What’s It Take to Get the NABCEP PV Installation Professional Certification? The NABCEP PV Installation Professional Certification is considered the gold standard for PV certifications. It’s renowned for being challenging. Many skilled installers take more than one shot to successfully pass it. It carries weight and holding the esteemed PV Installation… Continue reading “What’s It Take to Get the NABCEP PV Installation Professional Certification?”
Looking to be Professional in Solar PV Systems – 10 Things You Need to Learn Learning solar photovoltaic systems might not be as straightforward as they appear while standing, fixed on a roof, or installed on the ground. Even though it seems like basic electricity-generating modules, the process of creating electrical energy involves various theories… Continue reading “Looking to be Professional in Solar PV Systems – 10 Things You Need to Learn”
Power Flow Studies on Utility Distribution If you work with utility-scale or community solar PV, you may have heard the utility refer to the term “power flow study”, also called “load flow study”, and wonder what that is. Utility distribution feeders are designed and operated at… Continue reading “Power Flow Studies on Utility Distribution”
What is All This Water Doing in the Inverter? – What Can Happen When Rooftop Conduit Fittings Are Improperly Installed While it may seem like a minor detail to new solar installers, using the wrong conduit fittings, or installing the right ones incorrectly, can have disastrous consequences. Conduit fittings are used to connect sections of electrical conduit, which protect and… Continue reading “What is All This Water Doing in the Inverter? – What Can Happen When Rooftop Conduit Fittings Are Improperly Installed”
New Course Announcement: Understanding Utility Scale Solar Construction Drawings Being able to understand and read construction drawings means everyone onsite and at the office can speak the same language. It’s an absolute necessity for teams, especially when working on utility scale solar projects. Get everyone on the same page… Continue reading “New Course Announcement: Understanding Utility Scale Solar Construction Drawings”
Time to Recertify Your NABCEP Professional Certification? – A Comprehensive Guide You met all the qualifications. You completed the application. You studied and – most importantly – you passed your NABCEP certification exam! Now that you’ve done the hardest part, it’s time to recertify and maintain your NABCEP professional certification. Here’s… Continue reading “Time to Recertify Your NABCEP Professional Certification? – A Comprehensive Guide “
Troubleshooting Isolation Faults Like a Pro Isolation faults happen on PV systems when DC current leaks to ground. It can be caused by a number of issues like damaged or pinched wires, defective optimizers, or an inverter fault. In the new Residential Field Operations & Maintenance… Continue reading “Troubleshooting Isolation Faults Like a Pro”
New Course Announcement: Residential Field Operations & Maintenance With a total of 5.9 GW of residential solar installed in the United States as of the end 2021, there is a huge growing (and glaring) need for well trained, experienced solar technicians to keep systems running smoothly and producing… Continue reading “New Course Announcement: Residential Field Operations & Maintenance”
How Much Solar PV Can a Feeder Host? As increasing amounts of solar PV connect to electric distribution systems, in the forms of utility-scale solar PV and behind-the-meter solar PV, a critical question that many in the industry have is “How Much Solar PV Can a Feeder Host?” The… Continue reading “How Much Solar PV Can a Feeder Host?”
The Role of Art and Design in the Energy Transition – Perspective from Alex Nathanson Solar photovoltaics can seem strictly utilitarian to most, especially those deeply entrenched within the solar industry. Solar Power for Artists founder, Alex Nathanson, sees it differently. He asks questions like what is the role of art and design when it… Continue reading “The Role of Art and Design in the Energy Transition – Perspective from Alex Nathanson”
Building a Solar Passive Greenhouse With No Energy Inputs Other Than the Sun Harnessing the power of the sun can look like many different things. For HeatSpring instructor Chris LaForge, solar energy means so much more than photovoltaics. In this short video, Chris shows us the beginning phases of his passive solar greenhouse… Continue reading “Building a Solar Passive Greenhouse With No Energy Inputs Other Than the Sun”
Innovative Solar Microgrids for Resiliency with the Footprint Project The Footprint Project’s mission is to provide cleaner energy for communities in crisis. They work to green disaster response in the aftermath of climate change emergencies. In this blog post, we hear from William Heegaard, Operations Director at the Footprint… Continue reading “Innovative Solar Microgrids for Resiliency with the Footprint Project”
Impacts of IEEE 1547 to Developers and Engineers Working on Distribution Interconnections The latest revision of IEEE 1547TM-2018 – IEEE Standard for Interconnection and Interoperability of Distributed Energy Resources with Associated Electric Power Interfaces turns five years old this year. Many solar PV developers and engineers that are just entering the industry… Continue reading “Impacts of IEEE 1547 to Developers and Engineers Working on Distribution Interconnections”
New Free Course: Denowatts Installer Certification Training Total global solar installed capacity is expected to reach 2.2 terawatts by 2030, which means the solar O&M sector will be continuing to rapidly grow to keep pace. According to research from Wood Mackenzie cited in Solar Builder Magazine, the… Continue reading “New Free Course: Denowatts Installer Certification Training”
OSHA 10 and Other Safety Courses Now Available with HeatSpring Safety training is often required – and arguably should always be required – to work on construction job sites. It’s also essential to qualify for most NABCEP professional certification exams. The HeatSpring community asks us all the time where to… Continue reading “OSHA 10 and Other Safety Courses Now Available with HeatSpring”
New Free Webinar: Unconventional Solar Applications While we know solar can be a great way to reduce energy costs for your residence or business, there are so many ways to apply solar technology to projects outside the standard use cases. If you’ve worked in the solar… Continue reading “New Free Webinar: Unconventional Solar Applications”
New Course: Understanding IEEE 1547-2018 – The Interconnection Standard for DER on Distribution HeatSpring is pleased to announce a new course focusing on IEEE 1547-2018, the interconnection standard for Distributed Energy Resources (DER) on utility distribution systems. Understanding IEEE 1547-2018 – The Interconnection Standard for DER on Distribution, will launch in February 2023,… Continue reading “New Course: Understanding IEEE 1547-2018 – The Interconnection Standard for DER on Distribution”
Project Managers & Interconnection Specialists Needed to Build 437GW of New Utility-Scale Solar Wood Mackenzie projects the U.S. utility-scale PV market will add 437 GW between 2022 and 2032. That’s 43,700 MW every year for ten years. It’s a staggering number and no solar company has the people they need to deliver at… Continue reading “Project Managers & Interconnection Specialists Needed to Build 437GW of New Utility-Scale Solar”
Guidelines for Designing Grounding Systems for Solar PV Installations in Accordance With the NEC Grounding and bonding is a subject area that can be confusing to many. In this blog post, we summarize key points according to the NEC. The NEC is the primary guiding document for the safe designing and installation practices of… Continue reading “Guidelines for Designing Grounding Systems for Solar PV Installations in Accordance With the NEC”
Join us Nov 1-3 at the OSCC conference in Portland Next week I’ll be attending the Oregon Solar + Storage Conference in Portland, Oregon. HeatSpring will be tabling at the career expo on Tuesday so make sure to stop by and say hi. If you haven’t registered, click here to… Continue reading “Join us Nov 1-3 at the OSCC conference in Portland”