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<DIV><SPAN class=093471014-07022011><FONT face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=093471014-07022011><FONT face=Arial>As long as different states
take a different posture on regulating solar PV businesses, a
[voluntary] national certification will not be effective in any state.
</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=093471014-07022011><FONT face=Arial>When the City of Austin
Texas and Austin Energy began working on their PV rebate, the City Attorney
there made it clear that, to paraphrase, AE could not mandate NABCEP as a
requirement for rebate qualified installers. Their justification was that
the first time a non-NABCEP installer sued the city to be allowed into the
program, the installer would win. This leaves the door open for literally
anyone [in Texas] to lay claim to the PV installer title. North Texas' own
utility funded rebate program [burned through ~$16 million in <18 months]
used the same qualifying model allowing untold numbers
of crap-level installations. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=093471014-07022011><FONT face=Arial>And it's not so much the
one-man startups with big dreams I'm worried about as much as the big
multi-state electrical contractors that do two or three installs and call
themselves PV professionals with NABCEP behind their name. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=093471014-07022011><FONT face=Arial>Bottom line, until
NABCEP certification becomes the default model for a national PV
licensing standard, we will remain much like the VFW. Our older members will be
highly regarded and respected by newer members but the outside world will
view us simply as non-essential fraternity and go about their habit of
giving their business to the lowest bidder.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=093471014-07022011><FONT face=Arial>Once NABCEP can convince
just one state to mandate a NABCEP-based state-wide PV license it will open
the door for other states, and the nation, to follow. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=093471014-07022011><FONT
face=Arial>Optimistically</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=093471014-07022011><FONT face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=093471014-07022011>
<DIV><FONT face=System>Jim Duncan</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=System>North Texas Renewable Energy</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=System>NABCEP Certified Solar PV</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=System>Installer No.031310-57</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=System>TECL 27398</FONT></DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><A href="mailto:ntrei@1scom.net"><FONT
face=System>ntrei@1scom.net</FONT></A><FONT face=System> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=System>817.917.0527</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.ntrei.com/"><FONT
face=System>www.ntrei.com</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=093471014-07022011><FONT face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B>
re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org]<B>On Behalf Of </B>Nick
Soleil<BR><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, February 06, 2011 12:37 PM<BR><B>To:</B>
RE-wrenches<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: [RE-wrenches] Problem with NABCEP
ad<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif">I am
sitting for the NABCEP test next month, but resisted for many years, because I
did not want to endorse an additional layer of bureaucracy and expense for
solar installers. It costs as much as the state contractor's
license! Most of the competent installers have become certified now, so
there is not much we can do about it. NABCEP is too much money, and
adding additional certifications should be at a reduced cost.<BR>
<DIV> </DIV>Nick Soleil<BR>Project Manager<BR>Advanced Alternative Energy
Solutions, LLC<BR>PO Box 657<BR>Petaluma, CA 94953<BR>Cell:
707-321-2937<BR>Office: 707-789-9537<BR>Fax: 707-769-9037
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><BR>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><FONT
face=Tahoma size=2>
<HR SIZE=1>
<B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</SPAN></B> Aram Alexander
<aram@aramsolar.com><BR><B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> RE-wrenches
<re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org><BR><B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Sun, February 6, 2011 10:11:20
AM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> Re: [RE-wrenches]
Problem with NABCEP ad<BR></FONT><BR>No you are not. I have been installing
grid tied PV for 10 years in ca.<BR>Nabcep is union based and all though it is
good but it does not mean by any means the best as we have to fix several
nabcep installed systems.<BR>I personally don't like there advertising
either<BR><BR>Aram <BR><BR>On Feb 6, 2011, at 9:13 AM, <A
href="mailto:wirewiz@gmail.com"
ymailto="mailto:wirewiz@gmail.com">wirewiz@gmail.com</A> wrote:<BR><BR>>
Hello Wrenches,<BR>> <BR>> NABCEP has a full page ad in Home Power
magazine that tells potential PV buyers to "Insist on a NABCEP Certified
Installer". That's a great ad if you are certified but not so good if you are
not. I know many of you are but lots of us are not yet certified. <BR>>
<BR>> NABCEP is doing a great job to ensure that PV is installed by
qualified personal but is it their job to unintentionally cause non NABCEP
certified installers who are otherwise very qualified to lose business. I
don't think so. <BR>> <BR>> I contacted NABCEP about the consequences of
this ad and actually asked them to stop running it or at least tone it down so
it doesn't cause installers like to me to lose business. They disagreed with
me.<BR>> <BR>> Am I being too sensitive here?<BR>> <BR>> Thank
you.<BR>> <BR>> Larry Liesner<BR>> Wirewiz<BR>> Westport,
CT<BR>> Phone: 203-644-2404<BR>> Fax: 203-557-0556<BR>> <A
href="mailto:wirewiz@gmail.com"
ymailto="mailto:wirewiz@gmail.com">wirewiz@gmail.com</A><BR>> <A
href="http://www.wire-wiz.com" target=_blank>www.wire-wiz.com</A><BR>>
<BR>> <BR>> <BR>>
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