NABCEP Call for comments [RE-wrenches]

Dan Whigham, SC Solar DWhigham at scsolar.com
Fri Oct 25 16:18:10 PDT 2002


My 2 cents:

>From what I have been told, from Wendy Parker,
If you have training certification from a "established school" for example
Florida Solar Energy Center, and you have x# of installations , you can be
grandfathered in. If this is not the case or has changed please tell me.
 I  do have an issue , When neither the State nor the Utilities  allow for
net metering or grid tie. A person would not be able to fulfill the
obligations of this
new organization.
So would this mean, if you cannot grid tie/ net meter currently,
that if a state finally passed a law where you could net meter/grid tie,
that no one would be
qualified for x# of years to be able to install?
Where would these qualified people come from? Out of state.
They (the union) could control the market for 4 years?

Bob-o,

Answer to you question. I do not install all DC systems, though I do design
allot of them. I have installed the systems where the PV & SW40xx is used as
a primary ,   and the grid is the backup, for battery systems. I do try to
obtain the older chips for the SW units when I can, they seem to work
better. All systems are inspected by the local authority / military
inspectors (very strict).

In SC, anyone can pull the permit for a PV system under 50v, but you better
have a limited contractors license and get approval from the local authority
first. This usually means you have to hold them by the hand and walk them
through the system. .It may sound sarcastic, but the first comment I had
from an inspector preparing to get a permit for PV was "Does your code book
have pictures" Yep ...sure does I replied...."Well if it looks like those
pictures we'll be ok".
Kind of scared the hell out of me.


After being in business, I found that certification is a good thing.....hold
on before I get squashed.....I went to FSEC and took the Grid Tie training
that they offer, they had a final test (I believe part of the state
electrical exam) which you took in order to get "certified" for grid tie
systems. It is required for anyone who wants to be able to get credit for
the state rebate program. No certification and your customer does not get
refund (I think this was how it worked.)
The major drawback to this is that they never covered battery
systems......This leaves allot to be said. Certification would only be a
small part of the uses for PV. To say one was qualified to install PV and
all he/she was familiar with was grid tie, would be an embarrassment for our
industry.

Regards,

Dan Whigham

SC Solar
7073 Henry Harris Road
Lancaster SC 29720
www.scsolar.com
803-802-5522


----- Original Message -----
From: matthew tritt <solarone at charter.net>
To: <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
Sent: Friday, October 25, 2002 1:09 PM
Subject: Re: NABCEP Call for comments [RE-wrenches]


> Bob-O,
>
> In most fields, besides medicine, changes to regulations and requirements
> are conveyed to those concerned via written correspondence, publications
> with attachable inserts and email. This won't work for solar people? If
you
> make this continuing education requirement a program accessible to all, in
> an inclusive and affordable manner, great! Some of us are pretty darned
busy
> as it is though, and this represents just another layer of questionable
> frosting on an ever growing burocratic cake.
>
> Matt
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bob-O Schultze, Electron Connection" <econnect at snowcrest.net>
> To: <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
> Sent: Friday, October 25, 2002 9:55 AM
> Subject: Re: NABCEP Call for comments [RE-wrenches]
>
>
> > Matt,
> > I think you are wrong on this one. Right now, more states require
> > continuing education for electrical licensing than those who do not.
> > Wrenches in those states will pretty much meet the NABCEP
> > requirements just by keeping their state licenses current. In other
> > states-like CA, you need to do a few days every three years of RE
> > and/or Code related training. This is a bad thing? Codes change every
> > three years. New products come out all the time. Requiring Wrenches
> > to keep current is a blessing, not a hardship.
> > Bob-O
> >
> >
> >
> > >Graham is right on the issue. This label of "practitioner" has gone to
> the
> > >head(s) of the able bodies creating the parameters; it treats solar
> workers
> > >like physicians in word and deed. Continuing education and
> re-evaluations?
> > >Give us a break! Know many plumbers attending plumbing seminars? Let's
> give
> > >everyone in this business an equal chance by not weeding-out many, many
> good
> > >installers by default.
> >
> > - - - -
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> > Moderator: michael.welch at homepower.com
> >
> >
> >
>
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