Educational Resources for switching to solar industry?

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engineerDE

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Hi,
I am in the process of shifting careers from a PE at a large utility (experience in maintenance, transmission planning, & interconnection work) to doing engineering work for a commercial scale solar developer.

Any tips on where I should start looking for good educational resources and programs to learn the ins and outs of solar system design requirements? I have access to the NABCEP Certification Handbook as well as ISEP.

Thanks!
 
There are a lot of resources for learning PV for residential and small commercial systems. Community colleges can have classes, there are several companies providing training both in-person and online. Where you run into problems is larger systems. There is basically no training available for designing PV systems over 1MW. While these systems are often built up from smaller string inverter systems and much of the electrical training on smaller systems is transferable, the training for the AC side and interconnections on larger systems is just not available. It's learned on the job from other designers at a larger PV company. Just like HV substation design is something engineers learn from other engineers on the job.
Commercial-scale PV developers typically do not employ engineers. The developer hires an EPC to do the design and construction and EPCs typically hire an engineering firm to do the engineering work. So as a P.E. in the PV industry you are going to be looking at working for one of these PV engineering companies. Also, learn energy storage, in this industry you can't make it on just PV anymore.
And just as an added note, engineers are not well respected in the PV and storage industry. At least not the same as they are in other industries. Particularly on C&I projects engineers are more often considered something that an AHJ makes the EPC use to get a permit or a way to offload liability and not as a resource who can help make better projects. There is a lot of stamp shop work being done in the PV industry. So do it because you love the work and not because you want to be appreciated.
 
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Of course, that's a pretty broad brush and not necessarily universal. I am a NABCEP certified electrical PE in Texas, and I have been in PV for about 12 years. When I decided to reinvent myself (this time) I worked as an installer for a few months to get my NABCEP hours and to get a feel for the industry. I have done residential and commercial PV design work, though I am exclusively doing commercial design these days. I have never felt disrespected or underappreciated by the people I work with, the AHJs I have dealt with, customers, or others in the industry. I'm not being paid as well as I was when I was in semiconductors, but I enjoy the work and I feel like I am doing something worthwhile. It's my choice, and, by the way, during the Great Recession and the COVID pandemic, we in the solar industry said "what recession?"

I got my initial training in PV from ImagineSolar https://imaginesolar.com/ here in Austin, though they have on line training available. I recommend them highly.
 
There are a number of good books on the basics, I like Dunlop's Photovoltaic Systems myself. Then there are a number of good training programs both public through JCs and private like SEI. These will teach you the basics of PV and are targeted at those working on residential or small commercial systems. The break lines in PV I think are based on the interconnection, going from single phase to 3 phase and then to MV interconnections. Once you know how to string PV arrays and use string inverters the size of the array does not add a lot to the electrical challenge. The real engineering is in the interconnection. There is much less training available in these advanced areas. You will either have to learn that on your own or from others in the industry on the job.
 
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