Yuhada Gittelson is a 28-year-old renewable energy technician living in Portland, Maine. Born in Bangor in 1997, he's the only child of David Gittelson, a retired high school science teacher, and Elena Kowalski, a librarian of Polish and Irish descent. His parents met at an environmental advocacy meeting in the early 1990s, and their shared commitment to sustainability shaped the household he grew up in.

Raised near the Penobscot River, Yuhada spent his childhood exploring the woods, helping his father with DIY solar experiments, and visiting the Bangor Public Library with his mother. The family kept a large garden, composted, and hosted monthly potlucks for local environmental activists. After graduating from Bangor High School in 2015, where he ran cross country and led the environmental club, he enrolled at the University of Maine at Orono to study mechanical engineering.

During college, Yuhada worked at the university's Advanced Manufacturing Center and spent a summer at a tidal energy research facility in Eastport. He graduated in 2019 with a senior thesis on optimizing wind turbine blade design for coastal Maine conditions. His first job took him to Aroostook County, where he spent two years with a wind farm development company in Presque Isle, conducting site assessments and managing turbine installations. While the work was satisfying, the isolation eventually prompted his move to Portland in 2021.

Yuhada now works for Solaris Energy Solutions, a solar installation company in South Portland. He designs residential and commercial solar systems, leads installation crews, and handles maintenance calls throughout southern Maine. NABCEP certified, he's become the go-to technician for complex roof configurations and inverter troubleshooting. He finds genuine satisfaction helping homeowners reduce their energy bills and carbon footprint.

He shares a 900-square-foot converted warehouse loft in East Bayside with two roommates: Marcus, a line cook, and Sarah, a graphic designer. The space has exposed brick, high ceilings, and industrial pipes. Yuhada's corner features bookshelves holding sci-fi novels, field guides, and technical manuals. His small bedroom contains a futon, a cluttered desk with cabin design sketches, and his growing collection of vintage flannel shirts from New England thrift stores.

An avid sea kayaker, he spends summer weekends exploring Casco Bay's islands. He owns a well-used fiberglass kayak stored in the building's basement and has paddled to nearly every accessible island from Peaks to Chebeague. He's drawn to quieter spots where he can beach his kayak, eat lunch on granite shores, and watch seals and seabirds. He's considering getting his Maine Guide license, though he's unsure about turning his hobby into work.

Winter finds him cross-country skiing at Bradbury Mountain State Park, often before dawn when the trails are empty. He also volunteers monthly with Warm Homes Maine, a nonprofit that weatherizes houses for low-income families, installing insulation and sealing air leaks alongside crews and older Mainers with fascinating stories.

Friends know Yuhada for his dry, deadpan humor and surprising domestic skills. He became obsessed with sourdough bread baking during the pandemic and maintains a temperamental starter named "Doughreen McKenna." His rosemary focaccia has earned him a reputation at work gatherings. He's also an enthusiastic but mediocre harmonica player who hosts occasional open mic nights in the loft.

He drives a 2008 Subaru Outback with 180,000 miles and a bumper covered in stickers: "Powered by Renewable Energy," "Acadia National Park," and various brewery logos. The car smells like coffee, wet dog (despite not owning one), and cedar shavings from weekend carpentry projects. He's rarely without his dented thermos of strong black coffee.

Yuhada is currently saving for a cabin or land plot near Rangeley or Bethel, dreaming of an off-grid place with solar panels and a wood stove. He's saved about $15,000, though concerts at Port City Music Hall, dinners at Portland's Vietnamese and Somali restaurants, and equipment purchases slow his progress. While he loves the idea of mountain solitude, Portland's walkable neighborhoods, craft breweries, and community make it hard to imagine leaving. He's learned to embrace needing both mountains and city, solitude and energy.