Seminars
The Seminar Series, designed to inform the RTPs on timely and relevant topics in solar training, started in April 2011 and are ongoing. You can find recordings of those seminars here.
2012
April 18: PV ValueTM Real Estate Tool
In this free webinar, Geoff Klise from Sandia National Laboratories, and Jamie Johnson from Solar Power Electric discuss the recently released PV ValueTM spreadsheet tool developed for the appraisal and real estate industries to aid in making a market value determination for residential and commercial solar PV systems. PV ValueTM uses an income capitalization approach to determine the capitalized value which is the present value of the energy produced during the power production warranty lifetime. This tool has been formally endorsed by the Appraisal Institute and is being used to educate appraisers on how to value a solar pV system as part of a real estate transaction. Funding for developing PV ValueTM initiatied with DOE EERE for a Solar America Communities project and is now being funded as a market transformation activity under the SunShot Initiative. Watch the replay.
March 22: The Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) - an overview
Established in 1995, the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. DSIRE contains information on over 2,700 renewable energy and energy efficiency programs and is visited by more than 180,000 unique users per month. An ongoing project of the North Carolina Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council. DSIRE is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. In this webinar, DSIRE Senior Policy Analyst, Brian Lips, gave an overview of the database and its functionality, including DSIRE SOLAR which provides solar-specific policy information for both PV and solar thermal. Brian also discussed solar policies and markets, and explained why some states have solar markets and why some don’t. Brian Lips has worked for the North Carolina Solar Center since 2006, and began working on dsireusa.org as a Policy Analyst in 2007. His current work involves researching and summarizing policies and incentives adopted by seven western states and North Carolina.
January 25: Solar ABCs - an overview
The Solar America Board for Codes and Standards (Solar ABCs) was formed to identify current issues, establish a dialogue among key stakeholders, and catalyze appropriate activities to support the centralized development of PV systems codes and standards. The overarching goal of the Solar ABCs is to facilitate and accelerate the installation of high quality, safe PV systems. This program also provides access for PV manufacturers, sellers, buyers, users and regulators of a particular PV material, product, process or service to sponsor PV codes and standards research studies to help foster the acceleration of the PV market. In this webinar, Solar ABCs Project Administrator, Larry Sherwood, gave an overview of the program and talked about current codes and standards issues including preventing fires, ensuring firefighter safety, making sure the power rating is as labeled, and creating good permitting and inspection practices.
2011
December 15, 2011: The 2011 National Solar Jobs Census
Released in October at Solar Power International in Dallas, the 2011 National Solar Jobs Census identified more than 17,000 solar employment sites and 100K+ solar jobs in all 50 states. The Census contains additional information on the top 20 states for solar jobs, employer workforce challenges and needs, and recommendations for employers, policymakers and workforce training providers. The National Solar Jobs Census 2011 was conducted by The Solar Foundation and BW Research Partnership’s Green LMI Consulting division with technical assistance from Cornell University. Andrea Luecke, Executive Director of The Solar Foundation, presented the details from the 2011 National Solar Jobs Census for the SITN stakeholder community.
November 29, 2011: IREC ISPQ Accreditation: requirements, procedure, and value
Laure-Jeanne Davignon and Kristin Ferguson led this informative, interactive program about the credentialing of training organizations and trainers. IREC ISPQ provides third-party verification of curriculum, administration, facilities, policies, assessment, staff, industry linkage and resources and has become a trusted stamp of quality.
October 25, 2011: The Solar Career Mapping Tool
A new Solar Career Map website explores the many job opportunities available in the solar industry. Developed by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council in its capacity as the National Administrator of DOE’s Solar Instructor Training Network (SITN), the tool is intended for use by instructors, policy-makers, and job-seekers. Dr. Sarah White, Senior Associate at the Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS), and IREC’s lead for this project.
June 29, 2011: US Solar Market and Installation Trends
Larry Sherwood, chief author of IREC's US Solar Market and Installation Trends report, discussed the US trends on photovoltaics, concentrating solar power, solar heating and cooling, and solar pool heating for data collected in 2010. Catch the replay.
April 4, 2011: Solar Heating and Cooling: Best Practices in Lab Development Webinar
This webinar shared best practices about solar heating and cooling labs with some of today's most experienced instructors. It was open to any educational institution currently receiving training through the Department of Energy's Solar Instructor Training Network (SITN). More.
