Solar Energy International blogs

SEI Provides Native American Training at the Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center

chris — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:05:41 +0000

SEI recently completed a 4-day training and installation class in collaboration with Lakota Solar Enterprise and Trees, Water & People. This 4-day training, held in late March, was hosted at the Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center in Pine Ridge, SD. The Northern Cheyenne tribe sent a bright group of young leaders from their community to this training as part a larger effort to explore sustainable economic solutions to replace fossil fuel development on their lands.

In addition to this aspect, the National Wildlife Federation, who has been integral in supporting the Northern Cheyenne in their efforts to stop the Otter Creek coal mine, was able to get this training event included in a feature film being made by Avi Lewis regarding global climate change effects on indigenous people around the world and the potential solutions being explored.

The film crew gets up close coverage of participants building the rack and mounting PV modules.
In collaboration with Lakota Solar Enterprise, SEI conducted a two day grid-tie solar electric class along with a two day installation of a ground mounted 1.4kW grid-tie system. The newly installed system will help offset electrical loads for the Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center, which has now trained 160 folks from various Native American nations from around the country. In addition to hosting workshops like this on solar electric systems, Lakota Solar Enterprise also conducts workshops on other appropriate renewable energy technologies. Here is an excerpt from their website explaining more about what they do:

Lakota Solar Enterprises (LSE), located on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, is one of the nation's first 100% Native American owned and operated renewable energy companies. LSE is headed by Henry Red Cloud, a respected Lakota elder and a fifth-generation descendent of Chief Red Cloud, the last Lakota war chief. Lakota Solar offers a wide range of services that span from fabricating physical materials to supporting crucial humanitarian efforts.

In addition to manufacturing solar air collectors and complete supplemental solar heating systems, LSE provides employment and green job training for Native Americans. By training the younger generations, we are passing on skills to future Solar Warriors. We provide affordable and sustainable heat sources to families living at life-or-death poverty rates, consequently reducing the dependency on polluting and destructive sources of energy, with a goal of helping this nation's First Peoples become energy independent.

Henry Red Cloud instructing a few “solar warriors” during the PV array installation.
During the week of training, students were able to tour existing grid-tie and off-grid systems at the Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center in order to gain a better understanding of the PV system options available and the equipment entailed in each application. The classroom portion of the training also included a few small lab exercises to reinforce fundamental solar concepts such as the effects of tilt angle, orientation, and shading on the output of a PV module. Participants also learned how to use a solar pathfinder tool for shade analysis.

The last two days of the training were focused on installing a new 1.4kW grid-tie system at the training facility. During this installation students were able to work on all aspects of the project, including building the rack structure, mounting and wiring modules, running conduit, pulling wire, mounting and wiring the inverter and disconnects, as well as performing testing and commissioning procedures for system start-up. The highlight of the week was seeing the excitement of the students when they commissioned the system, which also made good footage for the film crew.

Class participants inspect the wiring at the inverter and disconnect switches.

The success of this project would not have been possible without the amazing volunteers that generously dedicated their time, effort and hard work often from early morning until well past dark. SEI would like to offer a special thanks to our volunteer crew: Joe Villacci, Johnny Weiss, Alex Weiss, and Zach Weiss. This project would not have been possible with you guys!

Finished array for the 1.4kW grid-tie system connected to the Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center.

UL and SEI Create Alliance for Training and Certification for Licensed Electricians

chris — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:13:52 +0000

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and Solar Energy International (SEI) have created an alliance to offer the UL PV Installer Certification Exam for qualified electricians at SEI's Training and Certification Testing Center in Paonia, Colorado.

"Our alliance with SEI supports UL’s commitment to the promotion of safe living and working environments by assuring electrical professionals possess the necessary competencies to perform accurate residential and commercial installations," said Clyde Kofman, President, UL Knowledge Services. “Together we can deliver training and certification solutions that create a safer, more competitive workforce for the solar industry.”

More Info: http://tinyurl.com/solar-electricians

The UL PV Installer Certification Exam will be held immediately after SEI's PV202: Advanced PV System Design and the NEC (Grid-Direct) Workshop - Training starts Aug. 12th - UL PV Installer Certification Testing on Aug. 16th.

Kathy Swartz, SEI’s Executive Director, said, "Our recent alliance with UL and the UL PV Installer Certification is an example of how SEI's professional technical solar training program is actively preparing students for careers in the industry, as well as for the leading certifications currently recognized within our industry. In recent years, we have seen a significant increase of licensed electricians and other electrical professionals join our student population and alumni network who are seeking professional development in solar photovoltaic (PV) applications at the residential, commercial, and utility scale levels.

In addition to the established NABCEP certification, newer certifications have gained industry recognition in recent years. These include the Roof Integrated Solar Energy (RISE) / Certified Solar Roofing Professional (CSRP) certification for roofing professionals and the UL PV Installer Certification available to licensed electricians. It is important to point out that the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) have also recently endorsed the UL PV Installer Certification."

SEI to Offer UL Certified PV Installer Certification Exam

SEI has been selected as a testing center for the UL PV Installer Certification exam. Exam dates will be scheduled to align with SEI’s solar trainings that help qualified candidates receive the training specific to PV design, installation, troubleshooting, and maintenance. Individuals who wish to take the UL Certified PV Installer exam must also meet the following per-requisites:

Be a qualified electrician
Complete the OSHA 30-hour construction training

More Info: http://tinyurl.com/solar-electricians

SEI's Path to Graduation
In response to industry demands of quality assurance for a highly trained workforce, Solar Energy International (SEI) has expanded its rigorous renewable energy training program through the development of the SEI Solar Professionals Certificate Program.

Chris Turek, Director of Online and Student Services, said, "With the recent increase of licensed electricians coming through our training program, we created the Residential and Commercial Solar Professionals Certificate path to make sure these students we exposed to the depth of knowledge needed to be successful in the solar industry and the broader electrical trades.

Any one of our certificate program tracks requires at least 160 contact training hours. Since we launched this program last year we are seeing many students who work in the electrical and roofing professions go through multiple SEI certificate paths that cover residential and commercial PV systems, battery-based PV systems, and technical sales.

It is important to point out that graduating from SEI with a technical certificate is different than certification. A "Certificate" program is a common title to describe training program completion in the realm of workforce training. Students will graduate with a technical certificate from SEI and with the training hours earned, they meet some of the requirements to sit for a certification exam from any of the leading certifying entities. Once certified through the various entities in our industry, they will be able to take the required continuing education from SEI through our SEI Continuing Education Program."

About Solar Energy International
Solar Energy International (SEI) was founded in 1991 as a nonprofit educational organization to help others to use renewable energy resources and sustainable building technologies through education and technical assistance.

Our vision is focused on helping create a more sustainable future for our planet and its inhabitants. Through our work, we see clear opportunities to influence people's thinking and behaviors towards energy efficiency and the use of natural, sustainable methods of energy production and utilization.

Solar Energy International is a 501(c)(3) Equal Opportunity Institution and Employer, and is not affiliated with any dealer, manufacturer, distributor, or any other renewable energy commercial enterprise.

Media contact for SEI is Christopher Turek, Director of Online and Student Services - chris(at)solarenergy(dot)org - 970-963-8855 x115 - http://www.solarenergy.org

NREL Hosts SEI's Solar Rollers RC Car Race

chris — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:07:33 +0000

SEI's Solar Rollers RC Car Race a High-speed Success

The green flag waved at 11:30 am to start the one-hour race, which is a long enough period to test the overall energy efficiency of each car and its renewable energy generation system. From the very start one thing was evident: these cars were fast. The circuit was about 50 meters in length and within a minute or so all four cars were turning laps of less than 9 seconds. The fastest lap of the day was 8 seconds flat.

While the teams had each done testing on smooth tennis courts and parking lots, it soon became apparent that the actual race would not be so gentle on the cars. Impacts between cars were simply unavoidable as they negotiated tight turns at 20 miles per hour and cars could be seen bumping over lane dividers, banging into one another and even spinning like Frisbees at times. The foam bumpers students installed worked well but could not protect the mechanical systems underneath.

Soon, problems developed with every one of the cars. Pinion gears spun off, suspension components broke and critical bolts vibrated loose. Each team was forced to run their car to the pits for repairs at some point during the race. The pits were filled with activity as teams diagnosed problems and passed tools and parts back and forth. At one point, there was only one car left on the track - but most repairs were minor and quickly resolved.

In the end, durability and the ability to remain on the track turning consistent laps proved vital to winning the race. Aspen High School, which had the heaviest car at 1.9 kg, was the only team to opt for rear suspension in their design. Their car bounced its way to victory, completing 245 laps in one hour. Second place went to Yampah Mountain High School followed by Colorado Rocky Mountain School in third.

As fast as the cars were, they could have been faster. Cloud cover limited the power of the sunlight available to about 60% of what would be available on a clear sunny day. Some cars slowed toward the end of the race as their solar systems struggled to maintain full voltage in the batteries. On a clear day, the cars will generate 25-30 watts continuously and go faster throughout the race.

The Solar Rollers will race again on August 11 at the Aspen Science Festival Street Fair at Paepcke Park in Aspen. Solar Rollers is a new program for high schools from Solar In the Schools, the K-12 outreach program of the non-profit Solar Energy International. More information is available at www.solarenergy.org.

Race Results - At a Glance

Position	School	Laps Completed in one hour (‾50 meters per lap)	Fastest Lap (seconds)
1	Aspen High School	245	8.0
2	Yampah Mountain High School	175	8.2
3	Colorado Rocky Mountain School	61	8.6
The demo car uses advanced solar cells and is ineligible for high school competition
4	Solar In the Schools Demo Car	263	7.7

About Solar Energy International

Solar Energy International (SEI) was founded in 1991 as a nonprofit educational organization to help others to use renewable energy resources and sustainable building technologies through education and technical assistance.

Media contact for SEI is Christopher Turek, Director of Online and Student Services - chris(at)solarenergy(dot)org - 970-963-8855 x115 - http://www.solarenergy.org

SOLAR IN THE SCHOOLS CONTACT INFO

Noah Davis
Solar In the Schools Manager
(970) 963-8855 ext 114