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About this course

Updated for the latest NABCEP PV Certification Exams

This course is developed and taught by Sean White and includes includes lectures from solar legend Bill Brooks.

This course qualifies for 40 hours of advanced training required for the NABCEP PV Installation Professional Certification Exam as well as hours for all other NABCEP PV Certification Exams and CEU hours for recertification. HeatSpring is a NABCEP Registered Provider.

Dive deep into advanced solar PV installation and design principles and practices addressed in the NABCEP PV Installer Job Task Analysis. You'll get access to detailed information and test-taking strategies specifically focused on the latest NABCEP PV Certification exams.

The main instructor for this course, Sean White, is one of HeatSpring's most popular and highest rated instructors. Sean 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.

In order to complete this course, you'll need to purchase a copy of Sean White's PV Engineering and Installation, a Preparation for the NABCEP PV Installation Professional, Specialist and Inspector Certification Exams 2nd Edition. It is also recommended to get a copy of the book PV and the NEC by Sean White and Bill Brooks.

This course includes many references to the National Electrical Code (NEC). It may be helpful for you to get a copy of the 2017 NEC. It's important to note that NABCEP is on the 2017 NEC for most certification exams. This course has information for both the 2017 and 2020 NEC, which Bill Brooks was intimately involved with writing.

Learning Objectives

  • Solar PV and the 2017 & 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC)
  • Advanced best practices for solar PV design, installation, commissioning, and sales
  • Prepare for the NABCEP PV Installation Professional Certification Exam
  • NABCEP Approved Advanced Training Hours for every NABCEP PV Certification

This course is included in these bundles

Course outline

8 modules
40 hours to complete
30:42 hours of video lectures
Welcome • 21 assignments
Orientation Materials

This course is self-paced, so you don’t need to be logged in at any specific time. You can get started immediately after you enroll and the course materials will remain in your account with minimum guaranteed access for 12 months (1 year) after enrollment.

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Module 1 • 55 assignments
Introduction and the National Electrical Code (NEC)

In this opening module you will get to know your instructor, explore various solar resources, do some foundational reading, learn about important terms and concepts that you'll need to memorize or at least familiarize yourself with, and do an in-depth review of the sections of the National Electrical Code (NEC) that relate to solar PV design and installation.

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Module 2 • 21 assignments
National Electrical Code - Article 690 - Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems

This module, you will go through Article 690 of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Familiarity with this part of the NEC is critical for solar designers and installers.

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Module 3 • 18 assignments
National Electrical Code (NEC) - Other Solar and Storage Related Articles

There are many NEC Articles besides Article 690 that are important to know about. This includes:
Article 705 Interconnected Power Production Sources
Article 706 Energy Storage Systems
Article 710 Stand-Alone Systems
Article 712 DC Microgrids
Article 625 EV Power Transfer Station
And more!

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Module 4 • 23 assignments
Safety, Wire Sizing, Building Codes and Fire Codes

Always good to be safe, so safely size your wires and to understand some of the building and fire codes. For the NABCEP exam, do not worry so much about Bill's Building Codes and Fire Codes, however it is important information and for those of you looking for NABCEP Continuing Education (CE) this is a requirement.

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Module 5 • 9 assignments
Practice Exam for NABCEP PV Certification and Trig

Here we have a full practice exam that will prepare you for the NABCEP Certification exams. Be sure to check that you also have access to other NABCEP Certification exams which is organized as a separate course. Also covered in the module are trigonometry concepts you'll need for some solar calculations. The NABCEP certification exams have been known to have 1 or 2 questions that you can use trig to solve.

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Module 6 • 71 assignments
Question-by-Question Practice Exam Review

Review each question from the practice exam to understand how to arrive at the correct answer.

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Conclusion • 11 assignments
Feedback and Additional Resources

This is our last module but you still have access to the all of course materials for 12 months (1 year), so keep working and you'll be able to complete the course at your own pace. After your year of access expires you can optionally extend access with a HeatSpring Membership. Enjoy the course and keep in touch!

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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

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

2014 IREC Trainer of the Year, HeatSpring / White House Energy Inc. / Sean White Solar / Norcal Solar

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

Principal, Brooks Engineering

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 FAQ
How does this course work?
You can begin this online course instantly upon enrollment. This 6 module course is delivered entirely online. This course is self-paced and you can set your own schedule to complete the materials. You can begin the lecture videos and other course materials as soon as you enroll. During your year of access the instructor will be in the course answering questions on the discussion board. After successfully completing the course, you will be able to generate a certificate of completion.
How long does this course take to complete
You get access to all of the course materials as soon as you enroll and can ask Sean questions on the discussion board for a full year.

You can move as fast or slow as you want through the course materials. Since the course includes 6 modules, we recommend a pace of working 5-10 hours per week for 6 weeks. Some students power through it all into one week, some take a whole year. You can always rewatch videos or skip ahead and come back.

Almost all of our students are working professionals in the industry so we try to make the course as flexible as possible so it can be completed alongside a full time job. We will send you weekly emails to help you push through the material but those emails are just informational and you can complete the course at your own pace.

After you complete all of the course materials and pass all of the quizzes, you can sign the honor code and request a certificate of completion. The certificate of completion will include CEU hours and can be used as documentation with NABCEP.

How long do I have access to the materials?
Students get unlimited access to the course materials as soon as they enroll and for one year (365 days) after enrollment. Rewatch videos and review assignments as many times as you want. View updates the instructor makes to the course as the industry advances. Return to your course anytime with online access from anywhere in the world. After the one year of access expires, access can be extended by joining as a HeatSpring member. A single membership extends access to course materials for all past enrollments.
Is the NABCEP certification exam based on the 2017 NEC or the new 2020 NEC code? Which code does this course cover?
All NABCEP certification exams are currently based on the 2017 NEC. Until this so changes our exam prep courses, including this course will continue to focus on the 2017 NEC.

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?
HeatSpring is an accredited provider with NABCEP and yes this course is pre-approved for Advanced PV Training hours required by NABCEP to sit for the PV Design Specialist Certification exam or any other NABCEP
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 .

Is there a certificate of completion?
Yes, when you complete this course you are eligible for a certificate of completion from HeatSpring. You can download your certificate as soon as you have completed all of the course requirements. Students can easily share their verified certificates on their LinkedIn profiles using our LinkedIn integration.
Would you please help me to understand how your course may differ from other online options (i.e. Solaraigen, Everblue, etc)?
Here is what we can tell you about our course:

Our course is taught by expert instructor Dr. Sean White. You get access to all of the course materials as soon as you enroll and can ask Sean questions on the discussion board. Sean is one of our most highly rated and reviewed instructor and answers every question typically within one business day, usually in great detail. You can optionally read through all of the past questions and answers from other students.

The course materials are actually a lot more than 40 hours of content, but the course is approved by NABCEP for 40 Advanced PV Training hours towards the NABCEP PV Certification exams. The course includes over 50 hours of core content as well as an additional 38 hours of optional content.

Sean is an IREC Master Trainer and was named trainer of the year. He is also an author with several books on PV Installation one of which you will need for the course. He will connect with you on LinkedIn.

So the structure of this course connects you with an expert who can answer your questions, and also provides a large amount of high quality content related to both passing the NABCEP exam as well as instruction on advanced solar PV installation and design topics.

The course is intended for industry professionals so our online format is flexible and you can move as fast or slow as you want. You can see the (mostly) outstanding student feedback here for this course.

Does this course cover sections from NEC Chapter 2? If so, which sections?
We do cover Chapter 2 Wiring and Protection as it applies to Solar PV Systems, specifically Articles/Sections:

250 Grounding and Bonding

Sections:
250.50 Grounding Electrode Systems
250.52 Grounding Electrodes
250.53 Grounding Electrode System Installation
250.54 Auxiliary Grounding Electrodes
250.64 Grounding Electrode Conductor Installation
250.66 Size of ac GEC
250.120 EGC Installation
250.122 Size of EGCs
250.166 Size of dc GEC
240 Overcurrent Protection

Sections:
240.4 Protection of Conductors
240.5 (Will be in 2020 NEC updated material in January)
240.6 Standard Ampere Ratings
240.21 Location in Circuit (Feeder Taps)
Much of the details of overcurrent protection and wire sizing for Solar PV Systems is in Article 690. We do cover the specifics of wire sizing, which can be related to wire sizing of non-solar loads.

And a little bit of:

200 Use and Identification of Grounded Conductors

Sections:
200.6 Means of Identifying Grounded Conductors
230 Services

Sections:
230.2 Number of Services
230.82 Equipment Connected to Supply Side of Service

Much of the Chapter 2 material that we do cover is referenced when Article 690 Solar Photovoltaic Systems or Article 705 Interconnected Power Production Sources sends us to Chapter 2.

I am seeking to get NABCEP PVTS certified, I will need 32 hours or training. I am confused as this course appears to offer 40 hours of credits but at the bottom it says only 20 are applicable for PVTS certification, can you please clarify? I see another 20 for JTA, what is this for?
Yes this can be confusing. NABCEP has approved this course for Advanced Training Hours and CEU hours. The number of hours approved is different for some of the certifications and CEU subcategories, including the PV Technical Sales Certification (PVTS).

NABCEP only counts 20 hours for this course towards the PVTS certification because that's all the PVTS applicable content. If you take the course, you would be able to click through other content you don't need, or watch it if you want for your own education.

Yes the 20 JTA is 20 hours of Job Task Analysis CEUs for continuing education requirements. You would need that to recertify every 3 years. To sit for the exam you just need the Advanced Training hours.

For more information, visit the PV Technical Sales Certification detail page. The Megawatt Design and Comprehensive Solar Plus Storage courses offer more Advanced Training hours towards the PVTS. And the Photovoltaics and the 2020 National Electric Code (NEC)' course listed there is free and counts for 2 hours, so that would give you the 32 hours total you need.

Can I register multiple people?
Yes please visit our HeatSpring for Teams page to get a group discount.

Reviews

4.7
Based on 641 reviews
2,262
students have taken this course
09/05/2025

This course was a great learning experience. It provided both technical knowledge and practical skills that I can use immediately. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in this field.

Shahzaib Khan
08/20/2025

I found this course to be thorough and informative. Passed the PVIP exam first try with a 91.

Bob Martinez
National Solar Construction Manager, Trane Technologies
07/10/2025

Sean's course was incredibly helpful in the process of starting my own solar installation company. I had a lot of industry training beforehand, and the two methods of learning came together like a hand in a nitrile glove

Mason Chandler

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