The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) is very pleased to announce that Synergy Solar and Electrical Systems, Inc of Sebastopol, California has achieved NABCEP Company Accreditation. To earn this accreditation the PV installation company had to undergo a thorough and rigorous application and review process that included the submission of procedures and policies and an independent, third party inspections of previously installed systems. The core elements of NABCEP Company Accreditation include: employment of NABCEP certified installation and technical sales personnel, documented and consistent policies and programs as they relate to the operations of the company, ongoing worker training program(s), and a strong focus on worker safety.

Richard Lawrence, Executive Director of NABCEP, says; “Earning the NABCEP Company Accreditation is a major accomplishment for Synergy Solar and Electrical Systems, Inc. In order to achieve this accreditation they had to demonstrate a company-wide commitment to quality assurance throughout the sales, installation, and after-sale process.” He continues, “Our entire organization congratulates the team at Synergy Solar and Electrical Systems, Inc. They were a pleasure to work with during the application process and we were especially impressed with the results of the third-party inspections of their PV systems where they obtained a perfect score.”

Synergy Solar and Electrical Systems co-owners are thrilled about achieving NABCEP Company Accreditation. Jeff Mathias, CFO, states, “The NAPCEP accreditation process really has made us look at our internal practices and how they affect the company, the employees and our customers.  We have had good policies and programs in place and this process with NAPCEP has made them better and more integrated. ”

Synergy’s COO, Michael Pane continues, “Getting a perfect score on the site audits is very rewarding to us.  We strive to install our systems using industry best practices.  Having third party inspections acknowledge our standard of excellence is validation that we are achieving our goals.”  Both Mathias and Pane agree that, “NAPCEP company accreditation fits perfectly with our strategy to have 100% of our clients as references and employ the highest trained team in the industry.”

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About NABCEP: The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) is the most respected, well-established, and widely recognized national certification organization for professional installers in the field of renewable energy. NABCEP is a volunteer board of representatives who are chosen based on their experience and involvement in the solar energy industry. 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. To learn more visit http://www.nabcep.org/.

About Synergy Solar and Electrical Systems, Inc: Synergy Solar & Electrical System Inc. is a Sebastopol, CA based solar company serving all of Sonoma County for the past 20 years. Synergy specializes in Solar PV (on-grid and off-grid), and back-up systems (generators and batteries). Synergy values their employees and believes employee training is a pivotal part of installation quality.  In 2012 Synergy had a 100% customer satisfaction score for installation quality and a 98% score for overall customer satisfaction. 85% of Synergy’s new clients come from referrals, reflecting the philosophy that “our clients are our best sales force.” To learn more visit http://www.synsolar.com/.

January 30, 2013

The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) announced today that co-founder and current Executive Director, Ezra Auerbach, is stepping down effective January 31, 2013. The organization has named Richard Lawrence, currently the Director of Operations, to the post of Executive Director.

Don Warfield, Chairperson of NABCEP says, “NABCEP will miss Mr. Auerbach and thanks him for his efforts over the years. We are confident that the staff he has assembled during his tenure as ED will be more than capable of continuing to execute NABCEP’s mission to develop and deliver quality credentialing programs for the renewable energy industry.”

Mr. Auerbach says, “It has been a huge privilege to have been able to help NABCEP become the industry ‘Gold Standard’ for installation and sales professional certifications. I thank all my colleagues for this opportunity. While it saddens me to leave NABCEP, I am thrilled to be opening a new chapter in my life, which will afford me the opportunity to spend considerably more time at home and in our garden. I intend to remain involved the PV industry and look forward to seeing the many friends that I have made during my years at NABCEP at industry events.”

Richard Lawrence, says, “I am honored to have been provided the helm of such a prestigious organization. I look forward to working with NABCEP’s staff, our esteemed Board of Directors, and the dozens of industry experts that we rely on to create and maintain the high standards for which we have become known. ”

Mr. Warfield says, “For so many of us, Ezra’s name and face have come to mean NABCEP over the last decade and we are grateful for all he’s done for the organization. I’ve reluctantly come to accept his decision to leave NABCEP as he moves toward his retirement. I think that one of his most enduring contributions to our organization is the staff team that he has built over the past few years. Please join me in welcoming Richard Lawrence as Executive Director of NABCEP. Ezra is leaving us in good hands.”

• A name change of the certification to NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional;
• Revised language to the introduction, scope statement, the job description in the Job Task Analysis (JTA); and,
• Changes to the eligibility criteria.

These changes reflect the evolution of the PV Installation industry along with the evolution of installation related careers and allow wider range of PV Installation professionals to attain and maintain certification. Click on these links for a full text of all the changes to the NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional JTA Changes and NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional Eligibility Requirements .

Ezra Auerbach, NABCEP’s Executive Director, notes, “The heart of the JTA which are the tasks, criticality ratings and exam blueprint remain unchanged. Our extensive public input gathering process clearly indicated that multiple individuals with decision making roles in the installation process all use the full range of knowledge that is delineated in the JTA and tested on the certification exam.” He continues, “The changes will not affect the certification status of individuals who already hold the PV Installer Certification. Their certification number will remain the same and they will continue to be listed on the NABCEP website.”

NABCEP Chairperson, Don Warfield states, “One thing that we want to make very clear is that the NABCEP PV Installation Professional Certification will remain as rigorous, meaningful and difficult to attain as ever before. In order to be successful on the exam all candidates will need to be fully conversant in all aspects of all the duties described in the Job Task Analysis. Our organization prides itself on offering certifications that are based on experience, training and testing and on that basis will not change.”

The eligibility criteria for the certification examination and recertification will expand to include individuals who fulfill job duties, which include but are not limited to: installer, designer, project manager, quality assurance and commissioning specialist or superintendent. The common element across the range is that candidate or recertification applicant must document that they preform a job role that involves making decisions that materially affect the outcome of the quality and serviceability of the installation. The revised eligibility criteria will become effective on February 2, 2013.

The changes are summarized in the following paragraph taken from the proposed introductory text of the JTA:

NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professionals work in a variety of responsible roles on PV installation jobs. He or she fulfills a decision-making role that helps ensure the quality and serviceability of the PV installation. The scope of the JTA is such that Certified PV Installation Professionals fill a wide range of job positions within the industry, taking responsibility for installations of varying size and complexity. As such, the scope of their duties may vary considerably. Due to the range of responsibilities and skills that may fall within the scope of a NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional’s job duties, this Job Task Analysis is very broad in scope: not all certificants will perform all the tasks described herein.

The eligibility criteria for the certification examination will expand to include individuals who fulfill job duties including but not limited to: designer, project manager or superintendent. NABCEP Executive Director, Ezra Auerbach says, “A person whose job role involves making decisions that affect the outcome of the installation will be considered for eligibility providing that they can document the requisite training and experience.”

Auerbach notes, “It is essential to understand that these changes will not alter the content areas of JTA or exam for the certification. The same topic areas will be covered, and the exam will retain the same level of difficulty. We also want to assure those who have achieved the PV Installer Certification that these proposed changes will not affect their status as NABCEP certificants.” Once the proposed changes are finalized, all currently certified individuals will be designated as NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professionals.

Full text of all the proposed changes to the JTA and Eligibility Requirements. Please note that you may want to open these documents and have them available while you answer the survey (below).

Please complete the survey to provide your views on the proposed changes. Click here to take survey.

All comments must be submitted by midnight on Sunday, December 9, 2012. Thank you in advance for taking the time to submit your thoughts and suggestions.

The following companies will present technical training on products and solutions: Ameresco; Burndy LLC; Enphase Energy; Magnum Energy; Morningstar Corporation; Power-One; Quick Mount PV; Schletter; Schneider Electric; SMA; Solar Edge; SolarWorld; Solectria Renewables; Rolls Battery Engineering; and Zep Solar.

Sessions on topics ranging from: the 2011 NEC (Ryan Mayfield); Changes to the 2014 NEC (Ward Bower); economics of PV (Andy Black); Roofing for Non-roofers (Tony Diaz); and Job safety (SEIA Safety Committee members) will be presented during the conference. CE credits will be offered for each of these special presentations.

NABCEP welcomes SMA America as the lead sponsor of this year’s conference. The other major sponsors of this event are: Intersolar, Schneider Electric, SolarWorld, Rolls Battery Engineering and Solar Pro Magazine.

For more information visit: http://www.nabcep.org/ce-conference-2013.

The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) is very pleased to announce that Renova Energy Corp of Palm Desert, California is the first NABCEP Accredited PV Installation Company. To earn this accreditation the company had to undergo a thorough and rigorous application process that included both a written application and an independent, third party inspections of previously installed systems. The core elements of NABCEP Company Accreditation include: employment of NABCEP certified installation and technical sales personnel, documented and consistent policies and programs as they relate to the operations of the company, ongoing worker training program(s), and a strong focus on worker safety.

Ezra Auerbach, Executive Director of NABCEP, says; “Earning the NABCEP Company Accreditation is a major accomplishment for Renova Energy Corp. In order to achieve this accreditation they had to demonstrate a company wide commitment to quality assurance throughout the sales, installation, and after-sale process.” He continues; “Our entire organization congratulates the team at Renova Energy Corp. They were a pleasure to work with during the application process and we were especially impressed with the results of the third-party inspections of their PV systems where they obtained a close to perfect score.”

Vincent Battaglia, CEO and President of Renova Energy Corp reports, “It is an immense honor as well as a great responsibility for Renova to be the first company to achieve NABCEP Company Accreditation. We feel strongly that this accreditation is needed as a cornerstone standard for consumers, end users, financiers, manufacturers and believers of solar. We are proud and excited to be the first company to achieve this accreditation.”

NABCEP’s Chairperson, Don Warfield, says, “This program an important step for NABCEP, we hold consumer protection as one of our core values. Renova Energy Corp has shown that it shares these values by making the effort to attain Company Accreditation. I look forward to many more companies following suit and joining them in the ranks of NABCEP Accredited PV Installation companies.”

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About NABCEP: The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) is the most respected, well established, and widely recognized national certification organization for professional installers in the field of renewable energy. NABCEP is a volunteer board of representatives who are chosen based on their experience and involvement in the solar energy industry. 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. To learn more visit http://www.nabcep.org/.

About Renova Energy Corp (Renova Solar): The company was established in 2006 in Palm Desert, CA when founders Vincent Battaglia and Thomas Hall merged companies with the goal of incorporating solar into buildings and homes for a long-term, efficient and clean, renewable energy supply solution.  Now the largest solar integration company in the Coachella Valley, their business thrives through constant referrals from clients who continue to work with them through RenovaPLUS – the region’s only professional solar maintenance service.  To learn more visit www.renovasolar.com or toll free 1 (877) 34-SOLAR.

The Board of Directors of the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) announces 2013 examination and application deadline dates for all of its Certification Exams. The exams will be administered on April 20, 2013 and October 19, 2013. Application deadline dates are February 1, 2013 and August 2, 2013.

NABCEP also announces that the PV Technical Sales Exam will no longer be administered in computer based format (CBT) and will, instead, be administered in a paper and pencil format at the same time as other Certification Exams. Responding to the increasing costs of computer based testing, Ezra Auerbach, Executive Director for NABCEP says; “We did not want to raise our fees, and scheduling PV Technical Sales along with the other certification exams provided us with the opportunity to hold fees steady. We are confident that the additional efficiency will allow us to maintain the existing exam cost structure in an environment where testing costs are rising.”

The NABCEP Board of Directors also made a minor change to the eligibility requirements for the Certified PV Installer exam. The requirement that “At least 50% (fifty percent) of the submitted systems must have an inverter rated 2 kWAC or greater continuous” has been removed. The revised eligibility makes no reference to system size. The requirement that “All systems submitted must have a minimum rating of 1 kW DC (STC)” remains in place.

Participants in the online survey will be reviewing and evaluating a set of Small Wind Entry Level Learning Objectives. These learning objectives are designed to describe the fundamental knowledge and skills required for entry level small wind practice in a variety of job settings and roles. When finalized, they will provide guidance for the development of small wind education and training programs, will be used to establish the test content outline for an entry level small wind exam, and will help ensure that entry level small wind practitioners have the requisite knowledge and skills for safe and effective practice. For purposes of this program, “Small Wind” has been defined as systems rated at 100 kw or less.

To sign up to be a part of the survey, please use the following link:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NABCEPSmallWind

Note: This is not the link to the actual survey—you will be getting an email invitation with a unique password-protected link directly from NABCEP-SW@proexam.org (NABCEP’s contractor on the study). To ensure delivery of this invitation, please add NABCEP-SW@proexam.org to your email address book or approved senders list.
 
Ezra Auerbach, NABCEP’s Executive Director says, “NABCEP thanks the subject matter experts that volunteered their time and expertise to produce this thoughtful and extensive set of Learning Objectives. I heartily invite the Small Wind Industry to support the volunteers’ efforts by getting involved in the validation process by signing up for and completing the survey.”

Clifton Park, NY, June 12, 2012 – The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) and SolarNexus, the leading supplier of web-based solar business management software, have announced a new partnership to help solar contractors improve quality throughout their organizations.

NABCEP’s top objectives include the promotion of solar contractors’ quality and skills, and to increase consumer confidence.  SolarNexus helps solar contractors profitably manage projects, organize client data, and collaborate with team members, accelerating the process of selling, installing and maintaining solar systems. With features like milestone tracking and the ability to document and archive critical information, SolarNexus supports best practices throughout the entire project – from the sale, to installation, and over the entire life of the system.

Ezra Auerbach, Executive Director at NABCEP, expressed his enthusiasm about the relationship. “We’re excited to work with SolarNexus. NABCEP is about improving quality throughout the entire solar value chain – not just technical disciplines, but business management as well.  SolarNexus helps solar contractors streamline and organize their sales and operations processes, meaning the quality of their operations is vastly improved.”

As part of the agreement between the organizations, NABCEP Certified Installers and NABCEP Certified Technical Sales representatives are eligible for a special discount on SolarNexus licenses.  SolarNexus also helps provide a streamlined system that allows contractors that are interested in pursuing the new NABCEP Company Accreditation a more efficient way of organizing much of the information required.

“We’ve found that contractors that pursue NABCEP certification tend to be particularly focused on running their operations well.  That’s why SolarNexus is the software solution that so many NABCEP Certified professionals use to manage their businesses,” said Eric Alderman, SolarNexus President/CEO. “This partnership allows us to provide even more value to NABCEP Certified professionals, and will make it easier for them to prepare for NABCEP Company Accreditation.”

NABCEP Certified professionals can learn more about the partnership and the 10% discount click here. The SolarNexus discount is for all licenses within an account when one or more employee is a NABCEP Certified Installer or NABCEP Certified PV Technical Sales representative. 

Or, for further details on the SolarNexus solar business management software, visit solarnexus.com.

About SolarNexus

SolarNexus Inc. provides solar business management software that makes it cheaper, faster and more profitable to sell, install and maintain solar systems. Designed specifically for the solar industry, the solution streamlines sales, operations, and administrative processes, thereby increasing sales and lowering costs.  SolarNexus is web-based and facilitates collaboration among team members and externally with key suppliers and partners. For more information, visit www.solarnexus.com.