ETA International holds solar electric certification workshop

Thursday, June 19, 2014
Jay Warmke watches as Jessee Kreider of Ohio and Edward Kirkpatrick and Marwin Dean, both of Greencastle, complete the assembly of a solar panel during a recent five-day solar electric certification workshop held at ETA in Greencastle.

Solar energy is the cleanest and most abundant renewable energy source available. Realizing solar's potential, ETA International recently hosted a solar panel (photovoltaic) certification workshop in Greencastle the week of May 12 with trainer Jay Warmke, PVI, of Blue Rock Station, Ohio.

The five-day solar electric certification workshop trained the class to harness the energy of the sun and install solar panels. Individuals gained real world hands-on experience that prepared them to take ETA's Photovoltaic Installer (PV1) Level 1 certification exam and work in the solar energy field.

The course from Blue Rock Station was designed for beginners through electronics technicians and previous experience with electronics/electricity was not necessary. The class received hands-on experience with a working PV system to design, dismantle and reinstall as well as troubleshoot to ensure its proper operation. The class also learned how to integrate a working wind turbine into the photovoltaic system.

According to a recent report by National Geographic, solar energy use has surged at about 20 percent a year over the past 15 years, thanks to rapidly falling prices and gains in efficiency. Still, solar energy technology produces less than one tenth of one percent of global energy demand.

"ETA intends to lead the industry in providing the necessary certifications to insure that there are competent installers certified and available to work on photovoltaic systems and in other high-tech professions," said ETA President Teresa Maher, CSS. "ETA anticipates having more of these types of certification workshops."

Contact Blue Rock Station at (740) 674-4300 or www.bluerockstation.com for further details and to learn more about renewable energy.

Persons may also visit www.certifymegreen.org for more information. To find out more about certification, call ETA at 653-4301 or visit the website at www.eta-i.org.