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 for the duration of their lifespan. Not to mention, we all have seen companies go out of business and leave tons of systems to be serviced in their wake. Even successful companies that do a great job with installation need to update, repair, and inspect their systems on occasion. The more solar companies install, the more this need – and business opportunity – grows.
Students reach out to us at HeatSpring all the time looking for a course that dives into the plethora of issues that solar technicians could come across onsite when troubleshooting a residential system, so we partnered with seasoned O&M technician, Keith Rohman, to build a course all too often requested by the industry.
Enter HeatSpring’s newest course addition – Residential Field Operations & Maintenance. This is a practical course with a heavy emphasis on reactive maintenance problems and their solutions.
Having owned and sold a successful service-focused solar startup in Texas, Keith draws on his years of experience showing up to a job site with a nonfunctioning solar system, sorting out exactly what is going on, and resolving the issue. Keith covers everything from junction box failures to water intrusion to thermal events to faults to roof leaks to incorrect production readings to MC4 issues and more. In each situation, Keith shows site photos and walks learners through his process. After spending years servicing systems, Keith sees common patterns and shares ways to apply previous experiences to new challenges.
Have you come across some real head-scratching issues onsite? One of the unique aspects of the course is the ability to post your own onsite challenges along with photos to the course discussion board to get feedback from the instructor.
Also covered in the course are the basics of O&M, safety precautions, service site visit best practices, and preventative maintenance measures.
This course is for advanced students who have experience safely installing residential solar systems. If you are looking to build and grow your solar knowledge base and keep residential solar system performing optimally, this is a great course for you and your team! Upon completion, this course provides NABCEP CEUs.
About the instructor
Before beginning his career in the solar industry, Keith obtained his bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University in Renewable Energy. For him, solar energy was a clear and holistic answer to tackle the problems of climate change and challenges people face gaining entry into the workforce.
Keith worked through the solar ranks in Colorado – both learning and teaching in the field – at Namaste Solar and GRID Alternatives. He later obtained his NABCEP PV Installation Professional (PVIP) Certification at the end of 2018 before relocating to Texas.
In 2019, he co-founded TXSOL, a service-focused solar startup based in Austin. Since then, he continued to help build residential service and installation programs within the company. He currently works full time as a field electrician for a larger national solar installation company in Austin.
Keith has a passion for teaching safety and quality throughout the PV and construction industry. In addition to the NABCEP PVIP, he also holds his Residential Wireman’s electrical license in Texas.
