Highly decorated Vietnam War Veteran Stephen Fanter is the 2020 Semper Solaris Semper Cares Initiative recipient.

SAN DIEGO, July 31, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Highly decorated Vietnam War Veteran Stephen Fanter is the 2020 Semper Solaris Semper Cares Initiative recipient, a company spokesperson announced today.

Mr. Fanter, a Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart honoree, spent a year in the hospital recovering from wounds after his honorable service in Vietnam. Following his recovery, he served his community as a police officer for the City of Los Angeles and then as a Sky Marshall. Later, he dedicated his efforts to battling the war on drugs in San Diego, CA. Mr. Fanter is now retired. "In the 30+ years I have known him, I've not heard him ask for anything," his nominator said.

The founders of Semper Solaris--Kelly Shawhan and John Almond-- started the Semper Cares Initiative project. The Initiative helps veterans and their families handle high energy costs with major home improvements like solar panel installation. The Initiative has been embraced by the local community and the nation as charitable groups and businesses such as Owens Corning roof deployment project, LG, and Goodman Air Conditioning have donated a majority of materials to assist deserving veterans. They've also made commitments to future veteran recipients of the Semper Cares Initiative.

There are a number of past recipients of the Semper Cares Initiative. They are Mark Creighton, an Army veteran who was honorably discharged in 1979; Michael Gallardo, an Army veteran and amputee who served in Iraq; Tony Ybarra, a Navy Corpsman during the Korean War; Antonio Rangel, an Army veteran who served in the Korean War and was honorably discharged in 1954; Paul Dugas, a Marine Corp veteran whom the Initiative honored on Veteran's Day in 2018; Povas Miknaitis, a former Marine Corp sniper who was wounded in Iraq by an IED; and Carl Schaffrina, who served in the Navy for 12 years as an Avionics Technician.

Semper Solaris is a El Cajon, CA. based company that performs a number of renewable energy and conservation services. Semper Solaris includes solar panel installation, upkeep and repair, solar panel home battery storage installation, upkeep and repair, roofing and heating and air conditioning services. Semper Solaris has received a number of prestigious awards including the 2019 Solar Installer of the Year. The company is proudly veteran owned and operated. Former Marine Corps Captain and co-owner Kelly Shawhan is passionate about renewable energy and its benefits to his customers. Their impeccable work ethic is inspired by the U.S. Marine Corp motto, Semper Fidelis, which means "always faithful." Employees do their work daily operating from the military values they learned while in their branch of service,

As the cost of grid electricity continues to rise, solar collectors have gained great popularity among homeowners in recent years--especially homeowners in states with a good bit of sunshine. With the use of solar panels to collect the sun's rays and solar batteries to store excess energy, it is possible to operate a home solely on renewable energy. Additionally, as this technology continues to make great strides in development, the cost of the solar equipment has continued to come down and that makes solar panels a more affordable option.

SOURCE Semper Solaris