar industry, with over 30,000 reviews, reaching over 2.6 million unique visitors each year interested in going solar. We are dedicated to ensuring homeowners have access to accurate and unbiased information about solar to help them make informed decisions. With a combination of reviews, along with engagement with solar installers, our core value proposition is consumer protection. 

Solar-Estimate.org is the most rigorous free home solar estimator in America today, and serves over 2.7 million unique site visitors per annum. It was the first web-based solar cost and savings estimator released in the United States, and has remained a free solar estimation tool for consumers.

“SEI is proud to partner with SolarReviews and Solar-Estimate.org as part of this initiative. SolarReviews is a trusted source for home and business owners to find high quality installation companies all over the United States. Many of the solar professionals that work for those companies are alumni of SEI's training program and are some of the most skilled and highly trained practitioners in the industry. We hope the segments of our curriculum used in this partnership will shed light on the technical aspects that lead to quality installations and a more informed consumer.”

- Christopher Turek, SEI Director of Marketing and Communications Christopher Turek

"SolarReviews has a long-term relationship with SEI, an organization that instills quality and professionalism through their training program and the students they serve. At SolarReviews, our core mantra is consumer education, and we believe the Solar Quality Initiative will be an invaluable resource for both consumers and solar professionals."

- Andrew Sendy, President, SolarReviews

"We are thrilled to partner with SEI, the leading solar training provider with the largest global student and alumni network in the world, to bring quality solar resources to homeowners and installers."

- Lachlan Fleet, U.S. President, Solar-Estimate.org

Media Contacts:

Christopher Turek, Director of Marketing and Communications
Solar Energy International
39845 Mathews Lane
Paonia, CO 81428
970-527-7657 ext.115 | chris@solarenergy.org

Kim Rapkins, Communications
SolarReviews and Solar-Estimate.org
1625 Broadway, Suite 1400
Denver, CO 80202
844-442-5039 ext. 208