There are four areas of focus for training and education:
The first of these two possible paths might seem easier and cheaper, but in the long run, mistakes on PV systems are costly. They cost much more than the cost of training would have been.
Two of the most important organizations providing certification and accreditation in the PV installation industry are IREC and NABCEP.
IREC provides a great service to students and the industry as a whole. Training providers that have earned IREC accreditation for their courses and certification status for their instructors provide the best training for their students. All of Solairgen’s training programs are either IREC accredited or taught by an IREC Certified Master Trainer. This way we can assure our students that the training they are getting has met a high level of scrutiny through the accreditation process.
NABCEP provides a great service to the end user of PV installations, the system owner. Their certification assures the PV system owner that an experienced professional is conducting their installation. Certified Installation Professionals must show evidence of approved training and installation experience just to be approved to sit for the certification exam. Earning this certification is the PV installation professional’s best opportunity for great success in the PV installation industry. Solairgen’s courses follow the published NABCEP Job Task Analysis for either Professional Installer or Technical Sales. Our instructors are also NABCEP certified.
PV201 Online provides the student with the fundamentals needed to enter into the PV industry as an integrator, designer, installer or sales professional. Successful completion of PV201 meets the requirement to sit for the NABCEP Entry Level Exam. It is also a prerequisite to our PV203 Advanced Design and Installation course.
Read More about PV201 Online Introductory training
Options for Installation Experience
Our PV202 course, Technical Design, is online but it is full of installation videos from manufacturers of the equipment you will be installing.
Real world experience can seem difficult to get when you first start out. Who will trust you to do the first installation, or who will hire you with no experience? Some hands-on training is gained when taking an on-site, hands-on class where you have the opportunity to install a complete PV interactive system and connect it to the facility power. You will find the employment door is wide open for you after completing Solairgen’s IREC accredited training course.
Networking with solar professionals is the best way to find opportunities to get installation experience and employment. Join your state chapter of the American Solar Energy Society ASES. Your local chapter can be found on the ASES web site http://www.ases.org/
If you are already in the contracting business, many of your established customers are willing to be your first installation. They trust you, and trust plays a very large part of the customer’s decision-making process.
With any of these options for gaining experience, the contractor or customer will have much more confidence with you after you have had training from an IREC accredited school taught by a Certified Master Trainer or instructor.
PV210 is an online course designed for the business and sales professional. The prerequisite is either one year’s experience in the PV installation, design or sales industry or completion of an entry level PV course such as our PV201. The course covers conceptual design and cost factors for various applications with a great variety of system types.
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