The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) has revised the eligibility requirements for their flagship Photovoltaic Installer Certification. The new requirements increase mandatory training hours and required installations, better define system size, and provide more definition to allowable forms of education.

The draft revisions are available http://www.nabcep.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/PV-Installer-Draft-Eligibility-Requirements-11-4-111.pdf.

Ezra Auerbach, NABCEP’s executive director, says, “The criteria to sit for the exam have not changed for many years, while over the same time period the industry has grown and matured.  We have a responsibility to candidates to ensure that the eligibility requirements are meaningful.”

Don Warfield, NABCEP’s chairperson says, “The eligibility requirements that were released today are marked ‘draft’ because our board of directors seeks comments from stakeholders that we can review and deliberate upon before we approve a final version at our December board meeting.”  Comments must be received no later than December 5, 2011 and may be submitted by email to pvcomments@nabcep.org. Comments may also be sent by mail to NABCEP’s office at 56 Clifton Country Road, Suite 202, Clifton Park, NY 12065; please mark envelopes with “PV Comments.”

The revised eligibility requirements will come into effect on January 14, 2012 and will apply to all individuals wishing to take the September 2012 PV Installer Exams.