Redefining Skilled Work: Solar Roofing and the Power of Purpose with Amy Atchley
This story is part of our Skilled AF podcast series, spotlighting diverse and inspiring voices connected to the skilled trades & construction community.
Amy Atchley is the co-founder and owner of Amy’s Roofing & Solar, a solar and roofing company based in Sonoma County, California. After 16 years as a high school educator, Amy made a bold leap during the pandemic, leaving the classroom to build a purpose-driven trades business alongside her husband. Together, they’ve created not just a company, but new kinds of skilled jobs to meet the demands of the clean energy transition. Amy is part of a growing movement of leaders reshaping the trades through innovation, inclusion and equity.
In this interview we cover:
Amy’s Career Pivot: From high school teacher to co-founder of a solar roofing company
Solar Roofing as a Net New Skilled Job: How clean energy is creating hybrid roles that didn’t exist before
On-the-Job Training: Why most training happens hands-on and the lack of standardized solar & roofing education
Workforce Challenges: Aging workforce, difficulty finding people willing to do physically demanding roofing jobs, and the ongoing “race to the bottom” in contractor pricing
Immigration + Labor Inequity: Amy discusses undocumented labor, exploitation, how contractors skirt the system, and why the system makes it so hard to do the right thing
California Policy Friction: Why current licensing and apprenticeship models don’t support solar and battery storage roles, and the tension between the solar and electrician worlds in California
Advice to Her Younger Self: “Do the thing you want to do. Don’t psych yourself out. You’ll figure it out along the way.”
Finding Mentorship: The importance of a mentor when you’re starting a business. Shoutout to Letitia Hanke of The LIME Foundation and ARS Roofing
Post-Interview fact checks:
Whale Oil: We discuss the phasing out of whale oil to petroleum. Whale oil was one of several fuels used in the 1800s, and it declined due to competition from cheaper alternatives like camphene and kerosene.
Solar + Battery Apprenticeships: Amanda mentions that there’s no stand-alone registered apprenticeship program for solar and battery storage, however, now employers, unions, and training programs can formally register solar + battery apprenticeships under the Construction Craft Laborer occupation framework approved by the Department of Labor as of January 2025. California has not launched any registered solar and battery storage apprenticeship programs under this new structure.
Solar Industry, IBEW & Govenor Newsom: Amy mentions tension between electricians and solar workers, and policy changes under Governor Newsom. IBEW did support Newsom during the 2021 recall and under Newsom’s administration NEM 3.0 and other policy changes has slashed solar compensation rates, impacting the solar industry.
A special thank you to Petaluma High School and their incredible Media & Broadcast CTE program – Trojan Broadcast – for helping produce this episode.
