Certificates
U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) / 10-hour construction safety
30-hour construction safety / N/A / Yes / Construction health and safety / http://www.osha.gov/dte/outreach/courses.html / Yes / Certificate; does not expire / Some states require an OSHA-10 to work on publicly-funded projects. ( / http://www.osha.gov/dte/outreach/construction_generalindustry/index.html
U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) / OSHA 500 Train-the-trainer / N/A / Yes / OSHA-authorized outreach trainer / http://www.osha.gov/dte/edcenters/map.html / Yes / Certificate; expires after 4-years; must conduct training and complete OSHA update course to renew / N/A / http://www.osha.gov/dte/outreach/authorized.html
Licenses
State Governments / Subject to state requirements, and/or requirements of the local Authority Having Jurisdiction / N/A / No / Subject to state requirements / / Yes / Professional license; renewal requirements subject to state requirements / OR, UT, AZ, LA, FL, NJ /
Professional Certifications
North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) / PV Installer, Solar Thermal Installer, Small Wind Installer / Yes– PV Installer certification; other certifications “attempt to align with…” / Yes / Based on NABCEP Job Task Analysis – PV JTA / / Yes / Expires after 3 years; must complete continuing-education requirements / CA(Recommended), NY, OR, UT,TX (City of Austin Only), CO, KY, AL, NC, OH, PA, CT, ME /
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) / PV Installer / No / Yes / Determined by UL / This page lists upcoming dates and locations / Yes / Expires after 3 years; must complete continuing-education requirements /
Roof Integrated Solar Energy (RISE) / Certified Solar Roofing Professional (CSRP) / Endeavors to meet ISO 17024 standards / Yes / Based on RISE Job Task Analysis / Contact RISE / Yes / Expires after 3 years; must complete continuing education requirements /
Electronic Technicians Association (ETA) / PV, commercial & small wind, fuel cells, solar thermal, geothermal, stirling technology & solar concentration / No
"aligns with the ISO-17024 standards." / Yes / Determined by ETA / / Yes / Must renew annually; must complete continuing education requirements /
Accreditation of Courses
Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC)Institute for Sustainable Power Quality (ISPQ) Program / PV, Solar Thermal, Small Wind, PV Technical Sales / No / Yes / Based on NABCEP Job Task Analysis (JTA), as well as JTAs from RISE, DOE and NREL / / Course Accreditation - Courses must meet specific standards / PA (IREC or NABCEP) /
Other
DOE – Solar Instructor Training Network, administered by IREC / Varies / N/A / Yes / VariesI believe IREC’s ISPQ approves/recognizes/lists instructors who meet this network’s requirements/complete its curriculum??? / http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/regional_training_map.pdf / No / Helps instructors/educators create courses that meet accreditation & certification standards / http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/instructor_training_network.html
OSHA-registered Apprenticeships / Varies / N/A / Yes / Determined by provider / / Determined by provider / Provides solar training as part of an apprenticeship program (EX – solar training as part of NJATC Electrical Apprenticeship) / ?
Certificates: one-time issuance of a certificate to signify completion of a course. No continuing education is required.
Licenses: mandatory standards that must be met in order to practice a certain profession
Professional Certification: recognition to an individual who has completed certain requirements. Continuing education is required.
Accreditation: recognition to an institution/school after verifying it meets certain standards