Solar Command: Meet the veterans running GulfStar Solar + Storage

When Jaime Pineda completed his five-year service in the U.S. Marine Corps, he knew he wanted to continue mission-driven work. Through the military’s Transition Assistance Program, he enrolled in Airstreams Renewables, a vocational training program that prepared him to work on wind turbines and solar installations. That decision set him on a path that led to Enel North America’s GulfStar solar + storage facility in Wharton County, Texas, where he now serves as lead solar technician.

“I used that to get into the solar industry, and I just haven’t looked back since,” Pineda said. “There’s a good possibility to create good team cohesion, and that’s something I really enjoy, and it's something that’s really available in this industry, especially working at a site where you’re working with the same people day in and day out.”

He’s not alone. GulfStar, Enel’s largest power plant in the United States, employs five veterans. Across Enel North America, more than 100 veterans have found new careers in renewable energy. As Veterans Day approaches, their stories illustrate why the clean energy sector has become a natural landing place for those transitioning from military service.

Why veterans choose Enel

The appeal starts with something familiar: structure. For Ronny Brough, who spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy operating propulsion electrical plants on ships, the transition to solar operations felt seamless. He began his civilian career as an operator in the field.

“It was just like being in the Navy, except I didn’t go out to sea,” said Brough, who now serves as Maintenance Planner at Enel. “They have the same structures of the military, with the standard operating procedures, the same qualification programs. It just felt like I went from one duty station to the next duty station.”

Jeff Clark, director of health and safety at Enel North America and a 16-year U.S. Army veteran, said those shared values make veterans strong candidates for renewable energy work.

“We have quality standards. We have things that we owe answers to for people,” Clark said. “My job is to hold people accountable, and that’s something that the military is very good at. If we’re not following our compliance matrix, our requirements, our legal requirements, I’m pretty familiar with saying no and shutting something down. That’s why companies like us like military folks, just because we have that sense of accountability.”

But structure alone doesn’t keep people. What surprised Clark most about Enel was the culture — a team environment built on mutual respect rather than hierarchy and orders. The transition from military command structures to collaborative work in the field can be jarring, but Enel’s emphasis on support over rank made the shift easier.

That support takes concrete form through Enel’s Proud to Serve employee resource group, which connects veterans and their families through shared experiences, professional development and community engagement. The ERG runs a buddy program that pairs new veteran hires with others who have similar military backgrounds, helping them answer questions and adjust to civilian work life.

The company’s commitment to veterans extends beyond those who have left active duty. Reed Wheeler, a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve and chemical engineer who serves as site manager at GulfStar, is currently deployed. Enel has maintained his position and sends care packages while he serves — a reminder that some employees still balance dual roles in both the military and renewable energy sectors.

A mission worth pursuing

Veterans often seek more than a paycheck in civilian life. They want purpose.

“In the military, we sign up to do a job and support people and help people,” Clark said. “We have a mission, and it’s for the greater good. In the utility industry, it’s the same thing. If we do our jobs right, people can go home and watch TV and sit around the dinner table with the lights on. I joined the military to do a job and help the greater good. Now I’m literally keeping the lights on for families.”

GulfStar shows the scale of that impact. The facility combines 556 megawatts (MWdc) of solar capacity with a co-located 355 MWdc battery energy storage system, creating 911 MWdc of combined capacity.

The battery storage technology allows the facility to capture excess solar production during the day and release it during peak demand periods, maximizing the renewable energy’s value to the grid. For the veterans maintaining GulfStar’s 1.2 million solar panels, the combination of cutting-edge technology and tangible community benefit makes the work meaningful.

While military experience provides the foundation, Enel invests in developing the specific technical expertise required for renewable energy operations. The company operates a training center in Oklahoma City where new hires learn the particular applications of their roles, regardless of whether they’re fresh out of the service or transitioning from another industry.

The company looks for veterans’ core qualities — discipline, teamwork, ability to follow protocols — and builds the technical skills from there. At GulfStar, that training translates into hands-on work with emerging technology. The site recently implemented Field Maps, a GPS application that allows technicians to mark issues in real time and improve efficiency across the massive solar array.

Honoring service, building futures

This Veterans Day, Enel North America recognizes the contributions of all who have served in the U.S. military. Thank you for your service to our country and now, our planet. At facilities like GulfStar, veterans continue to serve a different mission: powering the clean energy transition and building a more sustainable future.

We encourage veterans to explore careers at Enel to continue mission-driven work that will protect our planet and its people.