Solar for All: Omnidian’s Community-Driven Approach for a Brighter Future
Director of Talent
At Omnidian, our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is unwavering. Omnidian exists to ensure clean energy assets perform at their best, and we can’t do that without also ensuring that our people are at their best. As the solar industry (and our company) continues to grow, we’ll need people of all skills, talents, and perspectives to help create clean energy solutions.
Given that commitment, we recently applied for Smart Energy’s DEI Impact Award. While we didn’t win, we’re proud of our company’s internal and external efforts. In the spirit of transparency, we’re sharing our application, which highlighted our WeGu (DEI group) and Civic Action programs. We hope you find it helpful in understanding our approach to both internal inclusion practices and external community partnerships.
Question 1: Does this organization have a policy, initiative, or program for DEI?
In August of 2018, a team of Omnidian employees that were passionate about incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of work life at Omnidian established a committee dedicated to this mission. Playing off of Omnidian’s original name “PeGu,” which stood for Performance Guarantee, the committee named themselves “WeGu” for We Guarantee.
Omnidian’s WeGu committee is open to all employees and meets bi-weekly, typically drawing about 5-10% of the company (and about 40% on special presentations), with an average attendance of 10-15 employees. The committee was founded on the idea of operating with a bias for action; WeGu exists to make a measurable and sustained positive impact within Omnidian and beyond. Here’s our WeGu mission statement:
Omnidian prides itself on our core values, which guide our actions and shape our company culture. As individuals and as a policy, we treat everyone with dignity and respect. These values are more than just words — they are a commitment to act and uphold our values. We accomplish this through hiring & advancement, partnerships & suppliers, and services & products.
Omnidian is committed to building a diverse and inclusive company and workplace culture. We believe that everybody deserves to work in an environment where they feel welcome, safe, and supported. To this end, we embody our values through everyday action and policy, and we hold each other accountable to our coworkers, clients, partners, and community.
WeGu is a resource for information, guidance, solidarity, and support. WeGu is a community of practice, that fosters discussion and inspires action.
Our WeGu committee has spearheaded numerous initiatives over the last six years, and serves as our umbrella to the various affinity groups and other committees, including our Civic Action Committee.
Omnidian’s first Civic Action Committee project was volunteering at a local Black-owned farm in 2020.
Question 2: Describe the specific way your organization has worked to create DEI strategies or programs with external partners.
Through our Civic Action Committee and WeGu, Omnidian partners with community organizations, large and small, to support the needs within our communities and promote sustainable and inclusive practices in the solar industry. Our partnerships throughout the years have focused primarily on the following three priorities:
- Green career paths
- Environmental justice
- Sustainable community solar
Green Career Paths
Through collaborations with Year Up Puget Sound in Seattle, we offered internships that opened pathways for three underrepresented young adults in renewable energy, mentoring and supporting these team members and ultimately hiring two of them as full-time employees. We also aligned with Sphere Solar’s Clean Energy Job Pathways program in Seattle, supporting their mission to provide workforce development in clean energy to underserved communities.
Another key partnership was with the Duwamish River Green Jobs Program, where we contributed to training initiatives in ecosystem restoration and green infrastructure, emphasizing community and environmental well-being. Each collaboration reflects our commitment to creating a sustainable future, driven not just by our efforts but by the collective power of community partnerships.
Environmental Justice
In 2023, Omnidian’s Civic Action committee got involved in local policy and collaboration with community and government leaders across King County and Seattle to ideate and plan for advancing environmental justice over the next 10 years, as these local communities get millions of dollars in funding from from the IRA and others.
Two members of our Civic Action committee — one employee and one community partner — were invited to participate on a 6-month steering committee, which turned into the Coalition for Climate Careers. This Coalition “strives to create an inclusive, thriving green economy workforce in King County through collaboration among community organizations, employers, labor, and local government.” The coalition is a partnership spearheaded by King County, the Port of Seattle, and the City of Seattle, “focusing on policy, funding, and community engagement to support green job growth and quality training.”
Two members of our Civic Action committee participated on a steering committee, which turned into the Coalition for Climate Careers.
Sustainable Community Solar
Omnidian exists to ensure clean energy assets perform at their best, and this year we explored how we could take our services to support the long-term sustainability of community solar projects. We partnered with Adam Powers of KeyTech Labs to be included as the Operations & Maintenance provider for his community solar project in his application for the Department of Energy grant.
Our support on Adam’s application has already helped enable him to become a Certified Community Solar Developer, a certification given by the DOE to assist with grant-funded projects.
Hosted by founding member Adam Powers, our Civic Action coordinated a hands-on tour for the Duwamish River Green Jobs Program, one of our new partners, at our ongoing partner Shark Garden.
Question 3: Provide a Measurement of Success through specific metrics or anecdotal evidence.
In addition to our numerous WeGu initiatives, here’s a timeline specifically of our Civic Action Committee accomplishments since its founding.
- June 2020: Civic Action Committee proposed by Adam Powers during Omnidian Town Hall after the murder of George Floyd; first project was volunteering on a local black-owned farm.
- June-Dec 2021: Helped Diamonds in the Rough apply for non-profit status.
- Feb 2021-22: Helped Key Tech Labs (Adam) & Diamonds in the Rough (Shanetta Smith) apply for grant — eventually received $300k for over 3 years.
- May-July 2022: Helped publicize first ever Solar Punk Festival.
- Aug 2022: Omnidian awarded Diamonds in the Community Award at inaugural Solar Punk Festival.
- Dec 2022: Omnidian helped Olympia Community Solar with their Community Power Accelerator Round 1 application.
Then in 2023, we had the following accomplishments:
- New relationship with Year Up: We had three amazing Year Up interns, two of whom became full-time hires, and we learned a lot in this experience to be able to support future interns.
- Participation in two community events: We hosted student participants for career advice and hands-on solar at Shark Garden, and supported speed networking for green jobs.
- Participation in Coalition for Climate Careers: Robbie and Adam participate on the steering committee, to help establish an inclusive and prosperous green workforce in King County.
- Support for Community Solar Developers: Peers in Adam’s Community Power Developer class leverage Omnidian as their O&M provider in applications.
- Community Solar as a potential new product: For the first time, Civic Action qualified and passed on a lead to our Sales team who began looking at community solar as a new market we could support.
Two Year Up interns became full-time hires, while Omnidian learned how to support future interns.
These are some of Omnidian’s civic action partners, past and present.
Updates since application submission:
We submitted this application in early 2024. Since then, we’re excited to have joined the King County JumpStart program, a new clean energy workforce development initiative aimed at preparing the next generation for careers in building decarbonization. This program connects young adults aged 18-24 with pre-apprenticeship training, paid work-based learning, and pathways to full-time employment in solar, HVAC, and other clean energy sectors. As an employer host site, Omnidian is proud to support these efforts, helping our interns gain hands-on experience and move toward a future of living-wage careers in clean energy.
Omnidian’s journey toward a more inclusive and sustainable future is ongoing. Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion remains at the heart of everything we do. We will continue to collaborate, innovate, and drive positive change in the clean energy sector, ensuring that our efforts benefit communities today and for generations to come.
If you have questions or comments, you can email us at [email protected]. You can also view our culture through photos by following us on Instagram.
