Sigora Solar, a residential and commercial solar company based in Virginia, joined Community Climate Collaborative (C3) and 15 fellow business leaders in the community to launch a Green Business Alliance (GBA) in a recent press conference with Gov. Ralph Northam. The GBA has more than 2,300 members of the Central Virginia business community and has established a goal to reduce emissions by 45% over the next four years.
Virginia recently mandated a 100% clean energy goal by 2045 through the Clean Economy Act (VCEA), a piece of legislation that Sigora Solar championed in collaboration with other industry members. The VCEA and the GBA both align with a newly established national goal for the United States to create a “carbon-free” power sector by 2050 and to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
“I am honored to represent Sigora Solar in this ambitious climate initiative,” said Sarah Nerette, energy efficiency and sustainability director at Sigora Solar. “As leaders in our community dedicated to reducing emissions through increased renewable energy and energy efficiency adoption, the Green Business Alliance was a natural fit for Sigora. It enables passionate companies like ours to prioritize the health of the environment and lift up the economy on a path toward a cleaner future.”
On federal, state and local levels, these climate targets enable meaningful and diverse job creation in an industry that continues to create hundreds of thousands of well-paid career opportunities, Sigora Solar stated in a press release.
Nerette, a Haitian-born Civil Engineer, leads the Sustainability Committee at Sigora Solar and specializes in sustainable development and green building, having achieved LEED Green Associate accreditation. She is also a member of the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE), a national association of energy professionals ensuring Black people and other minorities are involved in the development of energy policy regulations.
Sigora’s business model advances both residential and commercial solar while tracking with national job trends, which currently have residential installation and construction accounting for 55% of 67% of all jobs within the industry.
The 2020 National Solar Job Census, published by SEIA this month, reported that women now represent 30% of a previously male-dominated workforce as well as a significant improvement in job creation for minority demographic groups. Over that 5-year period since 2015, the study shows a 39% increase for women, a 92% increase for Hispanic or Latino workers, an 18% increase for Asian American and Pacific Islander workers and a 73% increase for Black or African American workers.
Sigora Solar, founded in 2011, was named Solar Power World’s “Most Forward-Thinking Company” in 2019. Currently, Sigora’s executive leadership is at gender parity and the company is composed of approximately 35% women and 25% non-whites. Sigora, a national leader in the clean energy transition, is looking for new members to join the Team. Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply here.
