Hi
Thanks for the responses.
Agreed- there are many paths to the education route- NABCEP, SEI, Licensed
Electrician with ancillary training etc. I think we all agree that this is not
a hobby, although a hobbyist could have found their new vocation and make solar
a way of life.
The one commonality to all of this is really the passion to constant learning.
The Japanese have a word- Kaizen- constant improvement.
So, it seems that if someone wants to apply themselves to this industry, they
must have the burning desire to sponge up all they can find to continuously
understand the product knowledge and how it relates to what we do. There are
many facets of the industry that have already been touched upon, relating to
the field work that still will need to be sorted out in the future.
Where there will be challenges- in the electrical portion/aspect of the work
for urban/suburban settings and the identification of what constitutes work
that is supposed to be done by a licensed electrician with a proficiency in
understanding all of the specific nuances of the PV industry, which are many.
The questions I had pertained to the amount of time one should split between
the classroom learning environment vs doing an actual installation can vary. It
seems to me to be a 60-40 split- gaining the knowledge of the how and why
things are done and incorporate it into the field for the latter half seems to
be the most productive way to marry both needs and satisfy the intended goals
of the student. However, the time it takes to make a solar installer proficient
varies and their scope of work will depend upon the applicability of what they
learned and absorbed.
There is also the demarcation point of what would constitute electrical work vs
what is mechanical work. These two distinctions should also be identified and
more thoroughly chunked down to separate the skill sets needed to perform the
functions related to the field work.
There is a very diverse subset of professionals fraternizing in this group-
from management folks, engineers/designers, electricians, electrical
contractors, manufacturers etc. They all bring with them, great skills that
don't stop with their related skill sets, but a real passion for making a
difference which we all can agree upon and find mutual respect and admiration
for.
On the topic of money, and just doing it for the money, might not be telling
the complete story. Personally, I believe that we should make money at what we
are doing, as we should value our combined knowledge and the importance that it
contributes to our way of life. If money or profit is perceived as unsavory, we
can always decide to donate it to our favorite charity or church of our
choosing. Where it is peculiar to me, is to see us not being able to charge
enough to take care of our families and co-workers (team mates) on the ship of
life. From a business perspective, I again reference that this is generally not
a hobby and a majority of small businesses have not paused to take a look at
understanding their business acumen through further training and schooling. I
am constantly astonished that we can send someone through a 5 year
apprenticeship program, with zero mention of business fundamentals and
understanding the correlation of the income
statement or balance sheet. Keeping score is something their CPA does in
April, when it should be done more frequently.
Anyway, how do we get better as an industry- standardization and training our
future workforce to innovate and collaborate in order to make things better for
all of us. If we don't invest in ourselves and our team, we have only ourselves
to blame when we don't receive the desired end results- a company or
organization to be admired and looked to as leaders.
I consider the work we do ground breaking, as paralleled by the governments
decision in the 1960's to push DARPA to the forefront and all of the technology
that is spawned, like the internet. Energy, in my opinion is the next frontier
and we will make great strides over the next decade in areas we probably didn't
see coming- it could be something as simple as figuring out how photosynthesis
can be replicated and energy be mimicked and shared....fill in your own science
fiction story, as it always seems to be like Get Smart- the Shoe Phone did come
to life, like Dick Tracy's wrist-watch phone.
We are all living in a time in our energy futures where we are breaking
barriers by testing and believing it is all possible and we need to further
understand how people and education will play a central role in accelerating
our success.
Aloha
Keith
________________________________
From: Joel Davidson <joel.david...@sbcglobal.net>
To: RE-wrenches <re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 18, 2009 5:50:24 AM
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Solar Installers Education
I agree. I have DIY customers who know more
about PV systems than a lot of so-called PV professionals. Designing and
installing PV systems is a continuous learning experience. We
are practitioners because, like doctors, we practice our trade,
expand our knowledge, and hone our skills. I
tell people who wants to get in the PV business to put a PV system
on their own home. People who tell me
that they want to sell PV but can not go solar personally for
whatever reason have less credibility. They get less respect
from prospective customers who use the same reasons or excuses for not
going solar. They either don't last long in the business or are in it only
for the money. Granted, there are less operational nuances to a batteryless,
grid-tied PV system than a battery-based system or wind or water generator,
but living with your work is essential. It makes you keenly aware of unique
subtleties and helps you better understand your customers concerns.
Joel Davidson
----- Original Message -----
>From: R. Walters
>To: RE-wrenches
>Sent: Saturday, July 18, 2009 12:05
> AM
>Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Solar
> Installers Education
>
>
>
>
>For Off grid, no one should even attempt being a designer/ installer
> without living for a full year on their own off grid system.
>GT w/ batteries, you need off grid smarts and understand GT.
>Training newbies, I can't imagine them being able to do anything other
> than schlep modules/ do grunt work for a couple of years.
>I could see a licensed electrician with a year of full time training
> being able to do GT w/o batteries.
>Most of the market and all the growth is in the GT w/o batteries, so I
> think your training should concentrate there.
>I've taught a semester long PV class, and all I was able to do was create
> well educated consumers.
>
>
>R. Walters
>Solarray.com
>NABCEP # 04170442
>
>
>
>
>
>On Jul 17, 2009, at 9:44 AM, Keith Cronin wrote:
>
>Hi gang
>>
>>I was wondering, what percentage do you believe
>> represents the ratio of classroom training to field training for PV and
>> what
>> percentage you believe should be performed by licensed electricians vs
>> what
>> is deemed mechanical work?
>>
>>Residential Grid Tie w/out
>> batteries
>>___% classroom- electrician
>>___% field-
>> electrician
>>
>>Residential Grid Tie w/out batteries
>>___% classroom-
>> mechanical
>>___% field- mechanical
>>
>>Commercial Grid Tie w/out
>> batteries
>>___% classroom-electrician
>>___%
>> field-electrician
>>
>>Commercial Grid Tie w/out batteries
>>___%
>> classroom-mechanical
>>___% field-mechanical
>>
>>Residential GT with
>> batteries
>>____% classroom-electrician
>>____%
>> field-electrician
>>
>>Residential GT with batteries
>>____%
>> classroom-mechanical
>>____% field-mechanical
>>
>>Any takers on the off
>> grid market percentages?
>>
>>Commercial w/ batteries is utility scale and
>> I don't think it can be quantified today as the projects are generally
>> design build and perhaps hard to put an exact # on
>> these.
>>
>>Thanks
>>
>>Keith
>>
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