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

NABCEP offers Solar Thermal Installer Certification based on a set of Task Analysis.   "The NABCEP Solar Thermal Task Analyis (TA) defines a general set of knowledge, skills and abilities typically required of practitioners who install and maintain solar hot water or pool heating systems. The TA guides the development of an exam by which candidates for certification can demonstrate that they truly posses the skills and knowledge that their peers and experts have deemed necessary to do the job well.  Created by solar thermal industry experts, it is the core document for the development of the NABCEP Solar Thermal Installer Certification.  Subject Matter Experts (SME's) are used to research and develop examination questions for each of the content areas on the exam.  All of the questions undergo extensive review and editing." (www.nabcep.org)

NABCEP does not offer an Entry Level Test for Solar Thermal.

Solar Energy International's five-day Solar Hot Water class is worth 40 NABCEP credit hours and our three-day Solar and Radiant Heating workshop is worth 24 NABCEP credit hours.  Although training is strongly encouraged, it is not a requirement for achieving NABCEP Solar Thermal Installer 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.

See www.nabcep.org and www.ispq-central.com for more information.