CEPPV1: Hybrid Solar PV Design and Installation Workshop

Objective: This PV design and installation course is made of a 5-week eLearning course followed by a 2.5 days hands-on workshop and is based on NABCEP learning objectives and prepares participants to challenge the entry level exam. The eLearning course will be delivered in partnership with Solar Energy International, where the Clean Energy Institute will provide localized content to adapt the US curriculum to the Canadian/Ontario regulatory and climate context.

Note that in order to access the Canadian version of the course, participants need to register with our Clean Energy Institute. PVOL101C , the Canadian version of the "eLearning only" portion can also be taken separately for Cdn_$950, but the hands-on workshop requires prior completion of the eLearning component and is Cdn $500 more if registered for separately compared to taken as a package. Click here to find out the total price of the hybrid package (online + hands-on face to face workshop in Ottawa).

Target audience: professional electricians, engineers, solar installers, building contractors, roofers and even home-owners who feel competent enough to install a PV system on their own house or cottage.

Facilitators: The 2010 hands-on workshop will be facilitated by 2 highly qualified professionals including at least 2 NABCEP certified PV Installers and a Canadian professional. The lead facilitator has installed over 1,000 kW of PV and is currently the Principal of a solar company which designs and installs solar electric systems on residential and commercial buildings for our regional type of climate conditions. The lead facilitator is also a certified Master Trainer with the Institute for Sustainable Power Quality (ISPQ) , has a Ph.D in in particle physics, has taught well over a hundred PV installer courses, is one of the very few people qualified to teach the advanced PV Installers workshops and has 5 years experience of University teaching of engineering physics and electronics.

Pre-requisite: in order to make the most out of this workshop, people should have good knowledge of electricity and basic math skills, the ability to fully understand and read English. For the first workshops, 60% of the seats may be restricted to Licensed Electricians, Electrical Contractors and/or Electrical Engineers. This workshop is a pre-requisite for our advanced Installers/Developers PV Workshop CEPPV2 (for large scale/commercial grid tied systems and Solar PV farms).

A diversity of knowledge, skills, and abilities are required to design, install, and commission PV systems. In this hands-on course, participants will learn the fundamental concepts required for safe, Ontario code-compliant design and installation of PV systems. This course will cover system components, site analysis, PV module criteria, mounting systems, commissioning, and safety. Participants will also learn the basics of sizing a residential off-grid stand-alone and grid-tied battery-less system, wire sizing, over current protection, and grounding.

Skills: Participants who complete this course will acquire the knowledge required for practitioners who specify, install and maintain solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation systems and equipment, as defined per the NABCEP task analysis and will be able to:

• Recognize the Ontario PV markets and applications
• Perform detailed site analysis utilizing commercially available tools
• Understand and perform power and energy calculations and evaluate shading potential
• Perform a load analysis for off-grid and battery-less grid-tied systems
• Diagram an array and battery bank in series and parallel configurations
• Understand what PV modules and components technologies are available, and which products currently on the market meet Ontario's micro-FIT and FIT requirements
• Obtain and apply module specifications for a given module and determine a module’s performance given various environmental
• Determine performance of an array/system based on irradiance changes or for array orientation and tilt angle at a given site
• Determine the magnetic declination, find the orientation and altitude angle of the sun, and evaluate the shade potential for a given site
• Understand the pros and cons of different mounting structures (ground, roof, ballast, structural)
• Determine the number of modules that can fit on a given roof space
• Interpret and apply data from equipment specification sheets
• Size a residential battery-less grid-tied system including the inverter, array, wiring and over current protection
• Define battery depth of discharge, days of autonomy, and efficiency
• Determine what PV module supports are available (fixed, trackers..) and which one is more appropriate for given various context
• Specify a battery-based inverter given certain parameters
• Determine acceptable voltage drop for system circuits
• Identify the proper safety protocols for working with electricity, on roofs, with PV modules and with batteries
• Understand Ontario regulations (specifically issues related to Ontario's microFIT and FIT programs) related to PV systems
• Troubleshoot and analyze performance of a PV system

Cost: To inquire about the cost of this workshop, click here to complete the inquiry form. Call us to find out about the discounts we offer for groups. Register at least 30 days prior to the workshop start date and obtain $200 early bird discount, 7 days before the workshop start date and obtain a $100 discount. (NB: We only accept payment by cheque for early registrations).

Training Material: Participants will be provided with a Study Guide binder of over 80 pages, about 400 slides, and electronic access to training material and supplements during and after the course.

Certificates: Participants who attend the whole workshop will received from us a Certificate of Attendance, and the Solar Energy International Certificate for the distance learning component. Participants who get 70% at our PV exam will also obtain The Clean Energy Institute's Certificate of Proficiency for Cognitive Skills on "Solar PV Installation and Design Level 1". The exam can be taken at the end of the exam or can be proctored with a partner organization later (and in various cities across Ontario) for an additional fee of $150. Note that students who want to take NABCEP PV Entry level exam should expect to pay additional exam fees (generally ranging from $75-$150).

Next Scheduled Date

Summer 2010. See our calendar for the exact date of the next workshop.