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Introduction to
Victor Valley College’s
Photovoltaic Technician Program
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What is VVC’s Photovoltaic (PV) Technician Program?• CT-148/144 is a 6-unit class that teaches PV theory, electrical
skills, and the installation skills necessary to enter the Solar Industry.
• A Solar Hiring Conference is hosted by VVC on the last week of the course
• Typically, 6-8 companies attend. They are looking to hire.
• 80% of students are hired within 4 weeks of completing the class.
• There is a LOT of Math and Reading required for this class!
• Recommended (not required) course preparation:• CT-107 or 108: Technical Math
• CT-120A Residential Wiring
• CT-142 Renewable Energy
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A Good Thing Happened at VVC
Construction Tech’s
Solar Technician Program
It’s about landing the first job and starting your career!
Freddy, 19 years-old, graduated from our first class in October 2013. This is a picture of him landing a job with REC (now Sun Run) at our first Hiring Conference. He has since promoted to lead installer.
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Employment Opportunities
• Solar Job Census 2013 Reports:
• 142,000 U.S. solar workers in 2013
• California:
• 10,340 added in 2014!!
• 57,523 Solar Jobs in 2014
• #1 State for solar jobs
• Projected to grow 20% each year
• Solar Installation is most common solar job and is expected to grow 25-30% a year.
• Bottomline: Solar is a significant, and growing career field
• California: #1 Solar Jobs!
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Employment Opportunities
• Residential PV Systems: installed on homes, apartments, etc
• Non-Residential/Commercial PV Systems: installed at schools, businesses, and military installations
• Utilities: Large systems, different installation techniques due to project scale.
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Employment Opportunities
• U.S. Residential, Non-Residential, and Utility Installation Growth rose rapidly in recent years!
U.S. installations are growing at about 40% each year!! Q3 and Q4 of 2014 is notyet posted, but is expected to be HUGE! 2015 and 2016 are projected to see continued explosive growth of PV
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California Projections
Notice the Residential market in BLUE continues its rapid growth!!
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Employment Opportunities-WHY is Solar growing?• Typical Residential system: 3KW, or 3,000 Watts
• 2011:
• $6.30 per Watt, installed
• 3,000 Watts: $18,900
• 2012:
• $5.10 per Watt, installed
• 3,000 Watts: $15,300
• 2013:
• $3.92 per Watt, installed
• 3,000 Watts: $11,760
• Financing combined with lower installation costs results in payments that are less than Edison bills
• Result: It’s cheaper to go PV than it is to continue paying an electric bill
• Result: PV installations are increasing rapidly!!
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CA Statistics by County
• San Bernardino county and surrounding counties are amongst the top 10 counties in the top state for PV solar installation
• California has superb sun!!
• Over 50% of solar is installed in CA!!
Us!!
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Completed PV Projects
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Apple Valley
29
115
180
348
2010 2011 2012 2013* projected
Our area is seeing the same trend: Rapid growth in Rooftop Solar!!
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Employment Opportunities
• Solar Job Census 2013 Reports:
• 142,000 U.S. solar workers in 2013
• California:
• 10,340 added in 2014!!
• 57,523 Solar Jobs in 2014
• #1 State for solar jobs
• Projected to grow 20% each year
• Solar Installation is most common solar job and is expected to grow 25-30% a year.
• Bottomline: Solar is a significant, and growing career field
• California: #1 Solar Jobs!
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Employment Opportunities
• Residential/Non-Residential PV Jobs:
• Entry-Level Installer:
• Job Duties:
• Attach panels
• Connect system components
• Wage Expectations:
• Starting: $26,000-$32,000 a year
• Experienced, supervising: $36,000-$50,000 a year
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Employment Opportunities
• Residential/Non-Residential PV Jobs:
• System Designer: PV Experience with AutoCAD Training
• Job Duties:
• Calculate system needs and costs
• Select system components
• Draw installation plans and documents
• Wage Expectations:
• Starting: $32,000-$36,000 a year
• Experienced: $40,000-$60,000 a year
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Employment Opportunities• Residential/Non-Residential PV Jobs:
• Sales:
• Job Duties:
• Contact customers, generate leads
• Discuss system options/design with customers
• Close deals, sign contracts with customers
• Ensure customer satisfaction
• Wage Expectations:
• Starting: $35,000 a year and higher
• Experienced: $50,000 a year and higher
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Employment Opportunities
• Residential/Non-Residential PV Jobs:
• Contractor:
• Job Duties:
• Oversee the business
• Supervise and manage personnel, work with customers
• Manage inventory, equipment, costs, and pricing
• Ensure compliance with state law, tax law, and building codes
• Market the business and ensure customer satisfaction
• Wage Expectations:
• Varies on business size and competency
• Can be $100,000 or higher
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Employment Opportunity
• Photovoltaics is a growth industry
• Southern California is the largest PV market in the U.S.
• San Bernardino County and surrounding counties have the highest number of PV installations
• PV jobs vary in:
• Wages
• Complexity
• Responsibility
• Education, experience, and initiative Increased Income
• This program will allow you to move quickly up the ladder.
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A Good Thing Happened at VVC
Construction Tech’s
Solar Technician Program
It’s about landing the first job and starting your career!
Freddy, 19 years-old, graduated from our first class in October 2013. This is a picture of him landing a job with REC (now Sun Run) at our first Hiring Conference. He has since promoted to lead installer.
![Page 18: Victor Valley College Photovoltaic Solar Technician Program 2014](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022081401/559b19be1a28ab33128b458b/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
• Run more classes --- the industry is exploding
• Develop a Solar Electrician Class
• We’d love to hire veterans
Feedback from our Partners:
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CT-148/144 PV Technician Program 160 hrs
Career Unit8 hrs
Math Unit12 hrs
PV Unit60 hrs
Electrical Unit28 hrs
Installation36 hrs
NABCEP Certification
6 hrs
Career Fair(Start your career)
Safety Unit10 hrs
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What is NABCEP?
• North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
• Voluntary national certification programs that will:
• Promote renewable energy
• Provide value to Solar Installation and Sales Professionals
• Promote worker safety and skill
• Promote consumer confidence
• Certifications include:
• PV Technical Sales
• Solar Water Heater Installer
• PV Installer
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Career Unit – 8 hrs
• Student will be prepared to:
• Research job opportunities/career paths
• Pursue employment
• Interview for and land a job
• Succeed and promote quickly
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Career Unit – 8 hrs
• The PLAN:
• First days of program:• Introduce career path and the program
• Focus on success in the program/career path
• Understand the PV industry
• Last weeks of program:• Write resumes
• Analyze jobs and winning attributes
• Prepare for interviews
• Utilize portfolio, resume, and interview skills to land a job opportunity at the Career Fair
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Math Unit – 12 hrs
• Student will be able to:
• Perform all of the math operations required in the Photovoltaic Technician career field:• Read/utilize a tape to 1/8 of an inch
• Work with lineal units and square units
• Understand metric units
• Solve word problems and problems that use formulas
• Use order of operations properly
• Solve problems involving fractions, decimals and percentages
• Solve problems using angles, Sine, Cosine, and Tangent
• Understand latitude, longitude, magnetic and true north, and be able to solve problems involving those concepts.
• Take information from a table and correctly apply to real-life problems.
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Math Unit – 12 hrs
• The PLAN:
• First days of program:• Math review
• Focus on basic math needed for early lessons
• Throughout program:• Remove math difficulties as an obstacle to
understanding how PV and electricity work
• Teach/Review math necessary for other units
• Math embedded in the PV and Electrical Units
• Prepare you for the NABCEP Certification test
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Photovoltaic Unit (60 hrs)• Students will be able to describe in detail:
• Solar radiation and how Photovoltaic cells work to create electricity
• The various designs of PV systems to meet the specific needs of customers
• The function, maintenance, performance, and safety considerations of batteries within a PV system.
• Students will be able to verify the electrical design of a PV system from both a performance and safety perspective
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Photovoltaic Unit (60 hrs)
• The PLAN:• Early in the program:
• Describe the PV industry
• Describe how PV works
• Describe PV systems and components
• Middle of the program:• Understand the flow of electrons throughout the system
• Be able to diagram the components, and their function, that are necessary for the various types of PV systems
• Learn to perform the calculations to verify safe system design requirements.
• Learn to perform the calculations to predict system performance and to troubleshoot installed systems.
• Prepare you to install several systems in our lab
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Electrical Unit (28 hrs)
• The student will be able to describe, diagram, and solve problems associated with DC and AC electrical circuits
• Ohm’s Law
• Electrical symbology
• AC/DC circuits
• Parallel/series circuits
• The student will be able to install electrical equipment and components associated with a Residential PV system, safely and in accordance with building codes
• Load calculations
• Service panels and distributes
• Safety
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Electrical Unit (28 hrs)
• The PLAN:
• Early in the program:
• Describe how DC and AC circuits work
• Understand and be able to perform the calculations needed to describe PV system components, electrically.
• Middle of the program:
• Understand the flow of electrons throughout the system
• Be able to connect PV system components, safely, and verify their proper functionality using meters.
• Be able to properly design and install various types of PV systems in accordance with industry standards and building codes.
• Get you prepared to install!
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System Installation Unit (36 hrs)• Students will be able to describe the entire
life cycle of a PV project: selling, designing, installing, and commissioning
• Students will design, install, and commission PV systems in the lab:
• Utility-interactive shingle-roof mounted
• Utility-interactive tile-roof mounted
• Ground-mounted
• Stand-alone system
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System Installation Unit (36 hrs)
• The PLAN:
• Latter Days of course:
• Culminating experience --- brings it all together
• Physically work in teams
• 2 instructors for 2 ½ weeks, opportunity to review material
• As real as we can make it.
• Really prepare you for the job!
• Excellent experience to prepare you for the NABCEP test
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NABCEP Test Review (6 hrs)
• Students will be prepared to pass the NABCEP PV Entry-Level Certification Test
• Wide-ranging test includes:
• Safety
• PV Industry and it’s history
• Solar radiation throughout the year and at different latitudes
• Basic Electrical and PV principles
• Electrical safety and performance calculation
• System components and design
• Industry accepted installation practices
• Troubleshooting systems
• And much more
• You WILL be prepared! You WILL pass!!
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Career Fair --- Last Day
• Students earning an 80% or above will be given the opportunity to interview.
• You will have:
• The knowledge that you have worked to acquire
• The experience of four different installations
• Your portfolio
• Your resume and interview preparation
• The OPPORTUNITY to start a rewarding career in Photovoltaics
• We typically have have 6-8 companies lined-up. Historically, 80% of our students have jobs within 4 weeks of course completion. 95% have jobs within 2 months.
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CT-148/144 PV Technician Program 160 hrs
Career Unit8 hrs
Math Unit12 hrs
PV Unit60 hrs
Electrical Unit28 hrs
Installation36 hrs
NABCEP Certification
6 hrs
Career Fair(Start your career)
Safety Unit10 hrs
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Summary
• This program is well thought out
• There are 7 areas of instruction intertwined and logically sequenced to result in your:
• Deep understanding of Photovoltaics
• Readiness to land a position and promote quickly
• Pass the Entry Level NABCEP Certification Test
• Preparation for a career in the Photovoltaic industry.
• The goal of the program: Accelerate your PV career
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Review
• What is the #1 state in the U.S. for PV installation?
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Review
• What is the #1 state in the U.S. for PV installation?
• Answer: California
• #1 County: Los Angeles
• #2 County: San Diego
• #4 County : Riverside
• #6 County: Kern
• #7 County: San Bernardino
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Review
• What is NABCEP?
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Review
• What is NABCEP?
Answer: North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
• Voluntary national certification programs that will:
• Promote renewable energy
• Provide value to Solar Installation and Sales Professionals
• Promote worker safety and skill
• Promote consumer confidence
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Review
• What are the 7 areas that we will cover in the Program?
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Review
• What are the 7 areas that we will cover in the Program?
Answer:
• Careers
• Math
• Photovoltaic Energy
• Electrical Theory
• Safety
• PV Installation
• NABCEP Certification Test Preparation
Career Fair at the end of the Program!!
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Review
• Why are PV systems getting increasingly popular?
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Review
• Why are PV systems getting increasingly popular?
• Answer: They are getting increasingly cheaper!!
FACT: With today’s financing, most homeowners can have an installation paid for in 5-8 years with a lower monthly bill!!
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Job Opportunity/Program Questions?