Welcome to this lesson on pathways to certification. By the end of this video, you should be able to describe the importance and the of professional certification. You should also be able to identify which fields offer certification. Describe NABCEP and and UL certification programs. As well as explain the benifits of certification. Let's begin by looking at the differences between certifications and licenses. Certifications are voluntary and are available to many professions. Licenses however are state regulated and include fields such as electricians, plumbers, engineers and architects. While one doesn't necessarily need to be certified in full voltaic, there are certain benefits that we'll discuss shortly. Licensure is required however to do the electrical work and make the final connections in a full voltaic system. So let's look at what a certification is. NABCEP, the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners defines certification as a procedure by which an independent third party gives written assurance that a professional conforms to a specified set of standards by holding those professionals to a set of requirements in a specified field. Verification includes a written examination, and by meeting the requirements, and passing the exam. Professionals then receive the certificate. They can display the certification publicly to highlight their earned proficiency. Certifications are pretty common in the field of voltaic installation. So who offers this certification? Well, NABCEP, again, the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners, is the largest PV certification group in North America. They offer certifications for Photovoltaic Installation, Solar Heating, Photovoltaic Technical Sales, Small and Small Wind Installations. There's also certification being offered by UL, or Underwriters Laboratory. We'll talk about UL later, but it's only available for folks who are licensed electricians. As a step into certification, NABCEP has introduced something called the NABCEP Associate Program. This associate program is a stepping stone to full certification, and it's intended for people who are currently working, or in, or seeking employment in renewables. It could be students, people in the early stages of their career, or people who have already been in fields that, say, run parallel to photovoltaics. So for example, if you're an electrician who hasn't worked in PV and want to become certified in photovoltaics, you can bring your expertise in electricity to the field. Or maybe work in the HVAC or plumbing and have expertise in heating and hot water systems but just getting started in the solar thermal field. The associate program also recognizes experience in the field for those without formal training or training in a different area and allows for pathways to recognize that experience. So how does one become an associate? In this case, it involves a course and an exam. Exams are offered in photovoltaics, solar heating, and small wind. And once you're in the associate program, it signifies you know how to do a specified set of items, in a certain job task list. It also covers the fundamentals of the technology and can be a useful way for people to recognize your skills, as well as let you know what you need to learn to become fully certified. The pathway to the associate certification involves courses like this specialization and hands on in the field training So what does it take to become fully certified? Well, the full NABCEP Certification requires you to simply pass the exam. However to take that exam there are certain prerequisites. First, you have to be in the field for photovoltaics and have been responsible for installing systems. You have to have had a minimum of 58 hours of advanced photovoltaic training and have the OSHA 10 hour construction safety industry card or something equivalent. Within those 58 hours of training, a minimum of 40 of those hours needs to cover advanced topics on installation principles and practices. Those advanced topics are described in the NABCEP Photovoltaic Installer Job Task Analysis Handbook. Many of them are covered throughout this specialization. A maximum of those 18 of those 58 hours can be obtained from non-accredited, or non-certified sources, which could be training from a manufacturer or other source. Coursera is the platform for this specialization offered by the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in accredited higher education institution, so these hours really part of the forty. Depending on experience, three or five installations must be completed, each larger than a 1 kilowatt size where the person getting certified will have the role of contractor, lead foreman, supervisor, or journeyman. So you have to have both the coursework and in the filed training. Please review the job task analysis and certification handbooks in the supplementory materials. So why would you want to become NABCEP certified? Well, certification's typically needed to receive the incentives from state programs. So why you don’t need to be certified to install PV, you may be eligible for a significant incentive, which can then be passed down to the customer. NABCEP is not recognized by federal tax incentives. So one could still receive the federal tax credits even if you’re not a NABCEP certified installer. With that said, certification does not take the place of permitting or licensing. So even though you may be a certified installer, you still need to get building permits for structural changes or electrical permits. You typically would also need to get a licensed electrician to do the interconnections. But this is based upon the rules of the state and the municipality. Another type of certification is called UL certification. UL certification essentially provides documented competence then an electrician can safely instal follow tech system in the compliance with local and national codes. You have to be a licenced electrician to pass the exam, and then once you're successfully listed as a certified UL installer, you have to be re-certified every 3 years. You can do that through getting continuing education credits, or do 30 hours of professional development. Another type of certification that's out there is called the Certified Solar Roofing Professional, or CSRP. It focuses on roof integrated solar energy, which is similar to building integrated photovoltaics. But it specifically certifies people in the area of roof integrated solar energy, or RISE. These will be people who are in the fields of roofing, architecture, or system integrators. And becoming a CSRP indicates an extra level of knowledge about the system rooftop interaction. So that sums up the types of certifications that are available. So in review, you should now be able to describe the importance and the value of professional certification. You should be able to identify which field of certifications are available, as well as the NABCEP and UL certification program. And explain the benefits of certification. This concludes this module and course in renewable energy and photovoltaics. In the next course, we'll learn about the solar resource in wiring for PV.
