{"id":2929,"date":"2015-03-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-03-02T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gridalt.wpenginepowered.com\/the-current\/troops-to-solar-lighting-a-new-career-path-for-vets\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T12:03:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T16:03:23","slug":"troops-to-solar-lighting-a-new-career-path-for-vets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/live-grid-wp.pantheonsite.io\/es\/the-current\/troops-to-solar-lighting-a-new-career-path-for-vets\/","title":{"rendered":"Troops to Solar: Lighting a new career path for Vets"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cassie Perando spent six years on the USS Nimitz as a Nuclear Electrician, watching over the electrical grid. \u201cI was the one who made the lights stay on,\u201d she jokes, looking back. Now, Cassie is making the transition to civilian life, and to solar. She\u2019s one of three veterans we’ve hosted as interns through partner nonprofit The Mission Continues<\/a>, and part of a growing number of Vets around the country who are finding a place for themselves in the solar industry. According to research by the Solar Foundation, veterans make up 9.2% of all solar workers, over 13,000 in all.<\/p>\n

Cassie always wanted to help people. She grew up dreaming of being a doctor, but took a detour to her local US Navy recruiter\u2019s office and landed on the USS Nimitz studying engineering. \u201cThe Navy was excited about my scores, but I had no interest in engineering,\u201d she said. \u201cThat changed rapidly when I realized, \u2018Hey, I\u2019m kinda good at this!\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fun to beat out the boys with your brains,\u201d she said, laughing. \u201cI wanted to serve my country, I just needed an opportunity and this was it.\u201d<\/p>\n

With solar, Cassie is finding a new way to serve her country, and she\u2019s excited about where her internship could take her. \u201cSolar is beautiful, clean and gets better every year with research,\u201d Cassie said. \u201cFor individuals, it makes a difference in their life. I want to have a well-rounded idea from start to finish about solar, from installing to social outreach.\u201d<\/p>\n

GRID Alternatives\u2019 offices around the country are expanding their work with veterans, providing on-base trainings for active duty vets getting ready to transition, accelerated Team Leader trainings, and all-vet installation opportunities, as well as partnering with local veterans organizations. We aren\u2019t the only ones. The Department of Energy\u2019s SunShot Initiative just completed its first month-long pilot program to help transition Marines to solar. As the solar job market continues to grow, we\u2019re excited to help veterans take advantage of the opportunity to put their skills and expertise to good use making the air cleaner for everyone. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cassie is just one hundreds of Veterans who have walked through GRID Alternatives\u2019 training doors to continue serving their communities here at home. This year several of our offices are ramping up partnerships with Veteran service agencies, like The Mission Continues, in an effort to help them learn new skills and gain a foothold in the solar industry. <\/p>","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2930,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[],"audience":[],"content-type":[12],"focus-area":[20,36,73],"region":[],"series":[],"content-author":[],"class_list":["post-2929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-workforce-education","content-type-news","focus-area-job-training","focus-area-women-in-solar","focus-area-workforce-development"],"acf":{"hero_media_type":"image","hero_media_image":null,"hero_media_url":"","hero_media_poster":null,"hero_video_play":"inline","related_stories":null,"pattern_override":null,"story_callouts":null,"media":null,"featured_blog_post":null,"featured_event":null,"pdf_download":null,"blockquote":null,"author":null,"notice":null,"social_embed":null,"contact_card":null,"meta_details":null,"faq":null,"table":null},"yoast_head":"\nTroops to Solar: Lighting a new career path for Vets - GRID Alternatives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cassie is just one hundreds of Veterans who have walked through GRID Alternatives\u2019 training doors to continue serving their communities here at home. 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