Setting the Standard: Transforming O&M into a Professional Career Path

The new SEIA 301 Standard: Solar and Energy Storage Operations and Maintenance Standard – Technician Training represents a significant milestone in creating clear career pathways for both aspiring and established technicians. This consensus-built training framework not only enhances the reliability and safety of solar and storage systems but also provides a structured path for professional advancement in the field.

HeatSpring’s Brittany Heller recently sat down with Amanda Bybee, CEO of the Amicus O&M Cooperative and member of the standards committee, on the SunCast Media stage at the NABCEP 2025 Conference. Their conversation explored why this new SEIA 301 Standard marks such an important development for the industry.

For the full interview, head over to SunCast Media.

To learn more about the new training, head over to the Solar PV and BESS Operations and Maintenance Tech 1 Training page. 

Transcript below.

Amanda: There’s several reasons why I think the standards are important. A huge part of it is the maturity. I care very deeply that our technology works, and that this solution to the climate crisis be regarded as reliable and dependable and going to be around for the 25+ years we’ve been selling that it will. I care very deeply about that. 

The second piece is that I really want to show people that this is a career, not just a one-year dead-end job. That’s why the four-level progression was important to me. I didn’t want to stop at the entry-level because that doesn’t paint the picture. That’s giving technicians a professional development pathway, helping them see how to get there. 

Somebody had asked me years ago, “hey, if I want to become an O&M tech, what do I do?” I did not have a great answer. I said start as an installer for a few years and then work your way over.  To me, that’s an unsatisfactory answer. I want to be able to give somebody a crisp, clear, step- by-step how to get into this career, because I think O&M jobs are great jobs.

On utility-scale jobs, you’re parked on a site. You don’t have to travel. Particularly if you live in a rural community and it’s hard to find jobs, but there’s a solar array nearby, that could be a great, stable, interesting job. If you’re doing this on residential and C&I, it’s interesting for other reasons, because there’s a lot more variety and you get to see lots of different types of scenarios and different types of technologies.

I think there’s a personality type out there of people who like to fix things, like that’s an aptitude that we look for, so having a way to bring people in, train them, show them how to advance –  that’s really exciting to me.