NABCEP and U.S. Department of Energy Develop Three New Specialty Certifications
NABCEP Press Release 10/19/2017
NABCEP and U.S. Department of Energy Develop Three New Specialty Certifications in Photovoltaic Design, Installer, and Commissioning & Maintenance
New Certifications Reflect Specialization in the PV Industry and will be offered via Computer-Based Testing at over 600 Test Sites within U.S. & Canada
Clifton Park, NY October 19, 2017— The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP), the most widely respected certification organization in the renewable energy industry, announced three new specialty certifications for the solar industry. Developed in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) SunShot Initiative, the new certifications are: PV Design Specialist, PV Installer Specialist, and PV Commissioning & Maintenance Specialist. Beginning January 3rd, 2018, the new specialty certification exams, along with NABCEP’s PV Installation Professional (PVIP) Certification exam, will be offered via computer-based testing (CBT) at over 600 test sites in the U.S. and Canada.
Achieving specialty certification demonstrates that PV professionals possess the advanced training, knowledge, and competencies required for their job while conveying that they have earned an externally validated and rigorously developed certification.
“We developed our PV Installation Professional Certification in 2002 as a way to certify PV installers who do it all; they can design, install, operate, commission, and maintain PV systems,” says Shawn O’Brien, Executive Director of NABCEP. “As the PV industry has matured, we noticed that job specialization within the PV industry was becoming the new norm. We developed these certifications with the Department of Energy to reflect the changes in the industry and provide a way for professionals to earn a certification that attests to their level of knowledge and proficiency in their specialty.”
NABCEP’s three new specialty certification exams will only be available via computer-based testing at any of Castle Worldwide, Inc.’s testing centers across the United States and Canada, while the PVIP exam will be available in both CBT and paper-and-pencil format.
“We made the decision to offer these four exams via CBT, and more in the near future, to provide test-takers with more convenience, decrease their cost of travel, and reduce our paper consumption,” said Don Warfield, Chair of NABCEP’s Board of Directors. “We believe that offering more specialty certifications and increasing the availability of our certification exams will have a major impact on consumer protection within the renewable energy industry. Since many PV consumers have difficulty evaluating and verifying what they need, NABCEP’s certification programs are an invaluable tool for consumers to choose skilled and knowledgeable professionals while improving the overall welfare of the PV market.”
NABCEP’s new certifications were developed with the financial assistance of the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative. With the SunShot Initiative’s support, NABCEP will implement its new certification suite and offer testing services nationally.
About NABCEP
The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) is the most respected, well-established and widely recognized national certification organization for professionals in the field of renewable energy. NABCEP offers entry-level knowledge assessment, professional certification, and company accreditation programs to renewable energy professionals throughout North America. NABCEP’s mission is to develop and implement quality credentialing and certification programs for practitioners by supporting and working closely with professionals and stakeholders in the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries.
About the SunShot Initiative
The U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative is a national effort to drive down the cost of solar electricity and support solar adoption. SunShot aims to make solar energy a low cost electricity source for all Americans through research and development efforts in collaboration with public and private partners. Learn more at energy.gov/sunshot.
Media Contact:
Daniel Pickel
Program Manager
NABCEP
518-631-2751
dpickel@nabcep.org