New Course: Foundational Concepts in Renewable Energy

Bringing someone new onto your team or crew means getting them up to speed fast. Some foundational training skips the basics that experienced folks take for granted – things like what a kilowatt hour actually means, or how DC and AC systems behave differently in the field.

Foundational Concepts in Renewable Energy, taught by Christopher LaForge and Chris Brown, is built to close that gap. It’s a structured, instructor-led course covering electrical fundamentals, solar technology, battery storage, system design, and market dynamics. It’s the kind of core knowledge that makes every subsequent training click faster.

Why Fundamentals First

These instructors have been collaborating and building courses for years, and one thing they keep coming back to is the value of starting from the ground up. As Chris puts it, you can learn by jumping in mid-stream, but you’ll almost always find yourself wanting to work back toward a more grounded foundation. This course is designed to be that foundation.

As Christopher puts it, if you don’t get the foundation right on an array, you might as well not do it. The same principle applies to training. Get the fundamentals locked in and everything that follows gets easier.

What the Course Covers

The course runs 5 to 10 hours (based on how deep you go with the supplemental material) across five core modules: 

• Electrical Fundamentals – DC and AC power, Ohm’s law, circuit analysis, and electrical safety as it applies to renewable energy systems
• Solar Fundamentals – photovoltaic technology, system components, solar resource assessment, and basic system sizing
• Battery Fundamentals – battery chemistry types, storage sizing and configuration, safety, and grid services
• System Architecture – grid-tied, off-grid, and hybrid system design, interconnection requirements, and system optimization
• Renewable Energy Market Overview – industry trends, policy frameworks, financing, and career opportunities

Each module combines video instruction with reading materials, vocabulary building, FAQs, and knowledge assessments. Like all HeatSpring courses, it’s self-paced with 12 months of access, and both instructors are active on the discussion board.

Want a Free Preview First

Chris and Christopher offer a free introductory course, Introduction to Solar Systems with Batteries: Solar + Storage, which gives new team members a chance to get oriented and get a feel for how these two teach before diving into the full course.

Enroll your team in Foundational Concepts in Renewable Energy today!