Installation Contractor Education

residential solar installer

Here’s a roundup of education / training-focused articles from our archives that run the gamut from residential sizing basics to complex utility-scale layouts.

 

module level shutdown safety Safety considerations for assessing module-level shutdown solutions
Contributing Author
May 11, 2020
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Featured corrosion in solar
Corrosion and Conformity: Kern Solar on what solar gets wrong (and can learn from other energy industries)
May 5, 2020
Installation Contractor Education integrated project delivery
ARCHIVED WEBINAR: C&I Solar Profit Center — Conquer Soft Costs and Build Better Carports with Integrated Project Delivery
April 27, 2020
Solar Distancing videos energy bill battery sizing
Solar Distancing: Sizing a storage system based on an energy bill
April 23, 2020
Featured Inovateus weave
Three tips for sustainable ground-mount design
April 23, 2020
+ Storage generac roundtrip efficiency
Watch: What is round-trip efficiency?

The performance of a solar + storage system is tied to the round-trip efficiency of the entire system — how many electrons are capture...

April 21, 2020
+ Storage future proofing solar systems
Watch: How to ‘future-proof’ solar PV systems today to add...

Solar systems are 20+ year assets — and a lot can change in 20 years. A homeowner could add an electric vehicle. Lithium-ion batteries...

April 20, 2020
Mounting Guide 3DRendering
Pier analysis vs. slope analysis in ground-mount solar on uneven...

This article appears in the Spring 2020 issue of Solar Builder. Subscribe here for free (digital or print). With fewer ground-mount solar si...

April 16, 2020
+ Storage generac avoiding peak rates
Solar Distancing: Trying to avoid peak electricity rates at home

As more solar is added to the grid, more utilities are changing their rate structures for homeowners, implementing “time of use”...

April 15, 2020
Featured Pitched Roof Project
A residential solar mounting concern with EPDM on asphalt shingles...

For any rooftop solar system, making sure all the components of the solar mounting and racking system are compatible with the roof is of hig...

April 13, 2020
Batteries common backup mistakes
Watch: Common home energy backup mistakes and misconceptions

When a homeowner is interested in “back-up,” what are they specifically in search of? Whole home backup for days at a time? Inte...

April 10, 2020
News batteries and generators
Solar Distancing: Can batteries and generators coexist on the same...

So you have a generator and want to add batteries and solar. Or, you have a solar + storage system and want to add a generator. Can you even...

April 1, 2020
News outback power
Solar Distancing, ep. 3: How to size a battery bank...

We chat with Eric Hill, energy storage and systems manager at Outback Power, about why sizing your home’s energy storage system proper...

March 25, 2020
eBOS DC cabling staubli_1
Beyond code: Safety advice for installing solar PV DC connectors...

  As multiple data collection shows, DC cabling is 1% of the total project cost, but it is also the number one source of technical fail...

March 19, 2020
News AC combiner tips
Peak Protection: Right-size overcurrent protection to ensure equipment reliability

The use of solar string inverters impacts AC collection systems across commercial, industrial and utility-scale solar PV projects. If peak s...

March 17, 2020
News residential rooftop report (2)
Residential Rooftop Report: A focus on new home solar business...

  The Residential Rooftop Report for 2020 focuses on solar PV sales and installs for the new home market. There is a lot of opportunity...

March 9, 2020
Featured solar technicians talking near solar panels
PV installation and commissioning tips for maximum performance

Everyone knows that starting with a solid foundation is a baseline for reliability—no matter what you’re building, installing or...

February 25, 2020
Featured solar portfolio underperformance protection
Protecting (and insuring) against PV portfolio underperformance

Underperformance is becoming a not-so-secret issue for large-scale solar portfolios (we have heard anywhere from 3 to 6 percent in some port...

February 20, 2020
Featured simpliphi battery retrofit
Wanna drop lead-acid? Everything you need to know to replace...

For homeowners who live off-grid, prepping for winter weather and months with lower solar production means ensuring that their solar+energy ...

January 6, 2020
Featured Outback Power solar storage
The power shutoff sales pitch: A plan for solar installers...

  The wildfires and resulting (and ongoing) public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) are leaving thousands of Californians without power and...

December 9, 2019