Who will install a million solar roofs?

By Lyn Corum

The solar industry is predicting unprecedented growth in the coming years, thanks to the President’s Solar America Initiative and the California Solar Initiative—both created in 2006—plus other state incentive programs popping up around the country. Industry leaders are looking around, asking if the work force exists to respond to the increasing demand.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in the United States grew by over 20% in 2006, according to the Solar Energy Industry Association. Solar thermal installations also saw a significant boost, with pool heating contributing the most at a double-digit growth rate. All this growth was due to recent federal and state tax incentives.

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office predicts that in order to meet the SAI goals, the US needs 4,700 more certified installers. Currently, about 300 are certified by the North American Board of Certified Energy Professionals (NABCEP).

Having a sufficient number of qualified solar installers is essential, and a lack of these skilled technicians could prove to be a barrier to market transformation, says Tom Kimbis, senior advisor in the solar energy technical program at the DOE. The hope is that of seeing 1 million new PV installations by 2015, with the overall goal to “achieve market competitiveness for PV by 2015 through government partnerships with industry, universities, national laboratories, states, and other public entities.” His office is only now figuring out how to promote the business of solar in order to meet the 2015 goal.

Kimbis says the federal role in training a sufficient number of installers is a divisive one at the moment. Congress is opposed to federal involvement in training, he says. And feedback was divided when his office released a request for information covering 10 large issues, including this one, from state and local stakeholders. Not every solar company feels training is the top issue. “We’re getting feedback from all sectors—academics, unions, PV manufacturers, trade and technology schools,” he says. The decision was to form a task force to hear what the most salient issues are that should be addressed.

Fluid Work Force Needed
There is a definite sentiment, Kimbis says, for the need to create national consistency on certification that will allow a fluid work force to develop. He says industry consolidation is occurring, and some companies, including PowerLight and SunEdison, are integrating services. They are buying solar panels from manufacturers and offering financing in addition to installing the panels. The larger the companies grow and expand sales territories, the more they will want to send crews across state lines, Kimbis argues. The concern in the industry is that integrators will be faced by a patchwork of state requirements, some of which might be onerous to the point of discouraging solar installations.

For example, Maine enacted a solar incentive program in July 2005. For buyers to receive the incentive, solar PV installers must be “master electricians who have completed a training course to prepare for NABCEP certification or who work with NABCEP-certified electricians.” Solar thermal installers, on the other hand, must be qualified by the Maine Public Utilities Commission. While currently there are 20 qualified PV installers, there are 121 qualified solar thermal installers. The higher number of qualified thermal installers most likely reflects the ease of getting that license.

California, on the other hand, currently requires only that installers be state-licensed contractors of any type, and it encourages but does not require NABCEP certification.

“At DOE, whatever action we take, we don’t want to inhibit growth by imposing additional requirements,” Kimbis says. “We’re trying to balance having qualified installers that give consumers confidence with certification rules that do not restrict the labor-pool supply,” he adds.

Early indications, however, are that most states creating their own solar initiatives and incentives are relying on industry training and certification programs designed around state-contract licensing regulations rather than a national standard.

Why Certification?
The need for training and certification of solar installers has been recognized for some time, primarily because of the specialized nature of solar systems. At least one training center is 15 years old. Five years ago, the NABCEP was chartered, and its board, made up of industry leaders, created a certification process for both PV and solar thermal installations. The rigorous test is designed to be taken by electricians and plumbers who have experience installing solar systems and who may already have state licenses.

Students and apprentices may take apprentice exams with the NABCEP but they must complete 40 hours of education in solar systems plus two years of experience installing PV systems under supervision as apprentices before they can sit for the certification exam.

Peter Sheehan, the NABCEP’s executive director, explains the reasoning behind the tough requirements. Solar suffered in the eyes of consumers in the late 1970s and early 1980s because of incompetent installers. “We were formed to avoid those early mistakes,” says Sheehan. Certification based on education and experience is designed to provide a measure of confidence to consumers that their solar systems meet all safety code requirements and that actual output will match marketing estimates.

Sheehan says the bottom-line need is finding trainers, not program funding. The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) became the North American licensee in 2005 for the Institute for Sustainable Power Quality (ISPQ), which specifies requirements for competency, quality systems, resources, and qualification of a curriculum against which trainers and training programs can be evaluated. It covers renewable energy, energy efficiency, and distributed generation technologies. The purpose is to ensure the legitimacy of what’s being taught and by whom.

Jane Weissman, executive director of the IREC, says there is an enormous interest in training. She refers to the first national conference on work force education for renewable energy organized by the IREC in early November 2006 in New York. Over 200 attended, representing 70 community colleges and technical high schools.

“We want to make sure there’s the right kind of training. As renewables gain more national attention, we want to prevent weekend training,” which produces poorly skilled installers, she argues. The ISPQ’s third-party certification of trainers requires that trainers have general teaching skills, practical experience, and experience in teaching the subject matter that is being certified. The IREC now has six independent auditors who review the applications.

The current number of ISPQ-certified trainers is small—only 11—with four applications pending, and it has accredited six programs at trade schools or colleges. Training programs have to be operating for a year before the institution may apply for accreditation.

Weissman believes the NABCEP does provide national industry certification standards—albeit voluntary standards. “Our goal is to be sure industry standards are national,” she says. And there is a desire that standards be measured to international standards. “I think that what is needed is that states become aware of NABCEP,” Weissman says. “It’s a capstone certification and shows the installer has reached an enhanced level of training.” Furthermore, she explains, the NABCEP is applying for accreditation by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), further verifying its certification process.

Schoolroom Teaching
Funding for training programs will remain an issue, Weissman says. Schools should ask two questions: Will there be class sign-ups, and where are the jobs? Jobs will be created where demand is stimulated by good rules for connecting solar PV installations to the grid, she explains, adding that you want to make sure there are jobs when students complete their coursework.

Schools are integrating solar courses into existing programs as long as they have the space and can hire an instructor, Weissman says. Hudson Valley Community College in New York includes its solar courses in its electrical trade program. Lane Community College in Oregon has integrated solar courses into its larger energy-efficiency curricula.

The National Science Foundation has funded some schools, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has invested $1 million in developing accredited training centers at colleges, continuing education programs, and technical schools. New York is the model state for setting up good training, says Weissman. In November 2006, NYSERDA sponsored the Troy, NY, conference on work force education for renewable energy.

Adele Ferrante, a senior project manager at NYSERDA, says there is a demand for solar PV installers due in large part to the 35%–40% growth in the state’s solar incentive program. The agency has put a high priority on training and invested a good chunk of money into establishing the NABCEP, Ferrante says. Furthermore, it has been working at getting its installers in the state certified, and about two dozen of the 80 or 90 working installers are already certified. NYSERDA has also helped to create solar programs at two colleges campuses, those of the State University of New York at Farmington and at Delhi, both accredited by the ISPQ.

Self-funded Solar Energy International (SEI), based in Carbondale, CO, has been providing training and technical assistance for 15 years. It is accredited by the ISPQ. It targets decision makers, technicians, and users, providing training not just in PV design and installation but also in solar water-pumping, wind power, solar home design, and natural house-building, just to name a few of its renewable education offerings.

Johnny Weiss, SEI’s executive director, says it is important to train decision makers so they can understand solar’s limitations and applications. Furthermore, given that solar system installations require a special skill set, there is a need to train mainstream electricians, plumbers, and contractors.

SEI prepares graduates of its PV design-and-installation workshops to take the NABCEP’s entry-level apprentice exam. It offers training programs in various states, as well as in Mexico and Costa Rica. A schedule of these programs for 2007 can be found on its Web site at www.solarenergy.org.

Weiss says SEI has seen more demand for training than it can supply. He’s seen gradual growth over the past decade, with the greatest increase—about 30%—in the last five years. In response, the SEI is increasing its training of trainers. While it can’t fully support the demand, educators at community colleges and vocational schools all over the country are setting up programs, Weiss says.

Community colleges are ideal places to provide the technical training for installing PV and thermal systems because they can integrate the curriculum and any costs into their ongoing instruction programs. However, at this time there aren’t many offerings. Only one in California, Diablo Community College, offers a course. In addition to its offerings at two colleges, New York has programs at two continuing education services sites and four International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers training centers.

Oregon has seven training centers: three in community colleges and four at local offices of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).

Oregon a Training Hotbed
Roger Ebbage is director of energy programs at Lane Community College in Eugene, OR. Its nationally recognized solar education program offers a degree plus 290 hours of related hands-on solar installation training, providing graduates with enough experience to get licenses for both the PV and the solar thermal work they need to install the systems in Oregon.

“Our program is broader than most. Because there are options to reduce energy use in homes before solar is installed, such as building efficiency strategies, it makes solar less expensive, Ebbage explains. The program also links with NABCEP certification. Students can take the initial apprentice test, and once they complete the required work experience they can take the certification test. Ebbage helped create NABCEP and its testing protocol and worked to coordinate Oregon’s licensing requirements with those of NABCEP certification to make them similar.

Ebbage says the school has offered degrees since 1980 in energy efficiency and since 2001 in its renewable program, including PV and solar thermal. The whole point of the program is to prepare competent, well-trained installers and to get them in the field, he says. Program funding has been no problem. One-third of the funding, $120,000, comes from the local utility, and the remaining funds are generated by the staff through consulting and by running training sessions around the country.

Ebbage describes how the industry let down consumers in the late 1970s and 1980s. Incentives were available and made profits look easy to poorly trained installers. Because the installers didn’t understand the need for sizing systems for the right climate, however, consumers felt the systems didn’t work. “So we started our program to get people into the field for when demand improved,” he says.

Ebbage believes national certification is essential. The NABCEP process is extremely rigorous and will guarantee those who are certified are highly qualified. If they know about the organization, consumers can verify whether their installer is NABCEP-certified by checking the online listing at the NABCEP’s Web site, www.nabcep.org.

Demand is high, says Ebbage, and everything he is hearing from the installation community says there are not enough installers. Currently, there are just seven NABCEP-certified installers in Oregon. Ebbage attributes this to the licensing mechanism that was set up in Oregon.

The Oregon legislature established limited renewable-energy technician (LRT) licenses for solar PV installers and solar-heating-and-cooling installer (STL) licenses for solar thermal systems in 2001. The licenses are not journeyman level. But both Ebbage and John Killin, executive director of the Independent Electrical Contractors of Oregon, say an unintended bottleneck has limited the number of installers available for a burgeoning market. As of the end of 2006, only 22 STL licenses have been granted, along with 25 LRT licenses.

These technician licenses limit installers to renewables work, reducing their job opportunities and making them less versatile. But if they apprentice themselves to journeymen, this will eventually lead to greater job opportunities when they become journeymen and trainers themselves.

However, state law requires that journeymen supervise just one apprentice at a time, rather than three, four, or five. This slows down considerably the process of increasing the number of installers, because apprentices must complete four years of work experience to become licensed. Ebbage hopes the apprenticeship problem can be alleviated eventually through legislation.

Economics are also involved. STL and LRT installers charge about $12 per hour, while journeymen charge about $30 per hour. From a homeowner’s perspective, the renewable-energy technician is less expensive than the journeyman, Killin says, creating resentment among the 10,000 journeymen who hold licenses. Should journeymen be able to supervise more apprentices with STL and LRT licenses, they can do more jobs, provide the inside electrician skills necessary, and reduce overall job costs.

Killin believes we are facing a national labor shortage among the licensed trades. Jobs are being delayed because of the lack of qualified installers, he argues. Members of the Independent Electrical Contractors of Oregon are backlogged for six months, he says, adding that “contractors are so busy with jobs they are not promoting solar.”

Jon Miller, executive director of Oregon Solar Energy Industries, is also seeing a 30% growth in the solar industry. Currently, there are 500 systems installed in Oregon, with 160 systems going up annually. There is an issue with training tradespeople right now, he says. Many electricians and plumbers are not trained in solar PV and thermal, and the association is reaching out to get them trained.

New Jobs Expected
California already has a large solar industry, and over 100 of its installers—more than in any other state—are NABCEP-certified. But it lacks training facilities. In addition to Diablo Community College, a training center is being developed at the East Los Angeles Skill Center. The Solar Living Institute in northern California offers workshops for apprentices and electricians.

The IBEW, which has training centers across the country, has a comprehensive solar program at its Electrical Technology Institute (ETI) operating in partnership with the Los Angeles County chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association.

The ETI trains all union apprentices and journeymen in Los Angeles and includes solar PV training in the fifth year of its curriculum for apprentices. Furthermore, in 2006 it began offering 100 hours of training in PV principals and installation for journeymen who have completed their apprenticeships and are working electricians. The ETI supports the NABCEP and urges all its apprentice graduates and journeymen to get NABCEP certification.

Don Davis, executive director of the ETI, says the institute has seen a huge increase of interest in solar PV in the past year. The ETI currently has 1,500 active apprentices and graduates 300 every year. Each must complete 8,000 hours of on-job training and 1,000 hours of related classroom instruction. And all graduating apprentices now have some knowledge of solar PV installations.

Furthermore, 100 journeymen are currently enrolled in the solar PV curriculum that began last September and is designed as continuing education for licensed electricians. “Our journey-level people see an increased interest [in solar PV] on the part of schools and retail stores, and they want to be prepared [for the jobs],” Davis says.

“In my opinion, PV is a cost-driven issue,” says Davis. The price point, where increasing electrical costs pass PV costs coming down, will create an explosion in solar PV sales, he says.

The ETI is self-funded, says Davis, so that is not an issue. However, finding qualified instructors is challenging, and there is competition for them. He concludes, however, that right now the ETI is able to handle the growth and demand.

California Solar Initiative
Training facilities in California, when compared to Oregon and New York, are minimal, but that may change as the California Solar Initiative (CSI) picks up. The legislation that created it, SB 1, intends for 3,000 MW of solar to be installed on California roofs by 2017.

Homeowners and small businesses wishing to take advantage of incentives under the CSI must have their systems installed by a state-licensed contractor, including those who hold C-46 licenses designed specifically for solar installers. Installation contractors are being encouraged to become NABCEP-certified, but it is not required. Installers must also be listed with the investor-owned utilities serving as program administrators, while publicly owned utilities have their own rules.

However, requirements for installers may tighten, according to Liz Merry, executive director of the Northern California Solar Energy Association. SB 1 requires the California Energy Commission (CEC) to hold workshops and gather information from stakeholders on education, solar training, and certification requirements. The California Public Utilities Commission has drafted a CSI Program Handbook, which will undergo refinement as it moves through the review process.

Merry agrees there is a real need for qualified trainers but stresses they need at least 10 years experience to train the new generation of installers who will be needed to meet CSI goals, as well as the DOE’s Solar America Initiative. The NABCEP is a bottleneck, she says, slowing down the application review process because of limited resources. She believes other organizations should take up the slack and cites FindSolar as an example. It is run by the American Solar Energy Society and can be found at www.findsolar.com.

Merry is also worried about the number of new companies coming to California seeking to take advantage of the new marketplace. They don’t have the long-term experience to guarantee expert installations, she claims. In an investigation, she identified who was installing PV systems under California’s current incentive program. She found that a quarter of the industry was installing 75% of the solar PV systems. She says there are 550 self-listed installers on a list the CEC maintains for the public to access, up from 350 installers in 2002.

Killin, however, presents a different point of view. The labor shortage could be solved through immigration or through efficiencies, he argues, by being smarter and not dumbing the job down to a technician level.

“Every kid coming through high school will be fought over,” he says. “Every construction organization is trying to figure out how to do this.”

Killin’s innovative immigration solution is to hire the experienced tradespeople who were laid off in Michigan—after they take the required licensing test, that is.

DE - May/June 2007