The Namaste Solar trainers told the corps members about current government incentive programs and how they’re spurring a big switchover from traditional electric sources to solar power.

They also explained the increasingly popular leaseback programs that don’t require homeowners to invest any up-front money to have solar installed on their homes.

“Then they showed us how sturdy the panels were,” Huckfeldt said. “You can almost walk on them.”

Ricky Matton, who is in Huckfeldt’s corps class, said he was surprised by how straightforward solar panel installations seems.

“It’s not different from other construction at all,” he said. “It’s the same thing—just a lot of measuring,” Matton said.

Huckfeldt agreed. There’s a lot of math and measuring and work to find the trusses.

“That part was hard,” she said of finding the trusses in the roof. “It seems like they should have a better way of doing that in the field.”

YouthBuild crew leaders like Sparks have been working with Namaste for several months and will be leading future training sessions with corps members, Sparks said.

He has ordered three 85-watt photovoltaic solar panels to use in training and will get the team started on building a fake roof later this year. When the panels arrive, probably late this year or early in January, the corps members will be able to practice installing them.

The Mile High Youth Corps also recently ordered solar panels to install on the roof of its new headquarters building.

Before the Denver Housing Authority development is completed, workers will install a large solar array on the roof. By that time, Sparks said, it’s possible some of the corps members could be tapped to help with the project.

The growth of the green economy and the solar industry seem obvious and likely an important industry to include in the YouthBuild program, Sparks said.