My name is Ronnie Raxter; I prefer to go by my middle name Cheri. I currently reside in a rural part of Northern California that is trying to break off into its own state (i.e. the State of Jefferson). Although I’ve called California home for the last eighteen years (like most people here) I’m not from here. All and all, I had lived in seven different states by the time I was thirteen and those homes varied from a busy life in Phoenix to the corner of a mountain in Idaho. Having experienced living without running water or electricity (in ID) I became very interested in energy consumption and waste at a young age. I have worked in the technical side of the Solar Photovoltaics (PV) industry for the last seven years and I’ve returned to school to obtain a BA in Energy and Sustainability. My interest in this course both follow my own interest in renewable energy as well as fall into a core course requirement for the degree that I’m pursuing.

As for running my own business, being a single mother for eleven years left me with the obligation of bringing home two incomes. During that time I had worked full time and freelanced on the side to bring in more money. I liked the idea of being my own boss and not having to pay a middleman (I made a lot of money), however the reality of sick days equals no pay, vacation time equals lost opportunity, and a bad economy equals less opportunities, made me realize that in my situation running a freelance business was not in my best interest. That being said, through my current position I have a unique look into the trials and tribulations of designing and installing a PV system and I personally see a need for a program that could easily size and engineer a PV system for people who are new to the industry. All and all, I think that removing the possibility of human error for new installers would have a significant impact on the renewable energy industry.