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  • About
    • Who we are
      • About MREA
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      • Advisory Board
      • Office Location
      • Annual Report
      • Contact Us
      • News / Blog
    • Resources
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      • CEJA
      • Interest Form
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2025 Instructors

Interested in Becoming an MREA Instructor?

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Meet the MREA’s Solar Training Instructors!

Our divers Instructors bring years of experience working in the solar field. They’re credentialed, board-certified, and experts in their field. They teach and mentor students on solar energy systems, industry standards, and safety practices, preparing them for careers in the solar industry.

Alex Jarvis

Alex Jarvis

President, Solar Systems of Indiana, Inc. | Bloomington, IN

Alex Jarvis has been working in the renewable energy (RE) field since 2006. He has been an instructor for the…

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Ali Dirul

Ali Dirul

Founder & CEO - Ryter Cooperative Industries

With more than 15 years of power system design engineering experience, Ali Dirul is a clean energy visionary, innovator, and…

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Clay Sterling

Clay Sterling

Assistant Professor, Kankakee Community College

Clay is currently an associate professor for electrical engineering technology and renewable energy at Kankakee Community College in Kankakee IL.…

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Cris Folk

Cris Folk

Instructor

Cris is a self-employed energy consultant, and owner of Master Training Specialist, LLC. He provides design, installation, maintenance, and service…

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Dan Fink

Dan Fink

Buckville Energy Consulting - Masonville, CO

Dan Fink has lived 11 miles off the grid, high in the Colorado mountains, since 1991. He has been teaching…

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Jenny Conrardy

Jenny Conrardy

Arch Solar

Jenny Conrardy has been working in the solar industry since 2019. She is a fourth-year Electrical Apprentice in Wisconsin and…

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Jenny Heinzen

Jenny Heinzen

MREA Curriculum Director

Email: jennyh@midwestrenew.org Phone: 751-900-2109 Jenny started her career as an Industrial Electrician, and later worked with residential wiring, farmstead rewiring, and…

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Kris Schmid

Kris Schmid

Legacy Solar, LLC

Kris Schmid is the founder and owner of Legacy Solar, LLC, a solar energy company that has been designing and…

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Leon Dulak

Leon Dulak

Leon has been the MREA’s Site Manager since 2017, working as a project manager for various renewable energy installations onsite.…

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Mike Joyce

Mike Joyce

Instructor, Project Engineer, Full Spectrum Solar

Mike is currently a PV Project Engineer for Full Spectrum Solar in Madison, WI, where he designs and manages both…

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Nick Matthes

Nick Matthes

Creator & CEO, Illumination Solar

Nick is a NABCEP certified PV Installation Professional with WI master electrician and commercial electrical inspector licenses, and has a…

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Paul Gilman

Paul Gilman

Paul Gilman is a technical writer and trainer and has worked on projects for NREL and other clients since 2002.…

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Interested in Becoming an MREA Instructor?

MREA Instructors are hired on an as-needed basis as part-time temporary employees of the organization. The MREA brings in new instructors as demand for training increases or new regional markets for training open.

Application

Instructor Application Process

Instructors are required to submit their application, resume, and a certificate from one of the following:

  • The completion of an advanced Photovoltaic (PV) training program accredited by the U.S. Department of Education, or IREC; OR
  • The completion of a Solar Instructor Training Network (SITN) Program or a U.S. Department of Energy train-the-trainer program (subject to NABCEP approval); OR
  • NABCEP Professional Certification; OR
  • Field experience installing, designing or other direct involvement within the Photovoltaic (PV) industry may be considered as an alternative to one of the above certificates.

The MREA does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, color, creed, disability, marital status, military status, mental or physical disability, source of income, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or any other class protected by law in providing education services or in hiring qualified instructors.  

Individuals who are interested in applying to become an MREA instructor must complete the Instructor Application. No individual will be hired as an instructor unless he or she has completed the application.  Applications may be submitted to the MREA for consideration, and the final determination regarding the proposed applicant will be based on MREA’s need for instructors and each individual’s qualifications. Approval is made based on recommendations by a committee consisting of current MREA staff, and final approval is made by the MREA Leadership Team. Once an applicant is approved, the training team will develop a training/co-teaching/auditing schedule based on their level of education and experience. 

In-person

Instructor Training Process

Prospective Instructors approved by the MREA Leadership Team can begin attending free online training right away. Once they complete the online courses, the training team will schedule them to observe in-person training, and finally to co-teach. All instructors, regardless of experience or credential, are required to fully attend and complete any MREA course(s) they plan to teach. They must additionally co-teach (in full) any course(s) they plan to teach. The training and co-teaching process can take up to a year to complete based on co-teaching opportunities. 

Questions: contact us at courses@midwestrenew.org

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