New Free Course: Rapid Shutdown Devices and Safety Risks

If you install, inspect, or maintain commercial PV systems, this new course is worth your time – it’s free, and it was recently approved for 1 NABCEP CEU.

We just launched Rapid Shutdown Devices and Safety Risks, a new self-paced course taught by James Nagel, PE, Co-Founder and CTO of HelioVolta. It’s built around HelioVolta’s field research into one of the most persistent – and most preventable – problems on commercial rooftops: failing rapid shutdown devices (RSDs).

Rapid Shutdown Devices

Rapid shutdown devices exist to protect first responders by de-energizing PV arrays during emergencies. But according to HelioVolta, an independent provider of renewable field inspections and technical services, RSDs are the number one cause of commercial rooftop PV system fires among the projects they’ve inspected. The very devices meant to make systems safer are, in practice, one of the biggest points of failure.

HelioVolta published a white paper to help solar teams understand the issues – not just by explaining what RSDs are, but by digging into why they fail and what to do about it.

What you’ll learn

Over about 1–2 hours of instructor-led content, you’ll cover:

• What RSDs are and how they work
• How RSDs differ from other module-level power electronics, like power optimizers and microinverters
• How the NEC’s rapid shutdown requirements have evolved over the past decade
• Why RSDs are susceptible to catastrophic failure
• How to manage RSDs in operating assets
• Different approaches to rapid shutdown compliance for new projects

By the end, you’ll have a solid grasp of the “what” and “why” behind RSD failures.

About the instructor

James Nagel, PE is a licensed electrical engineer with nearly two decades of experience across the PV and energy storage value chain – modeling, system and product design, project finance, technical due diligence, quality control and assurance, root cause analysis, technical advisory, and asset management. He specializes in solar safety and brings that field-tested perspective directly into this course.