The new solar technology is made by improved designs for the solar panels and their components. These days, solar panels take up a lot less room and work far more efficiently. The components are state of the art and there is more power generated and less power loss when the solar panels are tied in to the home or buildings commercial electrical system. These designs also allow for the new solar technology to be installed much cheaper than traditional solar panel installations and with a lot less mounting and housing required. This means that in addition for it being less expensive, the installation of solar panels on your home no longer has to be an eyesore to all of your neighbors.

A look inside the housing for the new solar technology is where the first and most obvious changes can be found. The housing for the photovoltaic cells is much more aerodynamic than ever before allowing the air to pass through the solar panels meaning they get buffeted around much less and thus, last longer and work more efficiently. Additional new solar technologies include the use of thin-film solar panels that are not only smaller but lighter weight and a lot easier for the final installation. What is really most amazing regarding the new solar technology is the actual photovoltaic cells themselves.

While the old photovoltaic cells were very limited in scope and how they could absorb the sunlight to convert it to electrical current, the new solar technology for photovoltaic cells allows these cells to work much more efficiently creating more energy in the same amount or even less space as their ancient solar panel counterparts. The new photovoltaic cells have a cylindrical shape that allows them to collect the sunlight from all three hundred and sixty degrees making them a lot less limited in the amount of time throughout the day that they are absorbing sunlight and generating electricity.

The old photovoltaic cells only absorbed sunlight for a limited amount of time each day and could only produce electrical for that limited amount of time making them extremely limited in both scope and efficiency. The new solar technology for these cells allows them to capture and collect sunlight for the production of electricity no matter where the sunlight is coming from even if it is diffused or indirect sunlight. The new solar technology is very impressive but hopefully it is only a good sign of things to come.

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.

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 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.

With your education, you can earn anywhere from $31,200-$60,000 per year with solar engineers earning as much as $80,000. Now, that’s a good living any way you look at it while you are doing good things for the environment! However, to maximize your education, there are three things you must do.

Get Busy!

The solar sector of the renewable energy industry is one of its fastest growing areas. In fact, the Department of Energy’s Solar America Initiative predicts that solar power shall be a competitive energy source for commercial electricity by 2015! As such, many job opportunities are available for professionals who possess the right kind of qualifications. Therefore, professionals must get busy with acquiring more knowledge and more experience either from getting a solar school education or from the field.

If you cannot secure a job within the solar sector, volunteering in establishments that are solar-friendly can boost your résumé. If you have spare time, learn all you can about the industry through trade journals. If you must, take the low-paying job being offered just because it provides for entry into the solar sector. The point is to get busy expanding your network, your knowledge and your experience. Eventually, you will get noticed by the top honchos of the company and the sector you want to work in.

Get Noticed!

Even when you have attained good performance marks in your solar school education, you still need to get noticed by the solar industry. There are many ways to achieve this goal although you have to put your personal twist on them.

• First, you must attend industry conventions. These are venues where professionals converge to discuss the concerns and directions of the solar industry, which are also often excellent sources for employers to source out prospective employees. At the very least, you can distribute business cards and résumés to the people who matter in the industry.
• Second, you must build a good reputation within the industry. At present, the solar sector is sufficiently small to allow for an atmosphere of almost-everybody-knows-almost-everybody to pervade. As such, good word of mouth advertising as well as official recommendations from former employers and co-workers will provide for more job opportunities.

Again, the point is to get noticed in a positive way. It will not just be your education from a prestigious solar school that matters, but your personal and professional track record will matter, too!

Get Updated!

As usually happens, fast growth means fast obsolescence and fast turnover. As such, the solar industry is always on the lookout for newer, bigger and better technologies and applications.

In turn, the professionals must be constantly updated on these new technologies. It is a challenge that creates new business opportunities. It is fast growth that requires new knowledge. In short, the more you know of the latest in solar technologies and events, the more opportunities you have to maximize your solar school education!

Truly, solar education must be maximized not only for the sake of financial stability and career advancement but because it paves the way for a brighter and cleaner future.
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

Most all systems that are installed today will have batteries to store solar power. This allows users to not only get power during the hours the sun is not up but on cloudy days as well. Solar energy systems are increasing in popularity. They are extremely efficient in saving energy as well as better for the environment then other energy sources. Here are some basic solar energy facts:

• Solar energy is one of the best energy sources for our environment
• It can be used to produce electricity through the photovoltaic solar panels to heat water, power heating & air conditioning units and any other electrical needs
• As the used of solar energy panels increases the demand all over the world increases
• Solar energy power is measured with 1 kilowatt equaling 1000 watts
• A 100 watt light bulb utilizes 1 kilowatt per hour
• In 1999 it was estimated that the average American household will use about 866-kilowatt hours per month in 1999 costing them $70.68 with this number being much higher now
• 30% of this usage being to simply heat their homes

There are a variety of solar panel installation courses and training programs available throughout the country.

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 pv panels are collectors which capture solar radiation and converted to usable energy in the form of electrical current which then can be used to power appliances or other devices in the home or building. Other solar pv panels have the ability to capture the radiant heat from sunlight and convert it to heat that can provide warmth to heat a house interior or water needed for laundry or bathing.

Electrical engineers are responsible for actually designing the solar pv panels that consumers purchase for use in solar systems. These designs are what manufacturers use to produce the salable pv panels. Installation of these panels are usually done by someone who takes solar panels installation training classes, provided by such diverse sources as some vocational institutes that are becoming up-to-date enough in the new technology that they can offer solar components to graduates who are studying to be electricians or otherwise go into construction.

Other classes in solar panels installation training are being offered by manufacturers of different brands of solar pv panels or solar systems available commercially to consumers and businesses. This is to insure the proper installation of the product to the manufacturers’ specifications. To attend this solar installer training, it is generally assumed that the candidate already has knowledge of electrical wiring, plumbing, or both. In trade for the discounted cost of the solar installer training, it is usually required that the installer sell the manufacturer’s particular product line for a set period of time lasting for at least a year. Some manufacturers require that the class attendee sign a non-compete clause that prohibits him/her from working for a competitor for a set period of time after leaving the manufacturer’s product brand.

For those who pass the initial solar panels installation training course, many companies offer the chance to take more advanced solar installer training. The advanced training affords the attendees the opportunity to gain a better understanding of how to design individual solar systems based on the consumer’s needs to furnish a system specifically designed to meet his/her energy needs. Those not specifically interested in or able to do installation can use their knowledge of the product to do repairs, adding yet another opportunity to create jobs and profit by becoming a repair technician who can troubleshoot, diagnose problems and repair any system using a particular manufacturer’s products.