Become a Cerfied PV Installer

How to Become a Certified PV Installer

To become a certified PV installer, you must meet prerequisites of related experience and/or education. The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP), www.nabcep.org, lists the various requirements for solar PV installer certification. Certification is voluntary. To become NABCEP certified, you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Meet prerequisites of related experience and/or education
• Sign a code of ethics and standards of practice
• Pass a written exam

An installer is certified for three years. To maintain this professional designation, you must meet continuing education requirements and install a specified number of systems per year.

Allied Schools' Photovoltaic Installation course can prepare students to sit for the NABCEP Solar PV Installer Certification exam. To learn more about education requirement, please contact us.

According to NABCEP, "the certification program has been developed and designed carefully following professional credentialing guidelines. Standards, developed by experts in the field, have been set and the eligibility requirements to become certified are based on extensive input from installers and members of the solar industry."

What Does a Certified PV Installer Do?

A PV installer mounts electricity-producing photovoltaic (PV) solar panels onto the roof of a residential home or commercial building. The installer applies his or her knowledge of solar electronics to install the solar panels and feed wires through the roof to the battery bank – these panels are added to existing structures. New roofs receive solar shingles, where shingles are put into place like regular roofing shingles and wired together in a solar cell array. Some duties of a PV installer include:

• Work with a design team to set up project timelines and schedule
• Execute installations
• Manage crew and materials
• Schedule follow-up inspections
• Perform troubleshooting

Why Start a Solar PV Career?

Due to the growing demand for clean sources of energy, the manufacture of solar cells and photovoltaic arrays has expanded dramatically in recent years.

• Photovoltaic production has been doubling every 2 years, increasing by an average of 48 percent each year since 2002, making it the world’s fastest-growing energy technology (Source: The Pew Charitable Trusts)
• Renewable energy requires more manpower than harmful fossil fuel – wind power creates 2.77 jobs for every megawatt produced, solar PV creates 7.24 jobs per megawatt (Source: Solarbuzz.com)