SEI has released their formal endorsement of solar industry certification programs from UL, RISE, and NABCEP. SEI's technical training program is actively preparing students for careers in the solar industry.

February 27, 2013

For more than 20 years, Solar Energy International's (SEI) technical PV training has helped prepared thousands of people who have gone on to start careers and businesses in the solar industry. In the two decades of educational service to the renewable energy sector, SEI's student body now has significantly grown to include students from all the trades, including electrical, roofing, and the broader construction industry. This is the motivation for SEI's endorsement of the leading solar industry certifications.

Solar Energy International (SEI) is formally endorsing the leading certifications in the solar industry:

* North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioner's (NABCEP)

*UL's PV Installer Certification

*Certified Solar Roofing Professional (CSRP) through Roof Integrated Solar Energy (RISE)

Kathy Swartz, SEI's interim executive director, states, "Our training prepares students for careers in the solar industry. Our training program, curriculum development, and instructional design processes have always been based on product agnostic ideals while maintaining alignment with industry certifications.

Today's endorsement of certification programs from UL, RISE, and NABCEP is our formal and public announcement that our training program is actively preparing students for careers in the industry, as well as for the leading certifications currently recognized within our industry. In addition to the established NABCEP certification, newer certifications have gained industry recognition in recent years.

These include the Roof Integrated Solar Energy (RISE) / Certified Solar Roofing Professional (CSRP) certification for roofing professionals and the UL PV Installer Certification available to licensed electricians."

The National Electrical Contractors Association

(NECA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) have also recently endorsed the UL PV Installer Certification. In recent years, SEI has experienced a dramatic increase in the number of students coming from the electrical trades through SEI's training program, as well as providing curriculum to JATCs around the country.

SEI to Offer UL Certified PV Installer Certification Exam

SEI has been selected as a testing center for the UL PV Installer Certification exam. Exam dates will be scheduled to align with SEI's solar trainings that help qualified candidates receive the training specific to photovoltaic design, installation, troubleshooting, and maintenance. Individuals who wish to take the UL Certified PV Installer exam must also meet the following per-requisites:

*Be a qualified electrician

*Complete the OSHA 30-hour construction training

Additional details on the dates and times will be released within the coming months.

SEI's Path to Graduation

In response to industry demands of quality assurance for a highly trained workforce, Solar Energy International (SEI) has expanded its rigorous training program through the development of the SEI Solar Professionals Certificate Program.

Chris Turek, Director of Online and Student Services, said, "We felt as an organization that is was time to create a clear path to graduation from SEI. We have always offered a deeper training experience through each of our individual training courses. We were able to pull them all together with a concise curriculum leading to a graduation path from SEI. For more than 20 years, SEI has emphasized quality and rigor in our training program - this new professional certificate program is aligned with that ideal.

Any one of our certificate program tracks requires at least 160 contact training hours. Since we launched this program last year we are seeing many students who work in the electrical and roofing professions go through multiple SEI certificate paths that cover residential and commercial PV systems, battery-based PV systems, and technical sales.

It is important to point out that graduating from SEI with a technical certificate is different than certification. A "Certificate" program is a common title to describe training program completion in the realm of workforce training. Students will graduate with a technical certificate from SEI and with the training hours earned, they meet some of the requirements to sit for a certification exam from any of the leading certifying entities. Once certified through the various entities in our industry, they will be able to take the required continuing education from SEI through our SEI Continuing Education Program."

About Solar Energy International

Solar Energy International (SEI) was founded in 1991 as a nonprofit educational organization to help others to use renewable energy resources and sustainable building technologies through education and technical assistance.

Our vision is focused on helping create a more sustainable future for our planet and its inhabitants. Through our work, we see clear opportunities to influence people's thinking and behaviors towards energy efficiency and the use of natural, sustainable methods of energy production and utilization.

Solar Energy International is a 501(c)(3) Equal Opportunity Institution and Employer, and is not affiliated with any dealer, manufacturer, distributor, or any other renewable energy commercial enterprise.

Media contact for SEI is Christopher Turek, Director of Online and Student Services - chris(at)solarenergy(dot)org - 970-963-8855 x115 - http://www.solarenergy.org