Communities
Eliot Goodwin '04
Part of the growing solar energy industry
When Eliot was at Marlboro, he knew that he wanted to be involved in the field of renewable energy, but he wasn't sure how. He completed his Plan of Concentration on "the contingent valuation of renewal energy" and moved to Washington D.C., where he found an internship with the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE).
"Through ACORE I learned there was a newly evolving industry, with jobs to be had, and I found who the major players were," says Eliot. "The renewable energy industry is hungry for people with certain skills." He was most drawn to groSolar, a solar manufacturing, distribution and installation firm based in Vermont.
"I liked the idea of being back in Vermont, and I thought this small firm would be a great way to get my foot in the door," says Eliot, who now works through a branch office in Albany, New York. "When I joined groSolar there were 27 of us. Now there are over 150, and we are one of the largest independent solar energy companies out there."
In the meantime, Eliot has worked with dairy farmers to install solar panels through a federal grant program and equipped 15 Habitat for Humanity homes for solar with a grant from New York State. He attributes Marlboro with allowing him to think outside the box and pursue a career that might have appeared "fringe" at the time. "I think the biggest thing gained was to not be afraid of having a longer-term outlook to accomplish loftier goals," he says.