Want to get into residential solar panel installation?  Get solar energy training!  Watch this video and where you could be!

Boots on the Roof, one of the best solar/wind training providers in the San Francisco bay area, is currently enrolling students into its upcoming Solar PV and Wind Energy training boot camp.  Students can get certified as solar PV installers. The training program includes hands-on labs, classroom activities focusing on solar electric system design, safety regulations, installation and extra business topics related to photovoltaic.  To learn more about dates, locations, and course details,  click here.

Solar Electricians are the backbone of the solar power industry. After all, photovoltaic solar cells convert sunlight into electricity, and that electricity then must be distributed throughout a building. Attending a solar school to get solar panel installation training rather than a regular vocational school, however, to get an Electrical Engineering degree specializing in solar power will provide you with a strong advantage in getting hired as an electrician in the solar power industry.

Why? The answer is because wiring a building to run off of solar power requires very different technologies and skill sets than wiring a building to run off of the local electrical power grid.

Using local grid power, regular home construction electricians are used to accessing a constant, regulated, steady flow of electricity from the local power grid. All they have to do is distribute that constant flow of electricity throughout the building via the standard residential electrical wiring network.

Solar power, however, is much more complex. Under solar power systems, electricity comes not from the local power grid, but from the sun. Solar panels in the roof convert sunlight to electricity. Consequently, the flow of electricity is neither regulated nor constant. To overcome this problem, electricity generated by the solar panels is stored in battery banks. The batteries, in turn, provide a regulated, steady flow of electricity to the building. If the batteries are depleted, the home electrical network needs to be able to switch seamlessly back over to the local power grid.

All this, obviously, adds an extra layer of complexity to wiring a building’s electrical network. Any electrician specialized in dealing with it will be in high demand in the solar power industry.

How will I use my Solar Power Training Certification–What Does a Solar Electrician Do?

In addition to wiring a home or building with the usual electrical network, a solar electricians must also set up the solar energy battery banks. This is not as easy as it sounds. The solar electrician must know what type of batteries to use, and how many will be needed. If there is more than one battery (as with all but the most basic solar power system there will be), the solar electrician will need to set up load-balancing equipment to charge and deplete the multiple batteries evenly. The electricity will also need to be converted from DC power to the 120-volt AC power used in the building’s wall outlets.

Solar electricians also need to be also to install instrumentation to measure the charge in the battery banks, and control mechanisms to switch over to local grid power when the battery banks are almost drained. Today, very few homes are capable of being powered entirely by solar energy. Most use a combination of solar and grid power, using the solar power produced merely to reduce their monthly power bill.

How Do I Become a Solar Electrician?

At least an Associate’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field would be the required to qualify as a Solar Electrician. Obviously, a Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree you be preferable. If possible, attend a solar school rather than a community college or a vocational school program to get solar panel installation training. Not only will a solar school train you in the specializations needed to work with solar power systems, but you’ll learn more about solar power in general. Both of these will make your degree more attractive for a solar power company, and increase your chances of being hired.

Boots on the Roof, a leading Renewable Energy training institute, is enrolling students into its Solar PV Installation Training classes. For more information on qualifications, Training Dates and Locations, click here.

This is the kind of job most people imagine when they think about a career in renewable energy.  Solar Laboratory Technicians are the scientists working in research & development laboratories for renewable power companies.  They constantly research and invent new and better technologies to generate and utilize green energy sources.

Specifically, Solar Laboratory Technicians pioneer new ways to improve and diversify ways of gathering sunlight, turning it into electricity, storing it, and utilizing that energy.  Similar research & development laboratory positions exist, however, in other areas of the renewable energy economy.  Green power companies involved in wind power, geothermal energy, hydroelectric power, and biomass gases all need research scientists and technology architects.  And this isn’t even mentioning the many other new alternative energy technologies that are currently being explored, but have yet to become well-known household terms.

Obviously, being a Solar Laboratory Technician requires a large amount of detailed knowledge of solar electronics.  The most common and well-known type of solar power systems are photovoltaic solar arrays  that convert sunlight into electricity.  The development of solar cells that can generate more electricity, automatic tracking systems to follow the movement of the sun to optimize the efficiency of solar arrays, and batteries that can store more electricity for longer periods of time are all things that Solar Laboratory Technicians research, build, and test.

There are many other types of non-electric solar power, however, that a Solar Laboratory Technician should be familiar with.  An example is thermal solar cells, which convert sunlight into heat.  Other areas include passive solar systems, an area of research that seeks to optimize variables such as location, weather, architecture, windows, and insulation to heat or cool a building by either absorbing or reflecting sunlight.  Finally, another form of solar energy utilizes focusing lenses and mirrors to concentrate sunlight and thermal energy.  Applications of this technology include warming homes, heating water, and even boiling water for electricity-producing steam turbines.

Requirements for Becoming a Solar Laboratory Technician

Obviously, Solar Laboratory Technicians must possess a greater knowledge of solar power systems that solar panel installer-roofer or maintenance technician.  In fact, Solar Laboratory Technicians require some of highest education and most thorough training of all careers in the green energy economy.  Solar Laboratory Technicians need to understand applied and theoretical science, as well was the design, development, engineering, construction, and testing of electronics, particularly electrical power systems.

Solar Laboratory Technicians should also have practical experience using scientific equipment, tools, and instrumentation.  Advanced mathematics, including calculus and statistical methods and applications, will most likely be a prerequisite.  The ability to read, interpret, analyze, and compile scientific data, charts, and graphs is also necessary.

To become a Solar Laboratory Technician, you would need at least a Bachelor’s degree in physics, chemistry, engineering, or material science.  A Graduate degree in any of there fields would be better.  Some companies might also accept an Associate’s degree if combined with at least two or more years of work experience in this field.

Boots on the Roof, a leading Renewable energy training institute, is enrolling students into its Alternative Energy Training classes. For more information on qualifications, Training Dates and Locations, click here.

Watch President Obama’s speech on Jobs and Clean Energy.  See why it’s important to get solar energy training now.

Boots on the Roof, one of the best solar/wind training providers in the San Francisco bay area, is currently enrolling students into its upcoming Solar PV and Wind Energy training boot camp.  Students can get certified as solar PV installers. The training program includes hands-on labs, classroom activities focusing on solar electric system design, safety regulations, installation and extra business topics related to photovoltaic.  To learn more about dates, locations, and course details,  click here.

What Is a Solar Installer-Roofer?

Solar Installer-Roofers are the people who install solar panels and solar cells in the roofs of residential and commercial buildings.  Currently, trained, qualified Solar Roofers are hard to come by these days, even in our quickly growing “green” economy.  Why?  Because a Solar Roofer must not only possess the trade skills and construction experience of a roofer, but must also be a competent solar electrician.

Solar Roofs

There are basically two different types of solar roofing jobs being done today: retrofitting and integrated.  Retrofitting is installing a solar panel on an existing roof.  Integrating is incorporating solar cells and panels into a new roof being built.

Solar electrician skills are less important for retrofitting solar roofing.  This is a relatively easy job.  It basically consists of mounting one or more solar panels on an existing roof, and feeding the wiring though the roof to the battery banks.  A regular roofer could do this, and leave the wiring to an electrician.

Retrofitted solar roofs, however, have many drawbacks.  Solar panels are bulky, more exposed to the elements of wind, rain, and snow, and many consider them to be an eyesore that drags down property values.  Consequently, integrated solar roofing has become increasingly popular.  The solar panels are actually built into the roof, the sides more or less flush with the rest of the roof.  Such solar panels are less exposed to harsh weather and more aesthetically pleasing.  It’s still obvious, however, that you have solar panels on your roof.

To compensate for this problem, solar cell manufactures have started producing “solar shingles.”  These are specialized roofing shingles that have photovoltaic solar cells built into them, but otherwise appear to be the same shape, size, and color as regular asphalt shingles.  Solar shingles can provide an entire building roof that is essentially one big solar panel, but (from a distance, at least) looks like any other roof.  Although solar shingle roofs are increasingly popular, they have also increased the demand for Solar Installer-Roofers.

Unlike solar panels in which all the solar cells are already wired together, solar shingles must be wired together into a solar array as they are applied to the roof.  Furthermore, the solar shingles need to be installed and wired together before the rest of the roof is installed with regular shingles, so that the wires from the solar shingles can be run along the ridge cap of the roof, where they are hidden from sight and protected from harsh weather.

Requirements for Becoming a Solar Installer-Roofer

Solar Installer-Roofers are usually made rather than found.  Unfortunately, few people today possess both roofing trade skills and solar electronics training.  Therefore, solar roofing companies either hire roofers and train them to be solar electricians or hire solar electricians and train them to install roofs.

If you are already a roofer, enter a two-year program in electrical engineering at a community college or vocational school.  Another option is an electrician apprenticeship trade program.  Either way, this should give you the electrical knowledge and experience necessary to qualify for a Solar Installer-Roofer position.  For there, your employer should train you on the specifics of their methods and equipment.

On the other hand, if you are already have an Associates or Bachelors in electrical engineering, or are a certified electrician, you’ll need to train to become a roofer as well.  Vocational schools should at least offer a few classes in this construction skill, and some might even offer full programs.  Another route is to enter a roofing apprenticeship trade program.

Boots on the Roof, a leading Renewable energy training institute, is enrolling students into its Alternative Energy Training classes. For more information on qualifications, Training Dates and Locations, click here.

Solar roof tiles are one of the most recent innovations. Instead of choosing solar panel systems, solar roof tiles have a double advantage: they bring the same functionality in capturing solar radiation and they can be integrated discreetly in the design of the house. Solar panels can sometimes look bulky, but with the new variety of solar roof tiles, this small inconvenience was finally addressed.

Today, people who want to invest in clean, green solar energy can incorporate solar roof tiles into their home’s design. If you live in areas with a hot climate, such as the ones in south California, it will be super-easy to take advantage of solar roof tiles. Moreover, your house will not look very different from the rest of the houses in the area, because solar roof tiles look just like clay tiles, but they bring so much more when it comes to functionality.

• Solar roof tiles can generate up to 850 kilowatt-hours per year.
• If you wonder about how many solar roof tiles you need per square foot, we will give you a hint: generally, 30 tiles will cover 100 square feet of roof surface.
• Solar roof tiles are also available as solar power shingles. There is no difference between the two types and they both use thin solar film technology.

Solar panel tiles are kind of new on the market, so don’t expect to find them on the local producers. Our advice is to browse the Internet and find few companies that produce solar roof tiles. Make an order, and then enjoy lower electricity bills!

Boots on the Roof, a leading Renewable energy training institute, is enrolling students into its Solar Thermal Training classes. For more information on qualifications, Training Dates and Locations, click here.

Currently, classic fuels represent the main sources of energy around the globe (almost 70%): oil, gas, wood or coal.  Water plants and nuclear plants generate the rest. An amazing statistic indicates that a third of the energy produced is used for heating and for producing hot water. Considering the accelerated rhythm of population growth as well as the development of technology, it is imperative to find cheap and renewable energy resources. In addition, it has already become clear that there are negative effects of using the classic resources (dependency of resources and common networks, pollution). Perhaps the most important thing is that classic resources are becoming more expensive, reaching new price records each year. Solar panel systems have a series of advantages compared to the traditional sources of energy:

• They produce free energy;
• Solar panel systems are ecological, they don’t affect the environment or produce residues;
• Energy produced by solar panel systems is drainless;
• Solar panel systems don’t need complicated equipment for processing or transporting the resources, prior their usage.

There are many companies specializing in producing solar panel systems. Solar panel systems work on a simple principle: they convert solar radiation in heat and the heat is used for heating water. Therefore, you can obtain hot water for domestic purposes or for heating systems. Moreover, electricity produced by solar panel systems is far more convenient than the classic energy bill you see every month. There are absolutely no drawbacks when it comes to solar panel systems. Whether you decide to use them for lowering your energy or heating expenses or for gaining independence from the traditional energy networks, solar panel systems are an excellent choice.

Boots on the Roof, a leading Renewable energy training institute, is enrolling students into its Solar Thermal Training classes. For more information on qualifications, Training Dates and Locations, click here.

Every wonder how solar panels are made? Learn.  Watch this video:

Boots on the Roof is currently enrolling students into its upcoming Solar PV training boot camp. To learn more about dates, locations, and course details,  click here.

There is much to learn about solar energy systems. Everyone knows that the sun is used to generate energy but exactly how remains a mystery to most people and areas of expertise are needed all over the world. Depending on where you plan to live will have an impact on what type of training you require.

For example, Germany leads the world in production of solar PV installations in the EU and the Germans build over 88% of all grid-tied systems. The Germans also hold over 10,000 jobs in production, distribution, and installation of solar energy systems. The largest photovoltaic power plants in the world are housed in Spain and Portugal where solar photovoltaic cells are 50 to 60 MW. The advancement of these countries would demand a very skilled individual in solar energy systems and solar photovoltaic cells.

The US is working to create much more alternative energy through energy legislation but so far, the states have been handling the programs on their own. However, with $117.6M now available through President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, solar energy projects are beginning to take off. Two more bills are currently making their way through the Congress and Senate to help with installation cost financing and the manufacturing sector. Whether power plants, solar photovoltaic cells, or flexible solar panels, the US is on the move with solar energy systems and trained people are in very large demand.

Taiwan also has much to offer in the way of education. In 2007, this small country awarded winners of the Jinyi Award and presented solutions on the photovoltaic industry. Awards in every sector of business has proven to be very effective and something that our own country should be promoting in solar and all alternative creative outlets.

Educational courses and degrees are becoming more abundant at local universities and institutions online. Physicists, engineers, and business management are a few of the top qualifying positions that will be available soon in solar energy systems. Many of these positions are already available in other countries but training would be needed to learn their individual systems.

What once seemed a long way off is now beating on our door. If you wish to get ahead of the game and have some knowledge of the solar industry, check out a few courses online in Germany and Spain to get a head start on the market in the US. There can never be too much knowledge in solar photovoltaic cells and flexible solar panels and you just might find that you have valuable information to share with an employer.

Get involved with Blogs on the subject of solar energy systems and sign up for the latest breaking international news on the subject. Look into America’s largest solar photovoltaic system located in Clark County, Nevada and research why the Nellis Solar Power Plant is only pulling 14 MW and how to improve. Read, research and learn. The Internet can be a great learning tool for your new future and a growing solar world.