On 5/15/2011 8:52 PM, John Grabowski wrote:
These questions are for PV installers (if there are any here).

I just signed up for HART 1071 Solar Electric Systems,
Entry-Level42.0 Hour.

Here's, sort of, a course description:
http://www.austincc.edu/ce/renewable/industry.php
Required text:
http://www.amazon.com/James-P.-Dunlo..._athr_dp_pel_1

The course is 42 hour course that takes almost 3 months with a once a
week, 4 hour class, and lab. Do you think the typical homeowner
(slightly above avg IQ) would be able to install all aspects of a
home PV system after completing such a course, or would he still have
to hire expert help? I know the course description says: "However,
the Certificate by itself does not qualify an individual to install
PV systems." But I think they just put that in there to cover their
butts. The home PV systems I've seen don't look that complicated and,
if this course doesn't teach you all aspects, do you think it's worth
the +$600 tuition and texts? My wife wants ME to install the home PV
system when I'm done with the class. My construction experience is
limited to home improvement projects like installing door, floors,
walls and some electrical work like moving switches. Very limited as
far as electricity is concerned.


*I haven't installed any solar PV systems nor do I advocate that
anyone does without carefully weighing the costs versus the gains.
I'm an electrical contractor in NJ and have taken a few courses on
these installations as part of my continuing ed requirements. The
current driving force in NJ to install solar is SREC's (Solar
Renewable Energy Certificates)
http://www.njcleanenergy.com/renewab...newable-energy
Apparently you can buy and trade these certificates. You can assign
who will benefit from them such as the installer who can apply them
towards your installation cost. As one instructor put it "The current
demand for solar power installations in NJ has nothing to do with
electricity. It is all about SREC's". He is an engineer who is
currently consulting on 33 commercial PV installations in NJ.

A discussion did come up in one class about qualified installers and
training. The certificates that are issued by these schools are worth
squat in the real world. You will probably learn a lot, but without
knowledge of electrical installations in general and the codes
involved you won't have all of the knowledge that you need to do it
successfully. There is a lot of planning necessary and if you hope to
get any rebates or tax breaks which is the only way to make it
financially viable, there will be a lot of paperwork involved. All of
which must be done beforehand.

I know that some manufacturers require that installers receive their
training before they can do installations. I have also heard that
Costco is now selling plug-in systems for a homeowner to install. In
my most recent class the topic of microinverters came up which was a
new one for me. Apparently some solar panels come with their own
inverters so that each panel will now put out AC power This makes it
a little simpler instead of having to wire both AC and DC power.

If you really want to pursue this I suggest getting a copy of the 2011
National Electrical Code and read the appropriate chapters such as
Article 690 and article 250. You should also talk with the power
company if you plan on tying into the grid to get a payback. The
power company will have final say whether you can tie in or not (At
least in NJ they do). You should also talk to your building
department about their requirements to pass inspection. You will need
permits to do this work and they may not allow homeowners to do it
themselves. You may need an engineer to evaluate how much weight your
roof can tolerate. You should also be comfortable working with live
electricity.

I have heard that fireman are very concerned about solar panels in
case they have to go on a roof. Those panels are always producing
power when it is light out and they would have to break through them
to gain access to the roof below.

You should also have a lot of life left on your roof before mounting
the panels. Otherwise you will need to remove the panels in a few
years to get a new roof installed.

The solar panels usually have a rated life of 20 years. After that
they must be disposed of and replaced. From what I understand, there
is currently no process available at this time to successfully recycle
solar panels. So they just wind up in a landfill. So much for going
green.

BTW $600.00 for a 42 hour specialized course is very cheap. I wish my
community college had deal like that.

Yeah. It's a good deal if you're planning on working in the industry.
After reading your post and thinking about it, I dropped the course. I'd
probably go through with it if it wasn't a 1 hour round trip to the class.

Jim