Solar PV

Master the sun in one week: The Super Solar School provides participants with everything they need to know about solar PV. The focus of this 5-day course is practical application, however, combined with supporting theory to provide for coverage of all subjects and skills required for individuals and businesses active in the Solar PV industry.

If you are involved in designing or installing PV systems or have to consider PV installations in turnkey EPC or architecture projects, this comprehensive programme is the ideal balance between fundamental theory, practical theory and hands-on training. International standards are covered and considered during this training programme.

The SuperSolarSchool is a one-week technical training programme which combines three modules: The Solar Power Sunrise Intermediate Course, the Solar Power Technician Course, and the Solar Power Designer Grid-Tie Course. It is a “one-stop-shop” for those entering the local solar PV economy and is an ideal way to prepare for the SAPVIA PV Green Card Assessment.

The SuperSolarSchool is a DGS (German Solar Energy Society) development and is aligned with the curriculum of the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) 5-day Solar PV Installer course.

Duration: 5 days

CPD Points: 4.5 Points

Price: R12 500 excluding VAT

Who should attend? From experienced PV installers and designers to anyone wanting to enter the solar industry (depending on background experience), this is a comprehensive starting point. Also for Electricians, Engineers, Energy consultants, Technicians and Technologists who are looking to diversify.

Accreditation: The SuperSolarSchool course is accredited by the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers. The course has international accreditation, by the German Solar Energy Society (DGS).

Includes: 4-week PVSOL Premium software license.

Programme Outcomes: 

Day 1 & 2:

• • Electrotechnical basics (series, parallel connection, current, voltage and their influence on yields, I-V-characteristic curve)
  • PV system concepts (stand-alone, grid-tied, back-up)
  • PV system components (including batteries), reading of data sheets
  • Basics of grid-tied PV system installation

Day 3:

• • Site preparation, tools, and equipment
  • Practical installation of a grid-tied PV system incl. commissioning
  • Post-installation, including routine inspection, data capturing, troubleshooting, operation and maintenance

Day 4 and 5:

• • Project management (timeline, laws and regulation, procedures)
  • Site survey and on-site inspection
  • Planning and design of grid-tied PV systems (with and without battery storage), calculation of roof-top PV systems with and without simulation programs (4-week software license PV Sol Premium included), extension of grid-tied systems to back-up systems, fault finding and quality assurance (e.g. RAL GZ 966)
  • Sales, marketing, and customer consultation

The DGS Solar Power Designers Commercial course aims to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to design, supervise construction sites, and commission commercial PV systems of up to 1MWp. If you have current experience in the solar industry, working primarily on domestic or small scale installations, completing this course will help you bid to scope, design, implement and maintain much larger, commercial-scale solar installations.

This course is suited to technicians, engineers, and architects with advanced knowledge on solar PV who want to improve their understanding and skills in the field of solar PV design. They will be able to design, supervise construction sites and commission commercial PV systems up to 1 MWp, and gain essential knowledge with regards to typical obstacles encountered during project implementation, organisation of a project, and problem-solving.

Duration: 3 days

Price: R12 500 excl VAT

Recommended prior knowledge: Sufficient knowledge in the field of solar PV and basic grid-tie systems design or participation in the SuperSolarSchool.

Who should attend? PV Installers & designers wanting to enter the commercially sized solar PV industry, Electricians, Engineers, Energy consultants, Technicians and Technologists

Includes: 4-week PVSOL Premium software license.

Programme Outcomes: 

Day 1:

• • Components of commercial PV systems
  • Electrical Security for PV Systems: behaviours during a power failure, anti-islanding, protection devices, feed-in prevention measurements, and interaction with generators

Day 2:

• • Dimensioning of a commercial rooftop system 
  • The planning phase of commercial PV systems (from customer consultation to commissioning with special focus on laws and regulations, registration and site management)
  • Quotation preparation including step by step calculation by hand, selection of components, list of material, wiring diagrammed and grid integration, and quote generation
  • Small-Scale Embedded Generation (SSEG) applications, Certificates of Compliance

 Day3:

• • Dimensioning of a commercial rooftop system with software tools
  • Introduction and use of Valentin Software’s PV Sol 
  • Demonstration of system sizing with PV Sol with focus on the 3D tool, component selection and the report function
  • System sizing exercise for a commercial roof system from map section/site plan with a focus on polymorph connections, power optimisers, and multiple inverter systems. 

A PV system is only as good as its worst connection. In this hands-on course, you will develop the skills to install a PV system correctly and gain essential knowledge regarding the Dos and Don’ts.  

While this course helps employees gain some fundamental knowledge of how solar PV systems work, the focus is on developing skills needed to install solar panels using mounting clamps, brackets, frames and further connecting modules to PV systems via industry-standard wiring, connectors and related equipment and ancillaries.

The SuperSolar PV Mounter is a basic course targeted at the installers who will be doing the actual hands-on-work, and carrying out the proper installation of Solar PV systems – with a key focus on ensuring a safe working environment.

Duration: 2 days

Price: R4 900 excluding VAT

Who should attend? Artisans (especially Electricians), Technicians and Installers who want to learn how to physically install a PV system.

Programme Outcomes:

• • Conduct site preparation 
  • Correctly use tools and equipment
  • Understand on-site safety, 
  • Be able to physically complete a roof-mounted PV system installation
  • Have a fundamental knowledge of how PV systems work

The PV GreenCard programme is designed to incentivise high-quality installations and improve the compliance of domestic scale installations, with municipal and national electrical regulations. This 2-day assessment is designed to test PV installers: both in terms of their theoretical knowledge, as well as their rooftop solar PV system installation practical capability. 

Participants who complete the assessment will receive Green Card membership and will be added to a database of qualified &  verifiable solar PV installers. You will gain access to potential clients, financiers and other stakeholders requiring a PV GreenCard installer.

Approved installers will further be able to provide a PV GreenCard to declare compliance with relevant standards as well as safety guidelines for PV installation. This document further includes details of the installed system, such as for the PV modules and inverters used. 

During this course you will also go through a familiarisation workshop and induction, theoretical assessment, the practical assessment of your ability to wire and install a 6 module PV solar system on a rooftop, and finally a feedback session. This programme was developed in collaboration with  Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), BSW Solar, GreenCape, SARETEC and DGS Berlin.

Duration: 2 days

Price: R5 900 excluding VAT

Recommended Prior Knowledge: The ideal preparation for this assessment is participation in the SuperSolarSchool, the SAPVIA endorsed 5-day preparation course.

Who should attend? Solar PV installers

Programme Outcomes:

• • Green Card Installers can issue a GreenCard on a solar power installation, in a similar way to an electrician issuing an Electrical Certificate of Compliance on a normal domestic AC installation