30-Hour NABCEP Advanced PV Certification Training and CEUs
About this course
This course qualifies for 30 hours of advanced training required for NABCEP PV Certification Exams and all CEU hours for recertification. HeatSpring is an Accredited NABCEP Provider.
Dive deep into advanced solar PV installation and design principles and practices addressed in the NABCEP PV Installer Job Task Analysis.
The main instructor for this course, Sean White, is one of HeatSpring's most popular and highest rated instructors. He is available to answer questions on the discussion board while you work through the course materials during your one-year session. He is extremely responsive and answers questions in great detail. Sean answers every question on a daily basis 99% of the time.
He is an IREC Master Trainer, was named 2014 Clean Energy Trainer of the Year, has taught thousands of professionals on solar technology, contributed to the development of the NABCEP PV Installation Professional Job Task Analysis, has been a member of the NABCEP PV Installation Professional Technical Committee, and has published multiple books on solar PV design and installation.
Sean published his second edition of "Solar PV Engineering and Installation," in 2019. It's a perfect complement to this course and also a great study companion for the NABCEP PV Installation Professional certification exam. You can get it online for about $35, we provide a link in the course for some options. Another good book Sean wrote with Bill that goes great with this course is PV and the NEC, which is published every 3 years, like the NEC.
This course is included in these bundles
Course outline
Welcome • 24 assignments
Orientation Materials
- 2017 NEC Free Download (NABCEP is still on 2017)
- Purchase a copy of "Solar PV Engineering and Installation 2nd Edition" &/or "PV and the NEC 2nd Edition" (.pdf)
- Navigating the Course
- Introduction Part 1 (03:48 minutes)
- Introduction Part 2 (09:00 minutes)
- Set up email notifications and your student profile
- Introduction Part 3 (03:38 minutes)
- Introduction Part 4 (01:03 minutes)
- Introduce yourself on the discussion board
- Introduction Part 5 (48 seconds)
- A Quick Look at the Video Player Controls (27 seconds)
- Connect with your instructor Sean on LinkedIn
- Reading: 2019 NABCEP PV Certification Study Guide (.pdf)
- Review: NABCEP Job Task Analysis (.pdf)
- Announcement regarding NABCEP Certification Exams and the NEC Adoption
- Photovoltaic Systems and the National Electric Code Book by Sean White and Bill Brooks
- Feedback from an highly knowledgable student after taking and passing the NABCEP PVIP exam:
- Introducing Bill Brooks! (14:40 minutes) Preview
- Go-At-Your-Own-Pace
- Discussion Board Request from Sean and Notes on Posting Discussion Board Questions
- Live Online Proctoring (LOP) for All NABCEP Exams!
- Calculator and NEC Codebook Rules from Scantron Testing Centers (currently Meazure Learning) for NABCEP Certification Exams
- Books and resources
- Free Additional Practice Exam
Module 1 • 41 assignments
Module 1
- NEC Article 100 Definitions Part 1 (29:57 minutes)
- NEC Article 100 Definitions Part 2 (16:35 minutes)
- NEC Article 100 Definitions Part 3 (17:55 minutes)
- NEC Article 110 Requirements for Electrical Installations Part 1 (19:39 minutes) Preview
- NEC Article 110 Requirements for Electrical Installations Part 2 (19:49 minutes)
- NEC Article 200 Grounded Conductors Part 1 (16:40 minutes)
- NEC Article 200 Grounded Conductors Part 2 (16:44 minutes)
- NEC Articles 210 Branch Circuits, 215 Feeders and 230 Services (20:47 minutes)
- NEC Article 240 Overcurrent Protection Part 1 (22:47 minutes)
- NEC Article 240 Overcurrent Protection Part 2 (19:51 minutes)
- NEC Article 250 Grounding and Bonding Part 1 (26:36 minutes) Preview
- NEC Article 250 Grounding and Bonding Part 2 (21:14 minutes)
- NEC Article 300 General Requirements for Wiring Methods and Materials Part 1 (15:06 minutes)
- NEC Article 300 General Requirements for Wiring Methods and Materials Part 2 (21:46 minutes)
- NEC Article 310 Conductors for General Wiring Part 1 (14:57 minutes) Preview
- NEC Article 310 Conductors for General Wiring Part 2 (18:53 minutes)
- NEC Article 310 Conductors for General Wiring Part 3 (21:11 minutes)
- 320 to 358 Common Wiring Methods like EMT Part 1 (15:19 minutes)
- 320 to 358 Common Wiring Methods like EMT Part 2 (17:27 minutes)
- NEC Chapter 4 Featuring Article 480! Part 1 (15:38 minutes)
- NEC Chapter 4 Featuring Article 480! Part 2 (17:11 minutes)
- NEC Chapters 5, 6, 7 & 8 (12:20 minutes)
- NEC Chapter 9 Tables Part 1 (28:19 minutes)
- NEC Chapter 9 Tables Part 2 (19:32 minutes)
- NEC Chapter 9 Tables Part 3 (15:09 minutes)
- Informational Annexes (11:16 minutes)
- Lesson 1 (24:27 minutes)
- Code-Compliant Conductor Sizing - SolarPro (PDF) (.pdf)
- Code Compliant Conductor Sizing: a 2021 take on a 2011 SolarPro Article Part 1 (16:41 minutes)
- Code Compliant Conductor Sizing: a 2021 take on a 2011 SolarPro Article Part 2 (18:55 minutes)
- Building and Fire Codes with Bill Brooks Part 1- 2020 NFPA 855 Energy Storage Systems, IRC, IBC, IFC, NFPA 1, ICC (08:41 minutes)
- Building and Fire Codes with Bill Brooks Part 2 Roof Setbacks (30:55 minutes)
- Building and Fire Codes with Bill Brooks Part 3 The ICC i-codes (13:40 minutes)
- Solar Building and Fire Codes Video 1 Part 1 (optional) (14:29 minutes)
- Solar Building and Fire Codes Video 1 Part 2 (optional) (20:53 minutes)
- Solar Building and Fire Codes Video 2 (optional) (23:14 minutes)
- Solar Building and Fire Codes Video 3 (optional) (21:06 minutes)
- Solar Building and Fire Codes Video 4 Part 1 (optional) (21:48 minutes)
- Solar Building and Fire Codes Video 4 Part 2 (optional) (23:51 minutes)
- Bill Brooks on Rapid Shutdown Part 1 Outside of the Array Boundary (14:57 minutes)
- Bill Brooks on Rapid Shutdown Part 2 inside of the Array Boundary (20:17 minutes)
Module 2 • 60 assignments
Module 2
- Where To Get Information - Part 1 (07:24 minutes)
- Where To Get Information - Part 2 (11:26 minutes)
- Trigonometry Review Part 1 (19:19 minutes)
- Trigonometry Review Part 2 (14:34 minutes)
- Introduction to Voltage Temperature Calculations (01:09 minutes)
- Voltage Temperature Calculations - Part 1 (04:45 minutes)
- Voltage Temperature Calculations - Part 2 (11:50 minutes)
- Voltage Temperature Calculations - Part 3 (05:57 minutes)
- Voltage Temperature Calculations - Part 4 (02:29 minutes)
- Voltage Temperature Calculations - Part 5 (04:23 minutes)
- String Sizing Formula
- Read: Chapter 4 in "Solar PV Engineering and Installation" - Article 705: Interconnections
- Suggested Reading Assignment: Read Chapter 1 in "Photovoltaic Systems and the National Electric Code (2017 edition)" - Article 690 photovoltaic (PV) systems
- 2017 NEC Video 1 - Introduction to 690.2 (18:42 minutes) Preview
- Suggested Reading Assignment: Read Chapter 2 in "Photovoltaic Systems and the National Electric Code (2017 edition)" - Article 690 photovoltaic systems part II circuit requirements
- 2017 NEC Video 2 - 690.7 Voltage (16:59 minutes)
- 2017 NEC Video 3 - 690.8 Current (22:18 minutes)
- 2017 NEC Video 4 - 690.9 Overcurrent Protection (14:13 minutes)
- 2017 NEC Video 5 - 690.10 Stand-Alone Systems and 690.11 DC Arc-Fault Protection (06:00 minutes)
- Suggested Reading Assignment: Read Chapter 3 in "Photovoltaic Systems and the National Electric Code (2017 edition)" - Section 690.12 rapid shutdown
- 2017 NEC Video 6 - 690.12 Rapid Shutdown Showdown Part 1 (21:12 minutes)
- 2017 NEC Video 6 - 690.12 Rapid Shutdown Showdown Part 2 (25:23 minutes)
- Suggested Reading Assignment: Read Chapter 4 in "Photovoltaic Systems and the National Electric Code (2017 edition)" - Article 690 part III disconnecting means
- 2017 NEC Video 7 - 690 Part III Disconnecting Means (19:32 minutes)
- Suggested Reading Assignment: Read Chapter 5 in "Photovoltaic Systems and the National Electric Code (2017 edition)" - Article 690 part IV wiring methods
- 2017 NEC Video 8 - 690 Part IV Wiring Methods (30:06 minutes)
- Suggested Reading Assignment: Read Chapter 6 in "Photovoltaic Systems and the National Electric Code (2017 edition)" - Article 690 part V grounding and bonding
- 2017 NEC Video 9 - 690 Part V Grounding and Bonding Part 1 (18:01 minutes)
- 2017 NEC Video 9 - 690 Part V Grounding and Bonding Part 2 (17:04 minutes)
- Suggested Reading Assignment: Read Chapter 7 in "Photovoltaic Systems and the National Electric Code (2017 edition)" - Article 690 part VI to the end of 690
- 2017 NEC Video 10 - 690 Part VI to End of Article 690 (23:03 minutes)
- Suggested Reading Assignment: Read Chapter 8 in "Photovoltaic Systems and the National Electric Code (2017 edition)" - Article 691 large-scale photovoltaic (PV) electric power production facility
- 2017 NEC Video 11 - 691 Large-Scale Photovoltaic (19:10 minutes)
- Grounding electrode schemes and transformers with emphasis on utility-scale (double advanced topic). (21:27 minutes)
- Suggested Reading Assignment: Read Chapter 9 in "Photovoltaic Systems and the National Electric Code (2017 edition)" - Article 705 interconnected electric power production sources
- 2017 NEC Video 12 - 705 Interconnected Power Production Sources Part 1 (25:51 minutes)
- 2017 NEC Video 12 - 705 Interconnected Power Production Sources Part 2 (20:46 minutes)
- Bill Brooks talks Energy Storage Systems Part 1 (22:29 minutes) Preview
- Bill Brooks talks Energy Storage Systems Part 2 (10:56 minutes)
- Bill Brooks talks Storage Batteries Article 480 (03:30 minutes)
- Bill Brooks talks EV Power Transfer Station (EV charging and EV to Grid) (05:38 minutes)
- Bill gets excited talking about 705.13 Power Control Systems (08:16 minutes)
- Bill Brooks on 705 Video 1 Supply and Load Side Connections (07:44 minutes)
- Bill Brooks on 705 Video 2 with ESS Implications and Markets (11:51 minutes)
- Bill Brooks on 705 Video 3 More 705.13 PCS and MIDs (08:04 minutes)
- More EV to Grid-Full Circle with Bill Brooks (07:14 minutes) Preview
- Bill Brooks on 705 Video 4 Supply-Side Connections and Microgrids (10:16 minutes)
- Bill Brooks on 705 Video 5 Wire Sizing and Supply-Side Connections (05:52 minutes)
- NEC Update for IPCs effective 1/1/23 even for the 2020 NEC.
- Bill Brooks on 705 Video 6 Load-Side Connections (26:10 minutes)
- PV UL Listing 1703 transitioned to UL 61730 (.pdf)
- Wire Sizing (Chapter 12 PV and the NEC) Reading Assignment-advanced topic (.pdf)
- Calculating Fault Currents with Bill Brooks-double advanced topic (34:07 minutes)
- International Residential Code (IRC) and Energy Storage Systems (ESS) with Bill Brooks (advanced topic) (27:36 minutes)
- 2021 International Residential Code (IRC), International Building Code (IBC) and International Fire Code (IFC) with Bill Brooks (advanced topic) (16:21 minutes)
- International Fire Code (IFC) and Energy Storage Systems (ESS) with Bill Brooks (advanced topic) (07:42 minutes)
- 2018 International Fire Code (IFC) for Energy Storage Systems (ESS) with Bill Brooks and related topics (32:20 minutes)
- 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) and Energy Storage Systems (ESS) with Bill Brooks (BB) (18:12 minutes)
- UL PV Listing 61730 replacing UL 1703 for making the test work around the world and UL 3741 listing for Rapid Shutdown (Hazard Control Systems) with Bill Brooks PE (12:08 minutes)
- UL 3741 Rapid Shutdown solution where the PV array can stay up to 1000V using SMA inverters with Sollega or Ironridge racks! (16:53 minutes)
Module 3 • 3 assignments
Practice Exam
- Optional Materials, Including Practice Exams
- NABCEP Practice Exam Answers with detailed explanations (.pdf)
- NABCEP Exam Registration and Testing Overview: Certemy, Meazure Learning, and Scantron
Conclusion • 5 assignments
Feedback and Additional Resources
- Lots of additional optional videos and audio recordings
- 1 Year of Access to Course Materials
- Feedback: 2-minute Exit Survey
- Consider Joining as a HeatSpring Member
- Certificate of Completion: Request a Certificate
Continuing Education Units
Approved for the following CEUs
- NABCEP Advanced Credit Hours
- NABCEP NEC
- NABCEP JTA
- NABCEP RE Elective
- NABCEP Building or Fire Code
- NABCEP PV Associate Renewal
Approved NABCEP CEU Hours
NABCEP Credential | Advanced Hours for Exam | Recertification CEU Hours | NEC | JTA | RE Elective | Building or Fire Code |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
30 | 30 | 6 | 30 | 18 | 2 | |
0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
24 | 30 | 6 | 30 | 18 | 2 | |
15 | 30 | 6 | 20 | 18 | 2 | |
24 | 30 | 6 | 30 | 18 | 2 | |
30 | 30 | 0 | 20 | 30 | 2 | |
24 | 30 | 6 | 30 | 18 | 2 | |
0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
NABCEP Registered Provider
This course counts towards the training requirements for taking NABCEP professional certification exams and CEUs for renewing all certifications.
Instructors
Sean White
Sean White was the 2014 Interstate Renewable Energy Council Trainer of the Year. He is an IREC Certified Solar PV Master Trainer and has authored several books on solar. He contributed to the development of the NABCEP PV Installation Professional Job Task Analysis and has been a member of the NABCEP PV Installation Professional Technical Committee. Sean is a...
Bill Brooks
Bill Brooks PE, of Brooks Engineering LLC, has over 30 years of experience designing, installing, and evaluating grid-connected PV systems. More than 12,000 installers and inspectors have attended his courses throughout the U.S. and abroad. His field troubleshooting skills have been valuable in determining where problems occur to focus training on those issues of...
Frequently asked questions
Full FAQHow does this course work?
How long do I have access to the materials?
Is the NABCEP certification exam based on the 2017 NEC or the new 2020 NEC code? Which code does this course cover?
Your instructor Sean White did add a new free course on the 2020 NEC here as well which you can access for free by enrolling here: Photovoltaics and the 2020 National Electric Code (NEC).
Does this course qualify me for the NABCEP PV Design Specialist Certification or other NABCEP PV Certifications?
PV Certification exam. It also counts for sub-categories of hours (NEC etc) but the number of hours varies for each NABCEP credential.
To see exactly how many hours this course counts for, please use our 3-step NABCEP Credential Course Finder .
How Long Does This Course Take To Complete
Is there a certificate of completion?
The NABCEP PV Installation Professional Exam is notoriously difficult. What should I do to pass?
"I searched for online educational options after I committed to study for the NABCEP Professional Installers Certification Exam. I studied daily for 3 months; ie, including weekends. Admittedly, there were multiple instances of frustration and feelings of hopelessness. When you experience, and you will, just persevere. I suspect frustration is normal when trying to learn something new and technical such as solar. My preparation consisted of meticulously reviewing and re-reviewing each of Sean's videos; including completing each practice problem multiple times. I also changed the variables in the problems and solved them for practice. Sean's approach to presenting the content was key in my exam preparation. I found it beneficial extrapolating concepts in his videos and applying them in potential 'real life' circumstances. In addition, Sean's availability and responsiveness was extremely beneficial. He responses were consistently timely and thorough - he is a very valuable resource. Together with Sean's involvement/support and the content of the course, I was well prepared for the exam. Having access to valuable tools (eg, Sean's course) alone will not get the job done. You must commit to put in the necessary time and effort. Though I have a few degrees in science and business, the exam proved to be one of the most challenging I have yet to encounter. Though I passed the exam upon my first attempt, I walked out of the session not really knowing how I did (I guess that, too, is normal). In closing, I highly recommend Sean's course to anyone who is serious about passing the exam. Good luck!"