PV101: Solar Electric Design and Installation (Grid-Direct) Training
From Classroom Learning
PV101 is your gateway to a career in the solar industry. It all starts with the fundamentals, and a solid understanding of various components, system architectures, and applications for PV systems. Other topics include site analysis, system sizing, array configuration, and performance estimation; electrical design characteristics such as wiring, overcurrent protection, and grounding; a detailed look at module and inverter specifications and characteristics; mounting methods for various roof structures and ground-mounts; and an introduction to safely and effectively commissioning grid-direct PV systems. This course focuses on grid-direct PV systems, but covers material critical to understanding all types of PV systems. These core concepts are expanded on in SEI’s upper level PV courses.
Details:
What you will learn
Students who complete PV101 will be able to:
- Describe global and regional PV demand and growth trends
- Examine solar industry employment trends and options
- Identify and describe basic functions of different components of PV systems
- Introduce the features and applications of the following PV system configurations: PV-direct, stand-alone, grid-direct, multimode
- Diagram systems to understand component interaction and power flow
- Define the two types of electrical current (AC and DC) and explain their differences
- Explain the relationship between: volts, amps, amp-hours, watts, watt-hours, and kilowatt-hours; perform power and energy calculations
- Describe typical electrical service voltages and equipment
- Examine power, energy, and demand / production curves
- Define utility bill terminology
- Describe PV metering options
- Compare incentive mechanisms for renewable energy installations
- Describe the differences among various PV cell technologies
- Identify key components of a PV module and choose important criteria from module specification sheets
- Locate important points on the I-V curve
- Apply different temperature and irradiance measurements to voltage and current values
- Explain the purpose and basic functioning of bypass diodes
- Identify meters used with PV systems and key points of meter use and safety
- List common functions of digital multimeters (DMM) and clamp-on ammeters
- Describe basic procedures for testing an operating PV system
- Define and list characteristics of series and parallel circuits, and review the application of these connections to ensure system compatibility
- Determine azimuth and altitude angle of the sun using a sun chart
- Define factors that impact the amount of peak sun hours reaching the array
- Apply shading losses to estimated AC energy production
- Identify tilt angle and orientation that provides maximum energy production
- Pre-qualify a customer
- Explain how remote site assessment tools are used
- Identify factors limiting system size
- Identify data required to size and design a grid-direct PV system
- Identify common PV mounting options; list advantages and disadvantages of different mounting options
- Assess PV array layout options
- Identify and define the function of the following on a three-line diagram of a grid-direct PV system: equipment grounding & conductors, ungrounded conductors, functionally grounded conductors, grounding electrode, grounding electrode conductor, electrical system grounding
- Define the primary function of an inverter, and identify the important information used to specify a grid-direct inverter
- Identify the different types of inverter technologies and list their advantages and disadvantages
- Describe some installation tips and techniques for the different types of power electronics
- Calculate PV array size using the online PVWatts tool
- Apply appropriate system loss factors
- Create charts for your location to aid in sizing estimates
- Describe why temperature is an important system design consideration
- Describe DC-to-AC power ratio and how it applies to system design; when to use a higher or lower power ratio
- Describe criteria for different power electronics options in PV systems
- Determine the correct wiring configuration of PV modules and power electronics for a given application
- Identify and describe characteristics of conductor materials and insulations
- Determine color coding of conductors based on wire type and circuit characteristics
- Identify terminology for the various circuits in PV systems
- Determine maximum current for PV system circuits
- Identify and describe considerations for selecting conductors to meet ampacity and voltage drop requirements
- Explain the purpose and correct placement of disconnects and overcurrent protection
- Perform basic overcurrent device sizing for DC and AC PV system circuits
- Identify potential jobsite hazards and opportunities for additional safety training
- Determine proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for PV installation and commissioning tasks
- Describe lockout / tagout procedures
- List 5 basic commissioning tests to be completed after a system is installed
Available Training Services
- Classroom workshops
- Online training programs
- Hybrid online/classroom programs
- SEI corporate membership program
- Hands-on lab installation training
- Curriculum licensing
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