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A PV Design and Installation workshop geared specifically towards women. This two week workshop teaches the technical skills necessary to design and safely install all 3 types solar-electric systems: batteryless grid-tie, grid-tie with battery back-up, and stand-alone systems.  This course includes all the same material as the other two week PV Design and Installation workshops (5 days in the classroom and 5 days of hands-on installation in the PV Lab yard).

Many women have little or no hands-on electrical experience, and may be wary of attending a co-ed course with men who have grown up using power tools. Our women’s only workshops are intended to provide women with a supportive learning atmosphere. Even women with hands-on experience already working in technical fields find it helpful and rewarding to network with other women who are interested in and/or working in renewable energy.


This workshop is certified by the Institute of Sustainable Power and fulfills one of the requirements for national photovoltaic certification. See www.nabcep.org for more information.

This workshop is certified by the Institute of Sustainable Power (ISP) and fulfills the educational requirements for Category 'B' of NABCEP's Solar PV Installer Certification. This course also qualifies you to take the NABCEP PV Entry Level "Certificate of Knowledge" Exam. The test, which consists of 60 multiple choice questions, takes 2 hours and takes place the last day of the workshop. The cost of the test is $100. Students must register in advance with the SEI main office (call 970.963.8855). For more information on the NABCEP Entry Level Certification, please see their website at www.nabcep.org.


Is this workshop easier than the coed workshop?
No. It covers all the same material as the coed workshop. Participants have included licensed electricians, engineers, teachers, students and homemakers.

Topics Include

• Home Applications
• Basics of Electricity
• Solar Site Analysis
• PV System Components
• Energy Efficient Appliances
• PV System Sizing
• Components Specification
• Electrical Wiring
• Safety Procedures
• Tours of PV Residences
• a Field Installation

Students leave this workshop being able to:

• Cite energy efficient solutions to reduce the load of a home
• Incorporate local climate and site conditions in a PV system design
• Evaluate the differences between commercially available components: modules, inverters, controllers, batteries, and racks
• Obtain and apply module data from a spec sheet
• Perform load analysis for a home or business
• Size a grid-tied system: inverter, array, wire, disconnects, overcurrent protection
• List advantages/disadvantages for various mounting types
• List order of commissioning and decommissioning & safety hazards
• Define net metering and state incentive programs
• Size a stand-alone system and specify the appropriate components: inverter, wire, charge controller, batteries, and modules
• Perform detailed site evaluation for determining system location and installation details

Sessions

• Advanced Photovoltaics
• Photovoltaic Design & Installation
• PV Design Online

“This was the strongest, most interesting and diverse group of women I’ve ever been around. The instruction was absolutely fantastic. I cannot believe how much I learned in these 2 weeks”

- Women’s PV workshop participant, 2008

"A terrific organization which has been a pioneer in PV education. There isn’t anywhere else in the world you can learn so much about PV in such a short period of time from people who know it all. SEI’s the place I’d send anyone who wants to learn solar installation.”

- Women’s PV Design & Installation workshop participant 2008

The training was technically excellent, but what made it outstanding was that it had soul: some of it the goodwill of the instructors sharing knowledge and wanting everyone to succeed, some of it the hopes of participants pursuing solar dreams, and overall, the kind of wonder that made people feel they could be the best they wanted to be and the world would be a better place for it.

-- Pacyinz Lyfoung, 2007 Women's PV Design & Installation workshop

Workshops begin at 9 am unless otherwise noted. Please show up at 8:30 am the first day.