Solar Blog

Understanding the Effort to Provide Energy Makes for a Better Utility Customer

One thought always present in my mind during power outages is the electrical utility linemen who are working long days, often in extreme weather conditions, to get the power back on. They possess a level of dedication and commitment that goes beyond the ordinary. When the lines go down the electrical workers step up and work heroically until everyone has power again. I for one salute them all for that effort.

What alternative to net energy metering (NEM) with PV systems will improve the grid stability and reduce consumer dependence on it? Self-consumption energy storage PV systems are the answer.

Solar PV installations continue to grow in the residential and commercial sectors. Integrated energy storage continues to grow along with the PV installations, and both of these are growing at a strong pace in the industry.

The U.S. is growing in residential and commercial solar PV installations – and fast. If you’re a home or business owner, owning and paying for a solar PV system is easier than ever, but there are guidelines for potential solar PV owners to make the process successful – starting with who you choose to install your PV system. When you enter solar installer search criteria into your search engine you’ll get a long list to choose from. So how can a home or business owner tell who is, or isn’t, a competent professional installation company?

Photonic energy is a wave particle that travels at a speed of approximately 300,000 kilometers per second (186,000 miles per second). Almost everything reacts to this energy when contacted by it. The most common reaction is conversion to heat. Plants convert sunlight to chemical energy (complex sugar). The sugar is stored and used by the plant to live and grow.

There is no telling how many solar jobs there are in this galaxy given the probable billions of solar systems within it, but we do know that there are quite a few in this small sector. If you are thinking that you would like to build a career in the solar industry, it is an industry with an impressive growth rate and lots of room. If you’re trying to make a decision to shift your goals toward building a career in the solar industry, it is necessary to see the whole picture.

In short, yes it is. Energy changes form, but it does not renew itself and an outside force cannot renew it, although it can draw energy from an outside source.

On the other hand, everything is energy and as far as we know, there is no less of anything now than there ever has been. Matter and energy are part of the same equation; energy changes form but it doesn’t cease to exist. In that respect, all energy is renewable.

Does certified solar training make “cents” for solar PV design and installation companies? Spending money on training may seem questionable since there is so much free information on the internet these days. If you have the time, you can find just about anything you want or want to know about through the internet. The biggest problem with that approach is qualifying the accuracy of the information. A PV design and installation company that decides to self educate usually misses some key information. The cost for missing this information to save on quality training is usually much higher in the long run.

Solar PV Training and Employment

It would seem logical to assume that since the Solar PV industry is growing at such a robust pace, there should be plenty of jobs available. That is a correct assumption, but there is a gap between the need for workers and the need for a well-trained work force. The old adage is; you need experience to get a job, but you can’t get experience without a job.

What do you say about someone who was the first PV trainer in the U.S. to hold four credentials (IREC ISPQ Master PV and three NABCEP certifications)? An overachiever? Staying ahead of the competition?  Hip to the importance of credentials to maintain integrity in the solar profession?  All of the above?
Achieving any one of these credentials is an ambitious goal, but four?  I wanted to know what (or who) is behind Kelly’s drive to be multi-credentialed.  Here’s our conversation.

Kelly Provence is one of a very small number of people who holds three NABCEP Certifications: PV Solar Installer, Solar Thermal Installer and PV Technical Sales. Kelly is the owner of Solairgen School of Solar Technology located in Dahlonega, Georgia. Solairgen is a training company which offers a complete program for electric solar panel installers and PV technical salespeople. Kelly is also an IREC/ISPQ Certified Master Trainer and a licensed master electrician.