Over 50 Photo voltaic & Storage Firms Take Motion on Range, Fairness, Inclusion, & Justice

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America’s photo voltaic and storage business is shortly remodeling our power system, creating new alternatives in each nook of the nation. This fast development can’t be haphazard if we need to guarantee equitable development as a part of this transition.

Prioritizing range, fairness, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) programming is the trail ahead to serving to the photo voltaic and storage business obtain its targets. It’s how we unfold wealth, ship upward mobility, and be sure that the office help programs we put in place are absolutely embraced and elevated in tandem with our business’s development. It’s additionally how we appeal to and retain the highest expertise we have to turn into the dominant power supply in our financial system.

That is true on the group stage as properly. An organization’s workforce is its strongest asset. As corporations search to extend revenue and scale back turnover, well-executed range, fairness, and inclusion efforts are nice for enterprise and nice for our business.

That is why the Photo voltaic Vitality Industries Affiliation (SEIA) created the DEIJ Certification Program. We created it to encourage our members and companions to take sensible, measurable steps on DEIJ points.

As this system enters its third 12 months, it’s necessary to mirror on how these packages are working and what sort of impression they’re having on the businesses that take part.

So far, 52 organizations, together with dozens of photo voltaic corporations, have enrolled within the DEIJ certification program, taking measurable actions on DEIJ.

Each participant has accomplished an inclusion evaluation and 88% have a written DEIJ communications plan. As well as, each participant is using a mentorship program, and almost three-quarters of program individuals require unconscious bias coaching for his or her hiring managers. As well as, all 52 organizations report that they’re working immediately with the frontline communities impacted by power improvement and have both created a course of or are engaged on a course of to gather suggestions from impacted communities.

Every quantity represents a real-world motion an organization or group is taking up DEIJ, marking necessary progress for our business. Inclusion assessments, suggestions processes, and mentorship packages are priceless, tangible progress. They assist increase retention and generate a extra inclusive tradition. As these packages develop, collaborating corporations will see the advantages and turn into extra aggressive after they’re attempting to rent high expertise.

These actions are taking place in each a part of our business. Builders, producers, financiers, and repair suppliers are all collaborating in this system, driving progress throughout the business.

This 12 months, RES Group turned the primary firm to attain the very best stage of certification, Platinum. Since RES Group achieved its Bronze certification in 2021, the corporate has expanded its affinity networks, revised its bereavement coverage to incorporate non-traditional relations, and amended its strategy to the people-oriented metrics they monitor.

As well as, Encore Renewable Vitality and OneEnergy Renewables achieved Gold and dozens extra have accomplished the Silver and Bronze certification. SEIA can also be collaborating in this system to make sure the group is ‘strolling the stroll’ relating to DEIJ. We’re proud to report that we’ve expanded our human sources choices during the last 12 months and achieved Gold certification.

We additionally opened this system to non-members and expanded our module choices to raised meet the wants of our business. This contains new modules on mentorship, LGTBQ+ inclusion within the office, creating inclusive areas, and techniques for attracting, hiring, and retaining army veterans and spouses.

We need to thank all of our program companions and our colleagues on the Human Rights Marketing campaign and SHRM for offering suggestions and schooling to help the DEIJ Certification Program this 12 months. We additionally need to thank Longroad Vitality, Freedom Endlessly, and McCarthy for sharing their experiences throughout our webinar collection.

Congratulations to everybody on their accomplishments this 12 months. We’re making unbelievable progress, and collectively, we are able to create essentially the most inclusive and equitable workforce in America.

The success of the photo voltaic and storage business is determined by it.

We sit up for partnering with you in your range, fairness, inclusion, and justice journey.

Abigail Ross Hopper is the president and CEO and Erika Symmonds is the vice chairman of fairness and workforce improvement on the Photo voltaic Vitality Industries Affiliation (SEIA).

Licensed Firms of SEIA’s Range, Fairness, Inclusion and Justice Certification Program

Platinum

Gold

• Photo voltaic Vitality Industries Affiliation
• Encore Renewable Vitality
• One Vitality Renewables

Silver

• Longroad Vitality
• ForeFront Energy
• Enstall
• SOLV Vitality
• Lightsource bp
• Pivot Vitality
• Ranger Energy

Bronze

• Arevon Vitality
• New Vitality Fairness
• Nextracker
• Sunpower
• Solas Vitality Consulting
• Midwest Renewable Vitality
• SGC Energy
• Nautilus Photo voltaic
• Primergy Photo voltaic
• New Vitality Fairness
• Pure Energy Engineering
• Ulteig
• Epcon Companions
• Sungage Monetary
• Namaste Photo voltaic
• Hemlock Semiconductor
• American Photo voltaic and Roofing
• Enphase Vitality
• Solariant Capital
• Dimension Renewable Vitality

Be taught extra in SEIA’s Range, Fairness, Inclusion and Justice Certification Program Annual Report 2023.

By Abigail Ross Hopper and Erika Symmonds, Courtesy of  SEIA.