Photovoltaic Class
Hello to all my fellow classmates and travelers on the road to solar living! On this page you’ll find links to the various posts that are part of the photovoltaic class series. While my coverage of the topic is nowhere near complete, and I recommend that you seek out a class in your area that will go more in-depth, the information on this page should be enough to get you understanding the basic concepts involved in electricity and its applications in renewable energy systems. So at least you won’t take out your power (or your neighbors’ power!) trying to mess with the circuits in your home.
Above all else, don’t be afraid to ask questions! I will try my best to answer any posed here, or simply call up a professional in the industry or a local teacher… most are happy to help others with an interest in alternative energy. And if you’re from my Los Angeles class, take a second to say hello below!
Information on the NABCEP Certification for PV Installers process
Here’s a link to a solar staffing company: www.solarstaffing.com
Here are the lessons, in generally the order in which I learned them… we’ll start with theory and with time move on to more practical application.
Class 1: Ohm’s Law for DC Circuits
Class 4: Ohm’s Law Formula Wheel
Solarious - stumbling away from the grid 
Juliet Tarasco said,
August 18, 2008 @ 11:25 am
Solarious,
You are so inteligent and helpful to put this blog together to help us. You are amazing. I want to take this journey with you. Keep up the good work.
Juliet, your classmate
solarious said,
August 18, 2008 @ 3:44 pm
Welcome, Juliet~ so glad to have you join us! I hope that together we can all learn to put a little dent in our nation’s energy consumption.
Ellen Brown said,
February 9, 2009 @ 5:15 pm
Hi Solarious,
met you last night at the 7th Congress ‘wing ding’. Hmmm….
Very impressed and interested in what you are doing. And why. And am totally on that path myself. I am going to read this whole big blog of yours, in fact. And I may have some submissions or links for you in the future as well.
So, I am going to give my friend Sobe One Kenobe, otherwise known as JB, (almost as fabian as you, maybe more so), your site info.
I recommend him highly as an electrical engineer fellow who is totally off the grid, and has been for at least 6 years, living and travelling most comfortably and sustainably. He has been drafting a guide to his methods for Nomadic Living, and you two will have a lot of info to exchange.
I would imagine that you are also familiar with some friends of mine up at Quail Springs above Ojai. If not I will put you in touch, and you might want to meet em, and link up to your site.
Every Friday in Burbank, at a place called the Coral on Burbank blvd and Hollywood way, a bunch of us conspiracy nuts and survival nuts get together to be among our own kind for a while. sometimes 25 people or more. No agenda, no notes, no minutes….just some food and conversation whenever one shows up. 9pm to whenever. J.B. is always there, and I am half the time, and sometimes some of the folks you saw at 7th Congress, if they are weird enough.
Here is my email and contact info again. XXXXXX@XXXXXXX, and XXX-XXX-XXXX. Congrats on getting away from emf’s , by the way.
Great meeting you, may all of your travels be fruitful.
Duane Thorin
Linda said,
March 1, 2009 @ 11:08 pm
Hey there. I like your blog. I stumbled across it looking for info on PV classes in the So. Cal Area. Can you tell me exactly which class you are taking in L.A.? I’m looking for a class for my husband to take. We’re in the San Diego area. Thanks so much!
solarious said,
March 6, 2009 @ 7:50 pm
Hi Linda,
I took the photovoltaic class at East Los Angeles Occupational Center. It was a 100 hour course which is offered continuously throughout the year on Saturdays from 8am to 3pm. They will also be offering a 300 hour followup course to prepare people for the NABCEP exam very soon. There is also a program at the East Los Angeles Skills Center for both courses which may be a little more condensed if that fits a commuting schedule better. Photovoltaic job prospects are some of the only ones doing well right now in this economy. Glad to see that you and your husband are exploring the wide world of solar, feel free to contact me with any further questions!
johann manyari said,
March 3, 2009 @ 5:48 pm
good information,i will also like to ask where are this training and certification institutes.i will like to take the class and be certify on this solar energy industry.
what close to the san fernando valley?
solarious said,
March 6, 2009 @ 7:52 pm
Hi Johann,
Please check out my response to Linda’s post on this same thread for the location of two training programs in the LA area… I recommend the ELAOC course as easier to get to and perhaps a better mix of students than the other. I’ll post any other opportunities I see in the LA area as they come up.
eddy said,
December 1, 2009 @ 12:09 pm
Hello. I’m trying to enroll myself in the East Los Angeles Occupational Center. About how much is the total cost for the classes and books for PV installer there? Also I’d like to ask if after completing the courses there, I can start working right away or are there other requirements I must complete first? Thanks for any information you might provide.