Growing support for renewable nergy, favorable legislation and generous public funding for installation incentives and workforce development are positioning the solar energy industry for dynamic growth. As these and other factors
translate to more jobs and business opportunities, numerous organizations and individuals
seek to join the industry. Many see solar energy
system installations, the lifeblood of the industry, as particularly promising.
The opportunities are tremendous but
so are the risks. Many recall the inauspicious
beginnings of the solar industry, when incentives were created amidst the ;rst energy crises,
only to be undermined by quality issues, poor
installations and overblown promises. Fortunately, a lot has changed in the past generation. Product testing and approval has yielded
signi;cant improvements in hardware safety,
lifetime and performance. Systems design and
integration practices have been re;ned and
standardized. Installation and building codes
have established the requirements for safe and
reliable installations. Practitioner certification, contractor licensing and installer training
programs have emerged to support the need
for competent installers. One area, however,
remains a challenge: developing and sustaining
a quali;ed workforce.
Due to the public safety issues at stake,
states and localities are challenged with se;ing
rigorous quali;cations for solar energy system
installers. Regulators, licensing boards, code
o;cials and incentive program administrators
need to carefully consider the requirements for
installation companies and individuals, based
on safety considerations and local construction codes. For their part, installers are obliged
to know the applicable local codes and regulations and meet the licensing requirements
where they work. Let’s examine these requirements and what’s involved in ful;lling them.
electrical systems. Most solar installations are
considered distributed-energy systems, in that
they are primarily intended to support on-site
electrical or thermal loads and are governed by
the applicable building codes.
Solar thermal and PV systems are very different types of energy systems, each requiring di;erent skills to design and install. Solar
thermal systems require plumbing skills and
are regulated by plumbing and mechanical
codes, while PV systems require electrical and
wireman skills and are governed by electrical
codes. General building construction skills are
required for the structural installation of either
solar thermal collectors or PV arrays. Where
systems are installed on buildings and rooftops, roo;ng construction and weatherseal-ing skills are also required. To avoid safety
issues, structural damage and system underperformance, solar energy systems should be
installed only by properly trained and quali;ed, licensed professionals.
;e solar industry has evolved from a collection of small businesses to one involving
diverse trades and professions, each having speci;c roles and interactions. ;is is particularly
true in the commercial construction industry,
where sales and marketing teams develop
customers and projects, business and ;nance
In the case of PV systems, nearly all aspects
of the equipment and installations are governed
by the electrical safety system ; a coordinated
system of standards, product approvals, installation codes and enforcement. In the PV industry, the IEEE ( ieee.org) and the International
Electrotechnical Commission ( iec.ch) develop
consensus standards. An Occupational Safety
and Health Administration nationally recognized testing laboratory conducts product testing, listing and certi;cation in accordance with
the standards. Approved products are then
installed according to the requirements of the
National Electrical Code, which is adopted by
most local building codes. ;e authority having
jurisdiction (AHJ) for building code enforcement oversees the process of plan review, per-mi;ing and inspection and, in many cases, also
is responsible for verifying quali;cations and
licensure of the contractor. Upon approval by
the AHJ, the local electric utility then grants
system interconnection approvals in accordance with state utility commission policies
and regulations.
Understanding Installer Credentials
Often misunderstood, certification and
licensing are different types of credentials
awarded to individuals and businesses (as
Due to the public safety issues at stake,
states and localities are challenged with setting
rigorous quali;cations for solar energy system installers.
Installers are obliged to know the applicable
local codes and regulations and meet the
licensing requirements where they work.
Knowing the Stakeholders,
How They Interact
Solar energy systems are generally classi-;ed as either (1) solar thermal systems that heat
;uids for domestic hot water, pools or space
conditioning, or ( 2) solar electric, or photovol-
taic (PV), systems that generate electricity to
supply dedicated loads or interface with other
experts establish the project proposal and value
propositions, engineers conduct site surveys
and create project speci;cations and designs,
and contractors install the systems according
to the designs. ;e more specialized solar pro-
fessions, including the electrical and mechani-
cal trades, distinguish between commercial
and residential work in terms of the credentials
required. ;at is primarily due to commercial
projects’ increased costs, safety hazards, risks
and liabilities, as well as the broader knowledge
and competencies required of the workers.
solartoday.org SOLAR TODAY September/October 2009 41
opposed to products or equipment). In the
developing solar industry, the lines between
personal certi;cation and licensing are o;en
blurred. That’s especially true where the
relevant trades and skill sets have not been
clearly established and local jurisdictions
have not speci;cally addressed licensing for
solar installers.
Certi;cation is typically a voluntary credential awarded by an industry or independent
stakeholder group, whereas licensing, granted
by government agencies, is a legal requirement
