In a move which recognizes that most PV installation projects today engage more than one person in a decision making role, the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) is now accepting a variety of solar installation professionals for its flagship “installer” certification. Earlier this year NABCEP renamed and rebranded the longstanding NABCEP Solar PV Installer certification, for which they have become so well known for over the years, to the NABCEP PV Installation Professional. With this change in the look and feel came a subtle but important modification to the eligibility criteria that active solar professionals must meet to become certified. Now many individuals involved in the installation of PV systems are able to become certified where they may not have been able to before. The October 2013 examination, with an application deadline of August 2, is the first one for which these new eligibility criteria apply.
Through a lengthy industry stakeholder validation process, NABCEP identified that rarely was “the installer” the person on the job with primary responsibility. “When the NABCEP Solar PV Installer Certification was launched ten years ago, most systems were completed from soup to nuts by one person who oversaw the process, with maybe one or two technicians helping out,” says NABCEP Executive Director, Richard Lawrence. “Today it is more typical that a team of installation professionals are responsible for various aspects of the PV system design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance.” Lawrence describes his personal experience of having a system installed on his home. “When a modest 3.8-kW PV system was installed on my house last year it became very clear that there was more than one person who was responsible for the quality and performance of the installation. Even on this small residential project there was a System Engineer, Project Manager, Lead Installer, Senior Electrician, and Company President, who all had critical decision making authority that affected the final product.”
The knowledge, skills, and abilities defined in the NABCEP PV Installation Professional Job Task Analysis (JTA) have not changed. Neither has the rigorous examination which individuals must complete before they become certified. And each applicant must still meet the basic requirements for education and experience. But by allowing more than just the “lead installer” to qualify, the NABCEP PV Installation Professional Certification better reflects the current state of the solar industry in North America. The decisions made by each responsible person throughout the design, installation, and commissioning process have a material effect on every other step of the process. The NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional must have a thorough understanding and competence in all stages of the process even if they only perform one part of it on a day to day basis. Now many more professionals in the solar industry will be able to meet the gold standard that NABCEP has set.
The application deadline for the October 2013 NABCEP certification exams is August 2, 2013. For more information on NABCEP and how to get certified, please visit www.nabcep.org.
— Solar Builder magazine
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