March Comes in Like a Lion for Solar Training in Rocklin, California

By April E. Clark, Marketing Communications Coordinator

This spring, Solar Energy International is offering three in-person solar training workshops in Rocklin, Calif., at SMA America's state-of-the-art training center. These workshops offer the rare opportunity to train with the industry's most experienced instructors within the environment of a top-notch solar industry training facility. 

The SMA training center has a photovoltaics (PV) simulator and an inverter laboratory, which features working Sunny Boy inverters as well as communication and monitoring systems. Meanwhile, the lab boasts a full Sunny Island off-grid system, complete with six Sunny Island inverters, generator and battery bank. There are also working Sunny Boy and Sunny Central inverters and a webcam for live support.

Training topics for the three March workshops range from grid-direct solar PV systems and the National Electrical Code (NEC) to solar sales and marketing.

"SEI's PV curriculum is constantly updated to keep pace with this fast-changing industry," says Rebekah Hren, Institute for Sustainable Power Quality (ISPQ)-certified solar instructor for the PV202: Grid Direct Design and the NEC workshop. "It will be exciting to teach advanced PV concepts while at SMA's Rocklin facility."

Join Rebekah and her SEI colleagues, Brian Mehalic and Andy Black, in taking your solar training to the next level with these Rocklin in-person workshops:

• Solar Training - PV202: Grid Direct Design and the NEC (click here to register)
  March 14-18, 2011, $995
  This workshop will build upon the core concepts from PV101 and continue to emphasize grid-direct systems. The course will focus on the National Electrical Code (NEC), including grid intertie calculations, grounding considerations, and advanced component specification.  Students will learn to evaluate system performance under various operating conditions. Commercial system design elements, such as inter-row shading, inverter selection, and data monitoring solutions will also be covered. This course combines class lectures with individual problem solving exercises covering common design considerations. The in-person workshop consists of five days of classroom lecture with tours.

• Solar Training - PV204: Sales and Marketing (click here to register)
  March 21, 2011, $295
  In this intensive workshop for both solar salespeople and sales management/owners, Andy Black will share his secrets for setting up a solid and effective sales team, then generating tons of leads for and with them. The strategic insights you'll glean from this course will save and/or earn you thousands in avoided mistakes and increased sales.

• Solar Training - PV205: Economics of Solar (click here to register)
  March 22, 2011, $295
  Most customers know solar electricity is a sound environmental choice, but few are aware it can also be a remarkably sound investment. This rigorous interactive workshop, taught by Andy Black, is designed to help dealers, installers, and salespeople understand and make the most accurate and compelling financial case possible for the value of PV systems. The class is focused on residential systems, tax rules, incentives, and best practices. Examples cover many states, but emphasis is on the local region.