NAPPY [RE-wrenches]

Smitty smitty at aaasolar.com
Fri Oct 25 10:14:10 PDT 2002


RANT ON: Wrenches, my partner and I, plus a half dozen other old hand
Thou$andaies, have been looking into this practitioner thing for some
time now. We have some strong opinions based on what we have found and
based on historical events that have happened to this industry in the
last 25 years. In my opinion, the only reason NABCEP is in play is
because of a few types of buy down programs in a handful of states.
Prior to that, as in any business, the market place weeded out the weak
sisters.

Don't get me wrong. Education and training of installers and inspectors,
and other good things that improve our industry, I am in full support
of.

History Lesson: During the tax credit days of early '80s the SRCC was
formed to certify equipment to be eligible for the tax credits. This
turned out to be a tax on solar. MFGs had to pay big bucks to have their
stuff tested for the coveted "SRCC decal" to put on their panels. But
wait, it gets better. On top of that, the MFGs had to pay a royalty per
square foot of collector sold, to the SRCC. "Hey I got an idea, let's
raise the price of solar!" At the end of "85 the credits went bye bye,
but not the SRCC. With '03 just around the corner, we in the thermal biz
still live with the SRCC and their ongoing program "improvements" that
"help" us. The SRCC will certify your cardboard box with saran wrap on
it if you have a check in hand. Protecting the public and their tax $$.
Ya. Now I see there is legislation in CA getting the SRCC into the PV
game. To use Tom Lane's term, "comes the gate keepers".

My point is this, when you get something like NAPPY set up and running,
you are stuck with it and will never be able to get rid of it, as like
the SRCC, it gets a life of it's own. All of you contemplating this, I
urge you to look beyond the rosy idea of NAPPY, and ask some hard
questions. This should be done right, 'cause we'll be stuck with it.

POP QUIZ:
1. Why was the survey, that claimed overwhelming support of NABCEP, 80%
union responses?
2. Why does the union have 3 seats on the board?
3. Why are wrenches so underrepresented on the board and so
overwhelmingly represented by Gov., labs and union types?
4. Why do we have to pay to re-up in 3 years?
5. What's going to happen with the $1,000,000 NY state has to just set
up the NABCEP program? Not train anybody, just set up. Follow the money.
Hint: IREC web site. God I love that acronym.
6. Why do they call it voluntary certification, when it's tied to all
these buy down programs? You pay to play. Driver's licenses are
voluntary too.
7. Who will administer this?

Pencils down. Test over.
Look deep before you leap. Smitty.

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