Best route for Solar PV installation?

[mr tommo]

Hi guys hope you can help seems a very decent forum you have here.

Bit of background, When I was at sixth form studying some generic A levels my dad had a motorbike accident and it resulted in me going to work at his business full time as he was in hospital for a number of months and could no longer do his job.

Im 23 now and I want to do my own thing. My dad is now prepared to go into a partnership with me into installing Solar PV domestically. He can run the business side of things and I will be doing the installs.

I have no qualification towards being an electrician or solar pv. So I'm looking for some guidance on the best place to start. While apprentice is the most comprehensive option, I don't want to be an electrician I want to focus on Solar PV installation.

I rang New Career Skills and they recommended their electrician course with the Solar PV course addded on.

Is that the best way to go about getting MCS approved? My dad will be having solar PV installed on his own house by myself once I finish the course, and I dont mind paying the £5000-£6000 for the course.

Does that course get me everything I need to start installing Solar PV?

I probably could just do a solar PV course but I feel its important to have some electrical background knowledge rather than turning up at a clients house with a lack of knowledge.

Thanks,
Tom

 

[armbands0]

Hi, I think trade skills 4 u (advert link to right of this screen) do a course for pv installers with no electrical background.

Check them out see what they do, I think its called their, green pv course.

 

[SolarCity]

In my opinion, and I'm sure others will disagree, going into PV without a good knowledge of electrical installation is going to be very, very difficult. Why not get an electrician on board and do it as a partnership?

 

[malcolmsanford]

I'm sorry guys i try to be open minded and realsie that the days of 5 years apprenticeships are a rarity in todays world, but if someone that as never done any type of electrcial work can take a course, be it 7 weeks or 7 months, and be deemed competant to install, test and declare an electrcial installation safe, as my granny says I'll go to the foot of my stairs.

 

[JulianC]

As I've pointed out to my gaffer on countless occasions, a solar PV installation is an electrical installation. Plain and simple. Might be dressed up a bit with some roof work and a bit of fancy DC but the AC side is no different from hooking up a new shower or cooker. To jump in with no electrical installation knowledge is going to be costly and time consuming at best, downright dangerous at worst.

 

[PeteC]

MCS require the business to register a qualified supervisor for each renewable you trade in, and I'm sure you will need to have a qualification in electrical installation as well as inspecting&testing and then PV. You have to register with a PV accreditation agent~ there are a handful covering PV such as NIC/Gtech etc

I would check out the MCS website and then the accreditation bodies to get an idea of requirements before you start spending money on courses

 

[mr tommo]

We have a family friend who is an electrician. This isn't something I'm rushing into I'm
asking here because I want to take the correct route. I'm as dubious as the next person with regards to these 5 day courses. My dads prepared to use his own house as the first installation, I'd never go to a client without being fully confident I could take on the job. I'm looking about 24 months into the future at the moment anyway.

Worst case scenario is an electrician is hired to handle that part of the job and I can learn working with him.

 

[Markc]

Mr Tommo, I admire your honesty. You will have lots of hard work ahead to achieve what you are trying to do. It's not something you are just going to walk into.

Firstly the electrical side. You will need a electrical qualification or someone with it who you can employ or subbie to. You or they depending on who is qualified will also need to be a member of a part P scheme. All associated equipment as well, test gear, tools, plant etc.
With this you will now need a certificate to the technology you want to do i.e. PV course.
MCS accreditation, insurance, van, trade suppliers, REAL membership, etc etc. The list goes on.

If I were you, i'd try and find a job for at least two years with a company installing PV before even looking at this. That way you will see what it's all about, trick of the trade and gain much needed practical skills. This will also give you time to start on the qualification route.

Unless you have some sort of practical knowledge I think you may find it hard to convince a potential customer you know what you are doing and after all if you can convince them you've wasted your time.

Best of luck