Solar Training - Solar Electric Design and Installation (Grid-Direct) - Online - Solar Training - Solar Installer Training - Solar PV Installation Training - Solar Energy Courses - Renewable Energy Education - NABCEP

Nov 04
duration 6 Wks
tuition $845.00

PVOL101: Solar Training - Solar Electric Design and Installation (Grid-Direct) - Online

PV101 is your gateway to a career in the solar industry. It all starts with the fundamentals, and a solid understanding of various components, system architectures, and applications for PV systems. Other topics include site analysis, system sizing, array configuration, and performance estimation; electrical design characteristics such as wiring, overcurrent protection, and grounding; a detailed look at module and inverter specifications and characteristics; mounting methods for various roof structures and ground-mounts; and an introduction to safely and effectively commissioning grid-direct PV systems. This course focuses on grid-direct PV systems, but covers material critical to understanding all types of PV systems. These core concepts are expanded on in SEI’s upper level PV courses.

what you will learn

Students who complete PVOL101 will be able to:

Describe global and regional PV demand and growth trends
Examine solar industry employment trends and options
Identify and describe basic functions of different components of PV systems
Introduce the features and applications of the following PV system configurations: PV-direct, stand-alone, grid-direct, multimode
Diagram systems to understand component interaction and power flow
Define the two types of electrical current (AC and DC) and explain their differences
Explain the relationship between: volts, amps, amp-hours, watts, watt-hours, and kilowatt-hours; perform power and energy calculations
Describe typical electrical service voltages and equipment
Examine power, energy, and demand / production curves
Define utility bill terminology
Describe PV metering options
Compare incentive mechanisms for renewable energy installations
Describe the differences among various PV cell technologies
Identify key components of a PV module and choose important criteria from module specification sheets
Locate important points on the I-V curve
Apply different temperature and irradiance measurements to voltage and current values
Explain the purpose and basic functioning of bypass diodes
Identify meters used with PV systems and key points of meter use and safety
List common functions of digital multimeters (DMM) and clamp-on ammeters
Describe basic procedures for testing an operating PV system
Define and list characteristics of series and parallel circuits, and review the application of these connections to ensure system compatibility
Determine azimuth and altitude angle of the sun using a sun chart
Define factors that impact the amount of peak sun hours reaching the array
Apply shading losses to estimated AC energy production
Identify tilt angle and orientation that provides maximum energy production
Pre-qualify a customer
Explain how remote site assessment tools are used
Identify factors limiting system size
Identify data required to size and design a grid-direct PV system
Identify common PV mounting options; list advantages and disadvantages of different mounting options
Assess PV array layout options
Identify and define the function of the following on a three-line diagram of a grid-direct PV system: equipment grounding & conductors, ungrounded conductors, functionally grounded conductors, grounding electrode, grounding electrode conductor, electrical system grounding
Define the primary function of an inverter, and identify the important information used to specify a grid-direct inverter
Identify the different types of inverter technologies and list their advantages and disadvantages
Describe some installation tips and techniques for the different types of power electronics
Calculate PV array size using the online PVWatts tool
Apply appropriate system loss factors
Create charts for your location to aid in sizing estimates
Describe why temperature is an important system design consideration
Describe DC-to-AC power ratio and how it applies to system design; when to use a higher or lower power ratio
Describe criteria for different power electronics options in PV systems
Determine the correct wiring configuration of PV modules and power electronics for a given application
Identify and describe characteristics of conductor materials and insulations
Determine color coding of conductors based on wire type and circuit characteristics
Identify terminology for the various circuits in PV systems
Determine maximum current for PV system circuits
Identify and describe considerations for selecting conductors to meet ampacity and voltage drop requirements
Explain the purpose and correct placement of disconnects and overcurrent protection
Perform basic overcurrent device sizing for DC and AC PV system circuits
Identify potential jobsite hazards and opportunities for additional safety training
Determine proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for PV installation and commissioning tasks
Describe lockout / tagout procedures
List 5 basic commissioning tests to be completed after a system is installed

helpful information

Click here for Computer & Software Requirements for online courses.

Prerequisites: Completion of our free online RE100 Introduction to Renewable Energy, is highly recommended.

The online version of PV 101 is a comprehensive six-week course that covers all of the material presented in the in-person workshop and listed in the description, without the hands-on experience. The course is co-taught by two instructors, ensuring prompt attention and encouraging interaction between students and the instructors. For in-person sessions of this course, please click here.

THE SOLAR ELECTRIC HANDBOOK IS INCLUDED IN THE TUITION PRICE OF THIS COURSE! *

*For international shipping addresses, course materials will be mailed out by USPS International First Class. SEI is not responsible for confirming international delivery. If materials do not arrive and need to be reshipped, student will be responsible for additional shipping cost.

For information on SEI’s workshop and training program policies please click here.

nabcep certification information

SEI Contact Training Hours: 6 Weeks Online = 60 hours

This course provides approved credit hours towards the following NABCEP Certifications and Recertifications:

PV Associate
PV Technical Sales Professional
Solar Heating Installer (Recertification only)

Please visit NABCEP’S online course catalog for credit hours breakdown.

After successfully completing this course and PV203/PVOL203, you are eligible to sit for the NABCEP PV Associate Exam (PVA). The PVA Exam includes questions on grid-direct and battery-based PV systems. For information on NABCEP and signing up for the PV Associate Exam please click here.

For information on SEI’s Solar Professionals Certificate Program please click here.

more on nabcep certification > sei's solar professionals certificate program info >

available sessions

Add Solar Installation Safety Training for just 99.00 instead of 149.00 YES, Add this to my cart

course snapshot

Online
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE LOCATION DETAILS >

SEI online courses cover the same topics as the face-to-face workshops of the similar name, but do not include a hands-on component. You can log on at any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the full duration of the specified course. You will generally need between 10-20 hrs/week to complete the lesson materials and graded activities. The earlier lessons generally take less time than the later lessons. Students can access the course anytime, from any computer with an internet connection (see computer requirements below). There are no specific times that you need to log on, the course is self paced but you must finish all graded materials by the end date of the course. The live instructors are there to give feedback, grade your work and you can contact them with questions on the forum discussion boards, or by email.

These courses include interactive activities, power points, readings and quizzes, and exercises and homework to test student comprehension. There is also a forum where students can post questions to the instructors and network between each other. Online courses last six (6) weeks and will end on the Sunday night of the last week. All graded course activities (e.g., quizzes, forum discussion assignments, any other assignments with a score) need to be completed within these 6 weeks, with a 70% or better cumulative grade, to pass and receive a Record of Completion. After the course end-date, you will have two additional weeks for instructorless review-only time. During this time you will not be able to complete any graded activities. However, this is an ideal time to finish saving and reviewing any course materials of particular interest.

All required reading for the course is fully downloadable from within the course, so there is no need to wait for your course materials to arrive in the mail. You can also download/save the PDF files that make up the “Digital Course Notebook” for future reference.

The following are the computer and software requirements for taking SEI’s online courses.

Computer and Internet Requirements

Laptop and Desktop Platforms

PC (Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10)

Mac (Intel-based only, OSX 10.5 or later)

Mobile Devices are only supported for viewing Podcast versions of the presentations

Hardware/Internet Requirements

1.8 Ghz or faster processor

2 Gb of RAM, 10 Gb of free disk space

Minimum screen / monitor resolution is 1280 x 800

Built in sound or sound card

Computer microphone or regular telephone for Webinar or Live Office Hours participation

High-speed Internet connection (at least 5 Mb download speed — click here to check your speed)

Latest version of Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, or Apple Safari

Enabled cookies, javascript, Java, pop-ups

Special Considerations

1) Satellite, cellular 3G/4G cards, mesh wide area networks, and other similar “non-copper” or non WI-FI connections, while appearing to be high speed, will likely experience performance issues in this course. We do not recommend this type of Internet connection.

2) There are subtle differences among all browsers based on whether using a Windows or Mac computer.

3) The version of your computer’s operating system and your browser version can also have an affect on operation.

4) Video buffering problems have been reported in some cases on slow connections.

5) The video/audio Playback Rate speed control dropdown menu is not available/functional using the Chrome browser.

Video and Audio Presentations

The lecture capture presentations are streaming video (just like Netflix® or Hulu® or Amazon®). To adequately view these lecture presentations, a high speed network connection is preferred. We suggest at least 5 Mb/sec. If your connection speed is slow, is unreliable, or if the connection is shared with other active computers or mobile devices (phones or tablets), you may experience less than optimal playback. If this happens, there are a three options: obtain a faster network connection, turn off all active devices other than the device used to view the presentations, download the presentations from Apple iTunes and view from a mobile device or the iTunes app on your computer.

Smart Phone and Tablet Platforms: Apple iOS Devices (iPod touch, iPhone, iPad) and Android Phones & Tablets.

For the best experience with our online course content we recommend using a PC or Mac computer with a wired or WiFi Internet connection. It is possible to do all of the following with smart phones and tablets, however, we strongly recommend taking the quizzes on a non touch screen device to avoid unintentional changes to your selected answers:

Take quizzes

Read your textbook ebook version

Download PDFs

Participate in online forum discussions

Check your grade book

Complete questionnaires and surveys

View video and audio presentations

Some performance or access may vary

Required Software

Microsoft Silverlight (video/audio//PowerPoint presentations)

Adobe Flash (latest version for presentations & interactive exercises in some courses)

Oracle Java plugin (latest version)

Adobe Acrobat Reader (viewing & printing PDF files)

Optional Software

Microsoft Office Viewers (viewing & printing Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Visio files)

Open Source Office Suite (viewing & printing Word, PowerPoint, Excel files)

Apple QuickTime (viewing QuickTime video in some courses)

Apple iTunes (podcast subscription)
Close
6 Wks
10-20 hrs/week

course materials

see full material list >

Instructors

Laura Conchelos
Instructor

Laura Conchelos is a Canadian transplant who found her way to SEI through New Hampshire, Antarctica and New Mexico. Needing a break from doing construction for the United States Antarctic Program and being interested in renewable energy, a coworker introduced her to SEI. Since taking their classes, she has worked as an installer for a large solar company in Santa Fe, New Mexico and recently moved to the San Luis Valley of Colorado where she enjoys the fishing, hiking and skiing. She also loves installing grid-tied and off grid systems with SGS Renewables in Monte Vista, Colorado! Laura is a NABCEP certified PV installer.

Close
Justine Sanchez
Instructor

Justine has been with Solar Energy International since May 1998. Before coming to SEI Justine obtained her Bachelors degree in Physics from the University of Colorado – Boulder. She worked with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for two years in the Solar Radiation Resource Assessment Division. After leavingNREL, Justine worked with EV Solar Products in Chino Valley performing photovoltaic system installations. Currently, Justine is Home Power Magazine’s principal technical editor. She’s been a NABCEP certified PV Installer and is certified by IREC as an Affiliated Master Trainer in Photovoltaics. She instructs SEI’s PV202 Advanced PV System Design and the NEC (Grid-Direct) and Battery-based lab weeks.

Close