New Course: Solar PV and BESS Operations & Maintenance Tech 1 Training

The solar industry has taken a big step forward with the introduction of its first standardized training program for Operations and Maintenance (O&M) technicians. 

Until now, O&M training has been all over the map – companies were doing their own thing, using different terminologies, and creating their own training approaches. This made it tough for workers to know how to advance in their careers and for companies to find consistently trained technicians. The new Solar PV and BESS Operations & Maintenance Tech 1 Training offered by the Amicus O&M Cooperative changes all that by establishing a clear learning path for the people who keep our growing solar and storage infrastructure running smoothly.

A First-of-its-Kind Industry Standard

In Spring 2025, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) will publish its SEIA 301 Standard: Solar PV and BESS Operations and Maintenance Standard – Technician Training. This standard emerged from collaborative work between SEIA and the Amicus O&M Cooperative, which had previously received grant funding from the Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office to expand training and certification tracks for O&M professionals.

The Amicus team created a consensus document with input from 60 different companies across the solar and battery storage value chain, which then became the starting point for the SEIA 301 Standard.

Four-Level Technician Framework

When the industry experts got together to hash this out, one of the first things they agreed on was using a four-level system for technicians. Most companies were already doing something like this anyway – some had three levels, some had five, but four seemed to be the sweet spot.

What’s really valuable about the framework is that it spells out exactly what you need to learn at each level and what skills you need to demonstrate before moving up to the next one. Before this, there wasn’t a clear answer to “How do I become an O&M technician?” Now there’s a roadmap anyone can follow to build their career in solar + storage O&M.

Expanding the O&M Workforce

The solar industry is facing a significant workforce challenge right now. We don’t have enough O&M technicians to maintain all the solar systems already installed across the country, and with installations growing by the day, this gap is only widening. The 2023 Solar Jobs Census highlights this trend, showing that O&M jobs increased by 4,782 positions (28%) compared to 2022, totaling 21,368 jobs. This jump directly reflects the urgent need for qualified personnel to maintain our expanding fleet.

That’s why this standard focuses on making it easier to bring new talent into the field. Instead of assuming everyone starts with years of installation experience, the Tech 1 training creates a clear on-ramp for newcomers. This way, more people can see solar O&M as a viable career path from day one, not just as something you might transition to after years in another field.

The Tech 1 Training Course

Being the first in the series, Tech 1 is specifically designed for entry-level O&M technicians, taking 18-24 hours to fully complete. 

The course covers essential core skills needed by all O&M technicians regardless of system size, including:

• Foundations
• On-Site Safety
• Basic Electrical Theory
• PV Fundamentals
• PV System Operation
• Plan sets, Schematics, and Diagrams
• Meter & Tool Selection, Use, and Safety
• Intro to O&M
• O&M Tasks
• Meteorological and Data Acquisition Systems
• Creating Good Documentation
• Market-Segment Specific Considerations (for residential, C&I, utility, and ESS)

Who Should Take This Course?

This course is ideal for entry-level O&M technicians, installers looking to make the move over into solar O&M, or senior technicians whose job responsibilities include training the junior techs. 

Why Standards Matter

When the Amicus O&M Cooperative was founded in 2016, O&M was still “the Wild West,” with no consistency in contract terms, scopes of work, pricing, or other crucial aspects. The Cooperative has been working to bring standardization to these areas, ensuring that when clients work with multiple service providers, everyone uses the same language.

Fast forward to today, and this new training course represents a turning point. For the first time, the industry has consistency about what it means to be a solar O&M technician. This is good for service companies, system owners, and workers.

With solar installations growing by the day, these systems will need skilled hands keeping them running optimally for decades. The better we train our O&M workforce today, the more reliable our clean energy future becomes tomorrow.

Ready to get your service team trained up? Head over to the Solar PV and BESS Operations & Maintenance Tech 1 Training page and take the first step toward a more professional, standardized approach to solar maintenance.