The NC State University’s 40-hour Fundamentals of PV Design and Installation curriculum covers topics that will prepare your students to sit for the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) PV Associate Level Exam, an industry recognized exam that demonstrates a basic knowledge of the fundamental principles of the application, design, installation and operation of photovoltaic solar systems. The curriculum package features 13 PowerPoint presentations with some notes. Each presentation topic approximate 2—2.5 hours of straight lecture. Cost: $4,000.00
Introduction
The first presentation sets the stage for solar photovoltaics. It presents trends in energy, renewable energy and particularly solar.
Basics of Electricity
Even though students may have already taken the basics, getting a review to put solar in context is needed to be successful in this class and the NABCEP Exam.
Assessing Sites
Location, location, location. For solar, access the this resource is key. The slide deck covers tilt, azimuth and tools to estimate production.
PV Modules
This slide deck cover types of modules, test conditions, module specifications, and performance.
Mounting
Tracking, racking and pole mounting— this covers installation considerations for PV and the when and why’s of choosing a certain rack.
Grid Direct Inverters
Discusses types of inverters, wave forms, sizing, and understanding inverter specifications.
Conductors
Covers considerations for conductors such as ampacity, diameter, material, rating, etc.
Combiners, Disconnects
Covers OCPD selection, fuses, types of combiners, wiring in combiner boxes and wire diagrams for different system configurations in the DC disconnect.
Grounding
Covers equipment and system grounding, important definitions, and NEC 690 specifications.
Three presentations for battery-based systems:
Batteries, Charge Controllers, Battery-Based Inverters
A unique feature of NCSU’s solar curriculum is including a section on battery-based system. These presentations cover the basics they need to know about designing off-grid and battery-back up PV systems.
Safety and Commissioning
The final slide deck covers the important points of safety in the work area and the start-up procedures of a complete system.
N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center Training Programs Information Sheet