Accreditation / Certification

ISPQ ACCREDITATION
SEI's PV workshops are accredited through the Institute for Sustainable Power Quality (ISPQ), which is overseen by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). ISPQ provides a set of standards for evaluating different training programs. These standards were developed as a framework for people to compare the course content and training quality of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and distributed generation technology courses. To find out more about ISPQ, visit www.irecusa.org.

NABCEP CERTIFICATION
North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners

After successfully completing PV 101 you are eligible to sit for the NABCEP Entry Level Exam. Both NABCEP and SEI recommend that students do not take the exam immediately following PV 101, but rather spend additional time preparing. The NABCEP exam includes questions on grid-direct and battery-based PV systems. If students elect to not take PV 203, they will need to spend a significant amount of time independently studying topics related to battery-based systems, in addition to the post-course review recommended by NABCEP.

To learn more about NABCEP and the requirements and recommendations for sitting for exams, visit www.nabcep.org.

Because of the tremendous variety of experience and background found among SEI’s students, additional training may be required for some students in order to fully comprehend NABCEP’s learning objectives and successfully complete the Entry Level Exam. It is recommended that for each hour spent in class, at least two additional hours be dedicated for reviewing the NABCEP learning objectives and the materials covered in the course before taking the exam. As a result, both NABCEP and SEI recommend that students do not take the exam immediately following PV 101, but rather spend additional time preparing.

NABCEP Entry Level Exam:
•   Recommended path: PV 101, PV 203
•   Optional: PV 201L & 301L
•   Minimum: PV 101, plus 80 hours of outside class review, plus independent study of battery-based systems

NABCEP PV Installer Certification:
•   Recommended path: PV 101, PV 202, PV 203
•   Optional: PV 201L & 301L- Lab classes fulfill education hours, but do not count towards the NABCEP installation requirement.
•   See www.nabcep.org for more information on additional eligibility requirements and study materials for the PV Installer Certification