PITTSBORO – Central Carolina Community College’s green building program has been approved by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) to offer “Introduction to Photovoltaic System Design,” a course covering the properties and installation of solar panels that produce electricity. In addition to coursework, students will have the opportunity to visit the N.C. State Solar Center’s new PV array and other local PV systems.
The college’s program has also been approved to offer the NABCEP Entry Level Certificate of Knowledge Exam. The successful completion of the course and exam can make students more marketable in the career field of electrical and solar installation.
The PV class runs 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Wednesdays, Aug. 27- Oct. 29, at the Chatham County Campus, 764 West St., Pittsboro. The cost is $61.25. For more information or to register, call (919) 542-6495, ext 223.
David Del Vecchio, a certified NABCEP installer, is the instructor for the course. He has nearly a decade of experience in solar installations. Del Vecchio graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, cum laude. He began installing photovoltaic systems in 1998 and is the owner of Solar Seed company. He has designed and installed dozens of systems from off-grid, stand-alone solar/wind hybrid systems to straight grid-tie without batteries.
In 2005, Del Vecchio was certified by NABCEP as a Certified PV Installer. Most recently, he has been teaching PV design courses for Solar Energy International and co-teaching the weeklong PV course for the N.C. Solar Center. He is the lead design engineer for CyberBotanics, LLC.
“I am very pleased that we qualified to host the NABCEP exam,” said Laura Lauffer, Central Carolina’s Green Building Program coordinator. “The quality of our instructor and rigorous course content has enabled the college to be one of only 44 sites in the nation to do so.”
In addition to the PV class, The Sustainable Technologies Program at Central Carolina C.C. offers courses in green building, biodiesel production and sustainable farming. All courses are listed on the college’s website, www.cccc.edu, under Continuing Education.
NABCEP is a volunteer board including representatives of the solar industry, NABCEP certificants, renewable energy organizations, state policy makers, educational institutions, and the trades. The board’s mission is to support, and work with, the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries, professionals, and stakeholders to develop and implement quality credentialing and certification programs for practitioners.