Solar Offset's "Solar Torch" program sponsors student to attend the Solar Show

Solar Offset recently kicked off our Solar Torch give-back program by sponsoring a student, Lisa, to attend a paid webinar session at Solar Alberta’s 2023 Solar Show. We caught up with Lisa afterwards to hear about her background, what she learned from the Solar Show and what she hopes to do once she graduates.

Having trained as a chemical engineer, Edmonton-based Lisa started her career in the oil and gas industry, where she spent 10 years working on various process projects. Now enrolled in NAIT’s Alternative Energy Technology diploma, Lisa is keen to kick-start a new career in the alternative and renewable energy space, which she sees as a strong growth area for employment in Alberta.

Courtesy of our Solar Torch program, Lisa chose to attend the “Embodied Carbon for Solar Professionals” webinar.

“We’re learning about Life Cycle Analysis in my course… so, one of the reasons that I chose the Embodied Carbon webinar was that I wanted to hear from someone who is in the industry…it was really fascinating to hear about it from a professional who’s been in the industry for a decade.”

Next on her itinerary is her capstone project, where she will be studying a waste-to-energy technology, and putting to good use the training and practical experience in solar installations she obtained during her first year in her NAIT course. At the end of April, Lisa will be heading down to Peru with Light Up The World, a Calgary-based charity, to install photovoltaic panels in an off-grid community that currently has no access to electricity.

“[We’ll be] in a remote community that’s far from the grid - their government has given them computers, but no electricity grid to run them on and no wireless! So we’re going to bring them electricity and internet”.

After she graduates, Lisa is particularly interested in finding a job where she can combine her chemical engineering skills with her new-found passion and knowledge for low-carbon technologies.

We’re excited to have been able to help Lisa along in her career journey to be a part of Alberta’s low-carbon sector, and look forward to reporting more on Solar Torch initiatives in the future!