Rutland Herald: Younger workers play major role in Vt. solar industry

When Khanti Munro started his studies at Green Mountain College in Poultney more than a decade ago, he had to create a self-designed major in order to study solar and other renewable energy sources.

Now, Munro is one of five GMC graduates working at Same Sun of Vermont in Rutland. Several of his colleagues are actually his former students, from classes he has taught in GMC’s Renewable Energy and Ecological Design program.

That experience is part of a statewide trend: Vermont is seeing an increasing number of workers ages 20 to 35 joining the solar industry. The state’s first-ever “Vermont Clean Energy 2014 Industry Report” showed 1,551 solar technology-related jobs in Vermont — the most of any renewable energy sector. That provides a strong solar job market for graduates and other younger workers in the state. Nationally, the Solar Energy Industries Association has found that the solar industry is growing 10 times faster than the average job growth rate in the U.S.

Munro, a 2004 GMC graduate, is now Same Sun’s director of development and technical design. He said college students today often graduate with a fairly unclear job future in their chosen field. Not so when it comes to solar, he said.

“If you are interested in solar, you have a much higher chance of finding a solar job than anything else,” Munro said.

A key part of the trend — aside from the robust pay and benefits this field can offer — is that younger workers often enter the job market with a strong desire to find work that improves the environment and helps people.

Marlene Allen, owner of Same Sun, said that desire is strong among her younger employees.

“They can make a good living doing something they’re passionate about,” she said. Allen added that six out of the company’s eight employees are between the ages of 20 and 35.

One of them is Tyler Crow, 31, a GMC graduate and lead installer living in North Chittenden. He has 10 years of experience in the field, and worked as an independent contractor with Same Sun before going full time with the company about 18 months ago. Crow has lived off the grid with solar for eight years now, so the profession is near and dear to him.

“I’ve always been interested in renewables, and it’s great to work outside, do something good for the planet, have a career and pay the bills at the same time,” he said.

At SunCommon, a Waterbury-based solar company with an office in Rutland, this trend is also well-represented. Duane Peterson, co-president of the company, said 60 percent of the company’s workers are between the ages of 20 and 35, and 25 percent of SunCommon’s work force falls between the 20-30 “millennial” age range.

“They want to contribute to improving society, and so clean energy is a really attractive career for a lot of them,” he said.

That sentiment was an important draw for Ryan Barnes, 26, a 2010 University of Vermont graduate working for SunCommon as a “solar guide,” which is a project/account manager. He said solar energy will not only help the environment, but it will also save people money as more Vermonters go solar. Barnes also mentioned that SunCommon offers a positive, uplifting work environment.

“They really try and take care of their employees, so that we can take care of Vermont,” Barnes said.

Peterson said SunCommon offers pay starting in the $30,000 and $40,000 range, along with benefits.

Allen, of Same Sun, said her company’s starting pay is typically $14 to $18 per hour, with lead installers and project managers at far higher pay.

Another attractive piece of the solar industry is that it’s growing in Vermont — and quickly. Lisa Gosselin, the commissioner of the state Department of Economic Development, said the solar industry in Vermont has created more than 1,000 jobs in the last five years and young people are a key part of that economic engine. She said the high environmental awareness that’s common among younger workers makes the solar industry an attractive option for them. Gosselin pointed out that the solar industry still has great growth potential.

“We’re going to see solar being used for not just electricity, but also heating,” which could be a huge advantage for many Vermonters in the winter, Gosselin said.

Graham Fisk, 35, a Middlebury College graduate, said the potential for solar to help people and the environment certainly drew him back to Vermont. He is now a solar home advisor for SunCommon, where he consults with interested homeowners to figure out how solar might work for them. Fisk graduated Middlebury in 2002 with an environmental studies major.

“I’ve always been really interested in renewables,” he said. “We live on a planet with finite resources, and I’ve always thought that we, as a people, can be smarter about how we capture, collect and use energy.”

When Fisk was looking to move back to Vermont from New York City, it turned out his friend from college knew someone working at SunCommon, who suggested he apply for a job there. Fisk and his wife, Stephanie, were married in Brandon in 2013, and they plan on raising a family here in Vermont.

Fisk said that for SunCommon, the end-goal is not putting up as many solar installations as possible. It’s also about creating a lasting solar infrastructure in Vermont, so that current and future generations can benefit.

“That underlying philosophy is very important to me,” he said.

Peterson also noted the company is a certified B-Corp. That means the business underwent a nationally recognized certification process under the nonprofit B Lab, which emphasizes positive social and environmental impact.

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