NABCEP Solar PV Installer Certification

By
Dave
Published: April 6, 2010Posted in: Education

A lot of people are curious about Solar PV certifications so here is a post from NABCEP.

Note: this post was written by Timothee and Sue of NABCEP:

Firstly, NABCEP is a non-profit organization, led by a volunteer board of renewable energy stakeholder representatives, which develops high quality credentialing programs for renewable energy practitioners to support the RE industry.

NABCEP offers two levels of programs:
1) The NABCEP PV Entry Level Program
The PV Entry Level Exam is designed for those individuals wanting to get into the solar field; passing the NABCEP PV Entry Level Exam shows basic knowledge of the fundamental principles of the application, design, installation and operation of grid-tied and stand-alone PV Systems suitable for an Entry Level position. Passing this exam does not guarantee any employment however.

An individual can become eligible for NABCEP PV Entry Level Exam by taking a course that covers the 10 Learning Objectives offered by a Registered Provider of the NABCEP Entry Level Exam. There are over 160 providers around the country with more becoming registered each month. You can find a complete listing here: Entry Level Registered Providers List

Future Entry Level programs include ones for Solar Thermal and Small Wind technologies.

*** Entry Level achievement should NOT to be confused with a PV / Solar Thermal Installer Certification

2) The NABCEP PV Solar Installer / Solar Thermal Installer Certification
Certification is a voluntary process which offers the public a high degree of protection and confidence since practitioners have to meet minimum eligibility requirements and then pass a rigorous exam developed by Subject Matter Experts. Certification is not a license, does not supersede any local or state requirements to install and should not be confused with licenses which are requirements to practice certain trades.

To sit for any NABCEP Certification exam, the applicant must meet the respective Eligibility Requirements, which are found in section 3 of our Candidate Information Handbook

These eligibility requirements are a combination of training or education and experience as an installer. NABCEP Certification is considered the gold standard for an installer and is not a point of entry for an installer.

There are currently 830 Certified PV Installers and 110 Solar Thermal Installers. With the results of the March 2010 exam to be released shortly, NABCEP expects the number of Certified PV Installers to grow by 25%.

The PV Solar Installer and Solar Thermal Installer Exams are administered twice a year in March and September. You can find the dates on our website calendar

Future Installer Certifications include the Small Wind Installer to be administered in September 2010 and the PV Technical Sales Certification to be available later this year.

Candidates can read our “In the news” for updates and future NABCEP Certifications.

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