Certification has become a norm in all the field. Environmental science is no way different than others. With the environmental science jobs expected to grow at very rapid rate and need for clean tech is gaining momentum at great pace solar energy the clean renewable energy has become a norm in clean technology.
What is requirement to avail NABCEP certification?
NABCEP solar certifications that brighten your life
North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners NABCEP as it is popularly called offers the best industry standard certification that helps professionals in solar photovoltaic field showcase their talent to the world.
Following are the certification tracks offered by NABCEP
1) Solar PV Installers - Solar photovoltaic installers perform solar panel installation
2) Solar Heating Installers - Solar heating panel installers perform installation for heating pools
3) Small Wind Installers - Install small wind turbines
4) Solar PV Technical Sales - Sales professional who are certified consultants get leverage with this certification
PV skills necessary for installation of solar panels, market and sell solar panels is formally certified by NABCEP certification program. This certification program offers standardization of PV individuals and sales personnel.
Now you can leverage your PV certification by utilizing the customer brochure that can be downloaded from NABCEP website
So, why should I carry the customer brochure. What weightage does this piece of paper guarantee?
Unlike other certification programs NABCEP is so unique in that it offers an opportunity to showcase your skills. Lets see how customer brochure helps you leverage NABCEP better
1) This if formal documentaiton from NABCEP website. This offers more credibility
2) You mention the following details before you submit the brochure to customer - Certificate Holder Name, Company Name, certification credential etc
3) Certification credential can be one of the following - NABCEP certified PV installation professional, NABCEP certified PV Technical Sales professional, NABCEP certified solar heating installer
4) You specify your certification number - This is a unique lifetime number that you earn out of hardwork and credential
5) This brochure describes value of NABCEP, level of quality it brings in certification, how a certified professional can add greatest value to solar PV projects
Whare can I find customer brochure?
It is available and can be downloaded from NABCEP website
WHAT DOES SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC INSTALLER JOB LOOK LIKE?
Solar photo voltaic system/solar PV system/solar array as it is variously called is the power system designed for power generation and power supply using photovoltaics. This is a clean energy system that helps to generate electricity from solar energy.
LEts take a look at solar PV installer career and see what are their job duties in detail:
1) A solar pv installer supports all aspects of PV project
2) IT starts with PV system installation
3) They support array installation starting with layout, roof attachment, racking and module assembly, combiner box installation, homerun wiring, and voltage testing
4) Ensure the project personnel safety during all aspects of project starting with installation
5) Need to understand PV project design requirements
6) Should give excellent customer experience and interaction
7) Responsible for all necessary materials and tools arrive to the job site
8) Ensure that layout, roof attachment, racking and module assembly, combiner box installation, homerun wiring, and voltage testing meets expected quality standards
9) Assist with delivery of installation documentation in a timely manner
10) Support tool management and proper maintenance of install vehicle
What does it take to become solar PV installer?
These jobs start with basic certification credentials like NABCEP certification, OSHA-10 safety certification
Many schools offer this as a program in college
Demand for alternative energy is growing daily and solar is the preferred form of alternative energy. With mass production of photo voltaic solar cells from china the price of solar panels is showing substantial decrease as time progresses. In addition to the affordable solar panel cost, government offers grants and tax breaks for installing solar panels that help with solar energy generation at homes.
As such demand for solar energy professionals in different capacities is on constant demand. Some interesting career in solar looks like solar panel PV installer, Solar heating installer, solar technician, solar electrician, solar water heating installer to name a few. With growing demand for jobs in this relatively new niche the need for professional certification from accredited institutions has become essentially important. As such Solar professionals looking for certification credential can aim at achieving NABCEP certification the world’s renowned solar energy certification credential.
NABCEP offers certification that lets the certified professionals practice with this title offering the following benefits:
1) The exam certification standards are set by NABCEP. Once a professional is certified he naturally meets the standards
2) NABCEP certified professionals must possess essential skills and experience to distinguish themselves from their competition
3) Certified practitioners demonstrate their competency and gives confidence among public who choose to install solar panels at home. This doesn’t mean that professionals who are not certified can’t take up this job. The credentials demonstrates credible competency of professionals
Lets take a look at different certification programs offered by NABCEP and who can benefit from each of them
1) Solar PV Installation Professional Certification – Professionals who currently hold job roles as installers, project managers, foreman, supervisors, designers can choose to pursue this certification
2) Solar Heating Installer Certification – Personnel responsible for system installation like foreman, contractor, supervisor, journeyman can go for this credential
3) Solar PV Technical Sales Certification – Candidates who are in job profiles like sales person, application engineer, financial analyst, performance analyst, site assessor can choose to pursue Solar PV technical sales professional certification. Candidates who are certified get competitive advantage as this is a demonstration of their skills and expertise in solar PV technical sales.
NABCEP certified solar professionals can be found online
NABCEP offers unique opportunity to certify and showcase your PV skills. As a recruiter, hiring manager, project manager it might become essential to make sure the person is actually certified by NABCEP. To ensure that it would be easy to locate details on the following from NABCEP website
1) Name of certificate holder
2) Type of certification
3) City,State location
4) Organization details
5) Contact form that helps you contact the certificate holder directly How do I locate the certificate holder?
It can be located using one or more of the following values:
1) Country, state, zipcode,city
2) Name of certificate holder
3) Type of certification availed - solar photo voltaic installer installer,solar heating installer,small wind installers, solar pv technical sales Where do I find this detail? It can be easily located from NABCEP website certificant locator
NABCEP Corporate Fund Raising using Sponsorship levels
NABCEP has always been struggling to improve the quality of renewable energy installations. As a measure towards that NABCEP has come up with initiative of corporate fundraising offering different tier sponsorship. All these level of sponsorship offer the following benefits
1) Company logo with the level of sponsorship is displayed in NABCEP website
2) A letter of appreciation from NABCEP
3) NABCEP offers companies right to display NABCEP logo in their website
Here is the detail on different level of sponsorship and their unique benefits
| Sponsor Designation | Annual Sponsorship | Benefits of Becoming NABCEP Sponsor |
| Platinum | $15,000 | Platinum sponsor display plaque |
| Gold | $10,000 | All the requirements mentioned above |
| Silver | $7,000 | All the requirements mentioned above |
| Bronze | $3,500 | All the requirements mentioned above |
| Green | $1,000 | All the requirements mentioned above |
Where do I start my donation?
Start your donation using NABCEP Corporate Donation Brochure
In case of questions contact NABCEP’s Executive Director, at (800) 654-0021 or by email at info@nabcep.org
Choose NABCEP Accredited PV Installtion Company
Are you into solar panel installation business? Do you look forward to take your business to next level? If simple answer is yes, consider getting accreditation from NABCEP. We would have come across ISO certification as the quality standard to give credential to business. Similar to that the certification that makes you stand apart on solar PV installation business is the NABCEP credential
What do I get by certifying my business as NABCEP certified company?
If you are a residential renewable energy installation company NABCEP keeps you apart
