NABCEP UPDATE [RE-wrenches]

[Bob-O Schultze, Electron Connection]

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Amigos,
FYI to keep y'all up on what's happening.
Happy Holiday.
Best, bob-O


North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners

December 27, 2002

News:

<file:///C:/My%20Documents/Email%20Newsletter/Interest%20List%20Newslttr/Dec27.02.htm#1>Accomplishments 
Update
<file:///C:/My%20Documents/Email%20Newsletter/Interest%20List%20Newslttr/Dec27.02.htm#2>Path 
for 2003
<file:///C:/My%20Documents/Email%20Newsletter/Interest%20List%20Newslttr/Dec27.02.htm#3>PV 
Installer Certification Requirements: Report on Call for Comments
<file:///C:/My%20Documents/Email%20Newsletter/Interest%20List%20Newslttr/Dec27.02.htm#4>Encountering 
Controversy
<file:///C:/My%20Documents/Email%20Newsletter/Interest%20List%20Newslttr/Dec27.02.htm#5>Receiving 
Support
<file:///C:/My%20Documents/Email%20Newsletter/Interest%20List%20Newslttr/Dec27.02.htm#6>Solar 
Thermal Committee Organizing
<file:///C:/My%20Documents/Email%20Newsletter/Interest%20List%20Newslttr/Dec27.02.htm#7>Happy 
New Year!

NABCEP Accomplishments Update

Getting a certification program up and running is a complicated 
process requiring the cooperation of many volunteers. First, the 
"stakeholder groups" need to be defined: who will be affected by a 
certification program and how? Then, appropriate representatives of 
each stakeholder group need to be recruited to serve on a volunteer 
Board of Directors. This is no glamour job: directors are not 
remunerated; they are responsible to review standards and policies, 
sit through long conference calls up to three times a month, and take 
care of getting the program going, often fielding questions and even 
dealing with hostility from those who disagree with the effort.

Organization: The concept behind NABCEP was sparked during 
conversations between Mark Fitzgerald (Institute for Sustainable 
Power) and key renewable energy trainers and policy-makers in 1998. A 
core group of solar stakeholder representatives was brought together 
at a Forum in Washington, D.C. in April 2001. From there, a PV 
Technical Committee was organized to develop the standards on which a 
voluntary national certification program could be built. The board 
was defined, stakeholder positions were created, representatives were 
recruited, and the effort was underway. The board was incorporated in 
March 2002.

Task Analysis: In June 2002, the 10th Draft of the PV Installer Task 
Analysis, developed by the Subject Matter Experts of the PV Technical 
Committee, was ratified by the Board. The Task Analysis forms the 
basis of a certification program by providing a listing of the skills 
and knowledge that a competent PV installer should possess. The Task 
Analysis provides a blue-print for the development of a certification 
exam, and can also serve as a guide for the development of 
independent training curricula.

Certification Process: Besides defining standards for the 
certification of PV installers, the NABCEP board asked the PV 
Technical Committee to draft a process document defining what 
installers will need to do in order to become certified, including 
any experience or training prerequisites that installers need to meet 
prior to sitting for the certification exam.

First Call for Comments: Proposed PV Installer Certification 
Requirements were released for public comment late in 2001. By March 
2002, NABCEP had received over 350 comments on the proposed 
certification process. Those comments were prioritized, itemized, and 
sent back to the PV Technical Committee, which then constructed a 
second draft of Certification Requirements.

Second Call for Comments: The second draft of Proposed PV Installer 
Certification Requirements was released for public comment in October 
2002. By mid-November, over 50 comments had been received. The 
majority of respondents expressed support for the certification 
process, though some important reservations were also logged. The 
general sense of the comments was that while a few snags still needed 
to be worked out, for the most part the proposed process was now 
acceptable.

The PV Technical Committee has once again received these comments and 
is incorporating them into a Final Draft of the certification 
process. After an upcoming review and subsequent verification that 
the Final Draft has fairly answered the concerns voiced in the call 
for comments, the NABCEP Board will ratify the PV Installer 
Certification Requirements.

Board Composition: While developing the standards and process 
documents, the NABCEP board has also expanded throughout 2002 to gain 
insight from solar industry representatives. AstroPower, BP Solar, 
Shell, and Sharp are now represented on the Board by Marc Roper, 
Ignacio Corral, Kal Johnson, and Arthur Rudin. Representing 
independent installers, Bob-O Schultze from Electron Connection has 
become Don Loweburg's alternate. In addition, Eric Smiley of BCIT 
Technology Centre was recently voted in as an alternate to Roger 
Ebbage representing the education component.

What is next? Once the certification process is finalized, an 
application form will be developed to capture the prerequisites and 
important applicant information. In addition, the NABCEP board is in 
the process of developing governance and administration policies. For 
example, what happens if someone does not pass the NABCEP PV 
Installer Certification Exam the first time they take it? What does 
he/she learn about the score? When can he/she apply to take the test 
again? Myriad questions like this need to be defined in policies that 
will guide the efforts of candidates, volunteers and the NABCEP board 
as the certification is launched.

New Board Officers: Under the leadership of Les Nelson of the Western 
Renewables Group, NABCEP accomplished the ratification of standards 
and made enormous progress on developing the certification process. 
At the annual board meeting in November (held in conjunction with 
UPEx in Austin, Texas), the board held elections. Ezra Auerbach of 
Xantrex is now serving as the board president, with Peter Lowenthal 
of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) as the 
vice-president. Jane Weissman of the Interstate Renewable Energy 
Council (IREC) serves as secretary with Jack Werner of the Solar 
Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC) as treasurer.

NABCEP endeavors to be a representative board and uses a public 
comment process as well as subject matter experts (SMEs) to develop 
standards and processes for a voluntary national certification for 
solar installers. Comments are welcomed at all times.

Path for 2003

You may have already seen the Press Release that NABCEP sent out on 
December 18th announcing plans for a mid-2003 launch of PV Installer 
certification.

NABCEP plans to make the first certification exam publicly available 
in the summer of 2003. This is an ambitious goal and will require a 
concerted effort by NABCEP directors and volunteers. An application 
form must be finalized, a candidate handbook will be developed, 
governance and administration policies will be approved, examination 
sites will be identified, and a study guide will be published. In 
addition, an administrative staff must be identified.

NABCEP anticipates releasing the test location(s) and applications in 
Spring 2003. This email interest group will be notified as soon as 
this information is available.

PV Installer Certification Requirements: Report on Call for Comments

Thank you to all who responded to the NABCEP Call for Comments on the 
Proposed PV Installer Certification Requirements, which took place in 
October and November.

By early November, NABCEP received over 50 written responses to this 
Call. NABCEP's Proposed PV Installer Certification Requirements were 
rated generally acceptable by seventy percent of respondents.

The comments also indicated some concerns, specifically with a 
requirement that PV Installers show experience installing inspected 
systems, and with a requirement that PV Installers take 18 credit 
hours of Continuing Education Classes every three years in order to 
maintain certification.

The NABCEP PV Technical Committee has incorporated these comments 
into a Final Draft of requirements. The board has conditionally 
accepted the revised Certification Requirements, and will soon ratify 
them when each concern has been fairly addressed. Then the PV 
Installer Certification Requirements will be released, along with the 
PV Installer Task Analysis, to guide potential certification 
candidates.

Encountering Controversy

As many of you are aware, NABCEP has been the subject of some 
controversy among the ranks of practicing PV installers. One catalyst 
for the opposition seems to be the perception by some installers that 
the NABCEP process does not include them, and is an effort to control 
or restrict their practice. This is not the intention of the NABCEP 
effort.

NABCEP has discovered through the two "Call for Comment" periods that 
it is difficult to communicate with the grass-roots level PV 
installation professionals. No single communication method appears to 
reach a majority of this important stakeholder group. Please forward 
this email to any of your colleagues or associates who are involved 
in the PV industry and should therefore know about NABCEP and have 
the opportunity to participate in the process of developing this 
national voluntary certification.

Another fear is that NABCEP will become a mandatory requirement. 
While NABCEP cannot control the direction all states or regulatory 
bodies may take in regards to the solar field, NABCEP's policy is the 
development of a voluntary certification. NABCEP advocates that the 
certification remain voluntary in order to deliver the maximum 
benefits to consumers and solar installers alike. Some states, like 
New York, currently plan to offer additional incentives to consumers 
who use NABCEP-certified PV installers. This is an acceptable 
solution that will maintain the voluntary nature of the certification 
while rewarding those installers who take the time and effort to 
demonstrate their competence by seeking out the credential.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) recently drafted a policy 
guideline that would have required NABCEP certification for 
California solar installers. NABCEP has responded to the CEC, 
encouraging the CEC to change this policy to one of recommendation, 
not requirement.

Receiving Support

In December, NABCEP received two more endorsement letters - one from 
the Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association (TREIA) and one 
from the New York Solar Energy Industries Association (NYSEIA).

TREIA and NYSEIA join the Potomac Region Solar Energy Association, 
Solar Boston, Solaria, and two students of renewable energy programs 
in writing NABCEP stating their support of a voluntary national 
certification program.

Solar Thermal Committee Organizing

NABCEP has been in the process of organizing a solar thermal 
Technical Committee to craft a Task Analysis for solar thermal 
installers. Volunteers have come forward to participate in this 
process, and at a recent board meeting, a Chair was selected. Dell 
Jones, project manager at JEA (formerly Jacksonville Electric 
Authority), will serve as Chair of this committee. Together, the 
committee will update an existing draft listing the skills and 
knowledge that a competent solar thermal installer should possess.

Due to vocal opposition to the concept of solar thermal installer 
certification, NABCEP does not plan to develop full certification for 
solar thermal installers at this time. However, the solar thermal 
Technical Committee will move forward with the development of a Solar 
Thermal Task Analysis along the lines of similar working documents 
prepared by state licensing bodies, including the California 
Contractors State License Board and the State of Florida. NABCEP 
intends that this effort support the independent development of 
renewable energy training programs using these standards as a guide.

Happy New Year

Happy Holidays to all! May the renewable energy market expand in the 
coming year!

This newsletter is prepared for members of the PV community who have 
expressed an interest in receiving it. If you no longer wish to be on 
this email distribution list, please email Wendy Parker at 
<mailto:wparker at nabcep.org>wparker at nabcep.org with the word 
"unsubscribe" in the subject line.

The information in this newsletter is a public communication. Please 
feel free to forward it to any one who might be interested.

In addition, if you are not subscribed and would like to be, email 
Wendy Parker with the word "subscribe" in the subject line.
If you have any questions about this newsletter, or would like to 
include something in the next issue, please contact Wendy Parker.

Wendy Parker, NABCEP Project Coordinator
Phone: (720) 344-0341
Fax: (303) 470-8239
email: wparker at nabcep.org

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