Conergy, one of the largest downstream solar companies operating globally, announces the launch of its Future Solar Leaders Program and its first program, taking ten top American students to attend the Conference of Parties climate change negotiations (COP21) in Paris this December. The goals of the program are to increase media coverage of solar policy and industry successes across the world and support the next generation of solar leaders in publishing investigative journalism that holds official COP21 delegates accountable to strong renewable energy commitments.
With nearly 300 applications from the top universities and environmental networks across the country, Conergy’s ten Future Solar Leaders were selected at a less than four percent acceptance rate. The students were selected based on prior climate change leadership, excellence in communication, and proven ability to take risks in business networking environments. On the ground in Paris, the Future Leaders will meet with and interview official United Nation delegates about solar and publish pieces on Conergy’s blog as well as in popular mainstream publications.
The Future Solar Leaders chosen are Eric Beeler (George Washington University, Washington D.C.), Zach Bielak (Rice University, Houston, TX), Rohith Desikan (Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA), Emma Hutchinson (Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA), Christina Cilento (Northwestern University, Chicago, IL), Shana Gallagher (Tufts University, Boston, MA), Jake Kornack (Willamette University, Salem, OR), Caroline Saunders (Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN), Salwa Shameem (University of Chicago, IL), Kyle Sundman (University of Denver, Colorado). The students are in undergraduate, Public Policy Masters, and MBA programs.
The group has collective experience working for nearly all the major environmental NGOs and government agencies, including 350.org’s Fossil Free Campaign, the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE), Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project, Citizen’s Engagement Lab (CEL), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Senate, TEDx, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The students are also collectively fluent in Chinese, Spanish, French and Hindi.
“We are thrilled to launch this program and support the next generation of solar leaders in elevating the topic of solar at these ever-important climate negotiations,” says Yann Brandt, Regional Head of The Americas at Conergy.
The Future Leaders will be staying in the heart of Paris in a communal home, giving them the opportunity to exchange ideas and strategize collaboratively in order to obtain the highest quality interviews and compose engaging published media.
