Increasingly, many jurisdictions are requiring that PV installers hold an industry-recognized certification. The two main certifications available in North America include solar specific certifications issued by:
Generally the authority having jurisdiction will accept either certification as meeting their requirements.
We focus primarily on testing to the ETA-I certifications, however our courses are approved for both programs. A comparison of the two programs can be found here.
In order to become certified by the ETA-I for the PV Level 1 certification, you must successfully complete three parts of the process.
- Complete 40 hours of approved training from an approved provider. Our Residential Solar Installation & Design online course meets this requirement.
- Successfully complete the hands-on lab requirements in front of an approved ETA-I proctor.
- Successfully pass (75%) the ETA-I Level 1 certification examination.
Our in-person and hybrid courses combine all three of these requirements.
Signing up for the online course only will only fulfill the first requirement, so arrangements must be made separately to meet the second and third steps in the process.
If travel to the course site is difficult or impossible, the examination can be taken remotely through an approved AI proctoring service. We can also arrange for remote video proctoring of the hands-on requirements, however you must have access to the required lab materials at your site.
Contact us to discuss what is required to accomplish remote hands-on proctoring.