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 hot water training will be useful for someone who is looking to install a solar-based system which will either provide ambient heating for the house or to provide hot water for things like showers or doing the laundry.
A solar hot water system can come in one of several forms. One particular style consists of a tankless hot water system that runs off the electricity generated by solar panels installed on the structure. Whenever hot water is needed, just the hot water that will be used is heated, offering a savings in energy costs to the homeowner because water does not need to be kept heated and circulated in a tank as is done with the older water tank technology.
The other system has specialty plumbing which runs under solar panels and is heated by the radiant heat that is collected by the solar panels. When it also is part of a system that provides heat to the structure, it runs through piping placed in the floors or walls, sending the cooled water back up to be reheated when the sun strikes the solar panels again. This particular configuration might require specialized solar panels installation training to insure that the panels and plumbing cause no damage to the structure in the event of a malfunction.
Even solar hot water systems that are gas fired might have to have electrical circuitry installed to fire the starter or ignition system, so it is still quite possible to gain a saving in energy costs by making use of the electrical energy generated by solar panels, rather than having to buy power from the local utility grid.
Ideally, solar hot water training or solar panels installation training will help someone who is already in the contracting business to integrate this new, green technology into new construction. In addition, the contractor can make this technology available to those who are looking to do remodeling and who want to upgrade from older, less energy-efficient systems. Through these solar training classes, the resulting replacement of the old technology will prove to be a savings both in reduced power usage by the consumer, and will draw less on vanishing resources like the coal now used to generate a significant portion of the electricity consumed today.
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.
Solar hot water training comes in more forms than just a four-year university degree in engineering or environmental studies. With the explosive growth in the industry, more and more manufacturers of the systems in use are beginning to offer solar thermal training and solar heating training to insure the proper installation of their solar hot water heater products for maximum efficiency when operating.
Many times solar thermal training and solar hot water training will go hand in hand with the training that those currently in the construction business already have in HVAC. This solar technology training will allow the contractor or installer to design a system which will make use of the newer, more energy efficient technology to heat a structure using a combination of solar panels that can collect the radiant heat provided by the sun and special plumbing which can be used to transfer heat from water warmed by the sun into the structure.
Solar thermal training and solar hot water training can also be done in the context of aiding engineers and architects make use of concepts learned as a part of this training to design structures that can make use of solar energy to provide heat to a structure, or to avoid excess heat during the daylight hours, yet retaining the heat from day during the cooler nights. Some of the solar heat can come into the structure in the form of ambient light that shines down on building materials specifically chosen to store heat in the day, yet slowly dissipate it to provide heating during the nighttime. This provides almost a double savings to the consumer because not only does it save on electricity not used to power indoor lights, but it saves in power that is not needed to run a solar hot water heater system like a boiler or furnace.
Solar technology training can also help those already in the construction industry get the education necessary to seamlessly integrate solar generation and heating systems into the wiring and plumbing already in a structure. By knowing the weight of the solar panels, the installer can help figure out whether or not the roof can safely support the extra load the panels would place on it.
Solar technology training can also prepare technicians to troubleshoot and repair solar hot water heaters that may be malfunctioning. These technicians can be trained separately from those who do installations, adding an added dimension to an existing business looking to take advantage of the economic opportunities the new, green technology can provide, especially in light of the declining economy. While older, less energy efficient building techniques are suffering; those who are knowledgeable in the new systems are experiencing rapid growth and job security for the near future.
