The “Find Your Power” Curriculum
We’ve designed the “Find Your Power” curriculum to educate anyone interested in pursuing a career in solar. Our programs are made possible by educational partners, like the Philadelphia Energy Authority, so that students get a free education with hands-on experience. Our students enter with no previous exposure to the solar industry and graduate as qualified solar installers. A number of Find Your Power graduates now work for Solar States, and we’ve helped place many more in jobs elsewhere. In the past, students have taken jobs as a junior solar installer or in a solar permitting department immediately after graduation. We will help you with job placement.
38-Class Curriculum
- Course Introduction, Why Go Solar? Solar History
- The Role Energy Plays in Everyday Life
- Field Trip to the Crane Arts Solar Array, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Safety Basics.
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Review Residential Solar Components, Lab / Hands-on
- Electricity Basics, How the Electrical Grid Works
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Ohm’s Law and Electricity Basics, Different Types of Energy Generation, Storage – Batteries, The Competitive Energy Landscape
- Solar Energy Fundamentals, PV System Sizing
- Field Trip to the Navy Yard Grid Star Home, Lab / Hands-on
- The different types of energy generation and the competitive landscape
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Solar Energy System Production and Perfomance
- Chapter 4 review
- PV Module Fundamentals, National Electric Code (NEC), Lab / Hands-on
- National Electric Code (NEC), PV System Sizing
- Environmental Conditions Affecting Solar
- Field Trip to Residential PV Installation, Discussion of Solarize Philly Campaign
- Solar System Component Specifics, The Solar Installation Process, Lab / Hands-on
- Review – The Solar Installation Process
- PV System Sizing Principles, Specifics of Electrical Wiring
- Field Trip to ECA, Sustainability, Energy Conservation, Recycling, Transit-Oriented development (TOD), Sustainable Development, LEED
- PV System Electrical Design, Market Analysis, Lab / Hands-on
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PV System Mechanical Design
- Performance Analysis, Quality Assurance, Maintenance & Trouble Shooting
- Lab / Hands-on, Sean White guest speaker
- Lab / Hands-on, Guest speaker
- Lab / Hands-on, Guest speaker
- Lab / Hands-on, Guest speaker
- Lab / Hands-on, Guest speaker
- Lab / Hands-on, Guest speaker
- Lab / Hands-on, Guest speaker
- Lab / Hands-on, Guest speaker
- Lab / Hands-on, Guest speaker
- Lab / Hands-on, Guest speaker
- Field Trip to Solar States Operations Office
- Field Trip to Capital 2 Passive House Project
- Career Opportunities in the Solar Industry
- Review for Final Exam
- Final Exam
- Final Exam Results and Answer Review. Student Feedback and Evaluations, Closing Celebration.
Materials List
- Solar Photovoltaic Basics by Sean White (text)
- Computer with Excel and MS Word
- Kilo-Watt meter
- Solemetric Suneye
- Multimeter
- Laser thermometer
- Inverter, micro inverter and DC optimizers
- Solar electrical enclosures
- Solar PV modules (panels)
- Racking material – rail and rail free
- Flashing – waterproofing
- Ballasted racking system
- Raw materials for constructing a mock roof
- Power tools and hand tools
- Ladders
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) and personal fall arrest systems (PFAS)
- Mock training roof & electrical walls
- White board / dry erase markers
- Projector