NABCEP Approves Requirements
for PV Installer Certification
At a meeting in late January, the North
American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) approved the
prerequisites and process whereby photovoltaic (PV) installers will be
able to become certified to NABCEP quality standards of practice. You
can download this document below.
Requirements & Process to Become Certified
1. Introduction
The North America Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) is
developing a voluntary certification program for installers of
photovoltaic (PV) systems. This document outlines the requirements that
candidates for PV installer certification will need to meet in order to
become certified. These requirements were developed by the NABCEP PV
Technical Committee and by the Board based on input from stakeholders,
extensive deliberation among committee and board members, research of
skill requirements for existing trades, and examination of certification
and licensure pathways for similar trades. Information on this
background research is available online at References.
The NABCEP PV Installer Certification is not intended to prevent
qualified individuals from installing PV systems nor to replace state
licensure requirements. It is meant to provide a set of national
standards by which PV installers with skills and experience can
distinguish themselves. Certification will provide an educational tool
for consumers and may encourage increased financing and reduced
insurance rates for PV projects. It will be available voluntarily to
those PV installers who feel they will benefit from it.
Background information on the development of these requirements,
including the PV Installer Task
Analysis, a listing of Members
of the Board and PV Technical Committee, results from the two "Call
for Comments" periods, and other information is available either
online or by request.
NABCEP is an open process, receiving stakeholder comment at all times
and making documents and other information available upon request.
2. Target Candidate for PV Installer Certification
Person responsible for the system installation
(e.g., contractor, foreman, supervisor, or journeyman).
To become certified, an applicant must:
1. Be at least 18 years of age
2. Meet prerequisites of related experience and/or education (see
Section 3, "Requirements" below)
3. Complete an application form documenting requirements
4. Sign a code of ethics
5. Pay a reasonable application/exam fee
6. Pass a written exam (see Section 4, "Examination" below)
The certification time period will be three years. To maintain
certification, certificants will complete a continuing education
requirement and a specified number of documented installations every
three years. See maintenance requirement below.
3. Requirements to Sit for Certification Exam
3.1 To qualify to sit for the NABCEP PV Installer Certification
examination, the candidate must demonstrate that he/she meets at least one
of the following minimum entry requirement tracks:
a) Four (4) years of experience installing PV (definition of years of
experience in 3.4 below); OR
b) Two (2) years of experience installing PV systems in addition to
completion of a board-recognized training program (see definition in 3.7
below); OR
c) Be an existing licensed contractor in good standing in solar or
electrical-construction related areas with one (1) year of experience
installing PV systems; OR
d) Four (4) years of electrical-construction related experience working
for a licensed contractor, including one (1) year of experience
installing PV systems; OR
e) Three (3) years experience in a U.S. Dept. of Labor approved
electrical-construction trade apprentice program, including one (1) year
of experience installing PV systems; OR
f) Two-year electrical-construction related, or electrical engineering
technology, or renewable energy technology/technician degree from an
educational institution plus one (1) year of experience installing PV
systems; OR
g) Four-year construction related or engineering degree from an
educational institution, including one (1) year experience installing PV
systems.
3.2 A NABCEP Application Review Committee will review applications and
decide whether candidates meet the spirit of the NABCEP qualifications
to sit for the certification examination. This Committee will be made up
of experienced PV installers with an understanding of the different
types of situations and constraints experienced by installers in the
field. Reviewers will be non-competitive industry peers with no
financial or other affiliation with applicants -- every effort will be
made to ensure the objectivity of the Reviewers.
3.3. For purposes of this process, experience installing PV systems
requires being in a responsible role in decision-making on
the job. This includes the foreman, supervisor, site manager responsible
for the quality of the installation, or experienced person performing
the trade without supervision. There may be several workers that do not
carry supervisory responsibility on the jobsite who are aspiring to this
role. In these cases, the supervisor may be called upon to make a
judgment as to the role of the worker in the process of documenting
their experience.
3.4 Definition: one (1) year of experience = one year in a responsible
role on the job installing PV systems, in the role of foreman,
supervisor, site manager, or experienced worker performing PV
installation work without direct supervision. This year must include
installation of at least two PV systems totaling 1KW. At least one
installation each year must be a system with an inverter and subject to
a complete electrical permitting and inspection process by a permitting
authority -- OR, in the absence of such, an appropriate underwriter
authorized to provide an inspection certificate. In regions where
neither of these inspection options exist, the Application Review
Committee will judge experience based on supplied documentation.
3.5 In order to document required experience, candidates for
certification may be asked to list all employment, experience,
education, and existing licenses, registrations, certifications and any
other credentials pertinent to their application and their qualifying
category. Candidates who are self-employed will need to obtain
signed-off building inspection certificates. Customers alone cannot be
used to verify employment.
In order to document the minimum 2-systems required per year of
experience, candidates may be asked to provide a concise description of
work performed at the job site and the level of their responsibility,
number of full-time equivalent workers supervised, location of the job
site, system owner contact information, and any permits or inspection
certificates involved.
If a license for solar installation is required in the jurisdiction in
which the work is performed, candidates shall be asked to submit their
license number -- or the license number under which the work is
performed -- on their application.
3.6 Although training is strongly encouraged, it is not a requirement
for achieving this certification when candidates meet the experience or
other entry requirements. However, the exam is such that some level of
training will likely be necessary for most applicants to achieve a
passing score. Candidates are therefore encouraged to seek training
classes as needed. It is recommended that applicants look for training
courses with Institute for Sustainable Power (ISP) accreditation or
similar accreditation (see section 7 for details on solar standards for
training & accreditation).
3.7 NABCEP will accept training to meet entry requirement option (b)
when the training meets the following outcomes:
a) a minimum of 40 hours cumulative (can include product training, etc.)
b) formal supervised training format (with a teacher-learner structure)
c) covers core competencies from the PV Installer Task Analysis,
including the National Electrical Code and OSHA safety standards
relevant to PV installation (or Canadian equivalents for Canadian
nationals).
Types of training programs may include (but are not limited to):
1. Industry In-House Training Programs (e.g., Manufacturers)
2. Dedicated Independent Training Programs (e.g., Florida Solar Energy
Center, Solar Energy International, Great Lakes Renewable Energy
Association, etc.)
3. Apprenticeship Training Programs (e.g., National Joint Apprenticeship
and Training Committee)
4. Community Colleges (e.g., Lane Community College, San Juan College,
D-Q University, etc.)
5. Vocational/Technical Training Programs (e.g., Board of Cooperative
Educational Services/New York, British Columbia Institute of Technology)
3.8 Should an applicant be rejected, the reason(s) for rejection will be
produced and the applicant will be able to either resubmit their
application with additional information or make an appeal for their
application to be reconsidered by the NABCEP Appeals Committee.
4. Examination
4.1 Each candidate must pass a written examination to qualify for
certification. A list of references and documents pertaining to the test
will be made available in a Study Guide.
4.2 The examination will be based on supplied scenarios and situations,
with multiple-choice questions requiring various calculations, knowledge
of the relevant National Electrical Code sections, knowledge of safety
practices, PV-system assessments, installation requirements, and
customer interaction issues.
4.3 The test will be open book with an allotted time of no more than
four hours for candidates to complete the examination.
5. Code of Ethics
5.1 As a part of the application process, candidates will sign a Code of
Ethics indicating that they will maintain professional and ethical
business practices.
5.2 A Code of Ethics serves the purpose of protecting consumers and
quality installers from the degradation of the value of the
certification if unethical certificants do not perform up to the
standards the credential was developed to encourage.
5.3 Violation of the Code of Ethics may be grounds for disciplinary
action (possibly suspension or removal of an installer's certification
status). See item 6.4 below.
6. Maintaining Certification
6.1 Certification is valid for three (3) years from the date of
issuance. To maintain certification, the certified installer must
document the following:
6.2 Contact hours are defined as instructor-led class time (not
including class breaks). Candidates for certification maintenance will
need to provide NABCEP with proof of attendance for the number of
contact hours claimed.
6.3 A wide variety of training sources can provide contact hours meeting
the 18-hour continuing education requirement. See 3.7 above for a list
of examples of training programs that might be used toward meeting this
requirement.
6.4 Certificants against whom complaints are brought will be notified
and will have the opportunity to refute the complaints against them. If
a review process finds the certificant in violation of the Code of
Ethics or if he/she is consistently performing work that does not
reflect the skills and experience required for certification,
certification status may be revoked. This process will include testimony
and appeals opportunities.
7. Conclusion
The NABCEP PV Installer certification has been developed in accordance
with certification industry best-practices. NABCEP has endeavored to
follow the requirements of ISO draft standard 17024, "General
Requirements for Bodies Operating Certification Systems of
Persons."
These requirements for PV Installer Certification were subject to two
public comment periods during the course of which over 400 comments were
received. These comments were considered carefully and the draft
certification requirements were adjusted accordingly. NABCEP standards
will be subject to periodic review and revision in order to continue to
be relevant to changes in the field.
Accepted by Board Vote on January 28, 2003
Attachments:
Requirements
© 2001 Interstate Renewable Energy Council