Solar Panel Energy Savings & Training Project

Introduction
The Solar Panel Energy Savings and Training Project (SPESTP) is a
collaboration between the LB Electric Company, the New Jersey
Institute of Technology (NJIT), Halsey Street Green Solutions
(HSGS), and the Newark Workforce Employment Office (Newark
Works). Via SPESTP, the LB Electric Company will install solar farms
on approximately 20 municipal and housing authority buildings in the City of Newark, New
Jersey in 2009 and 2010 at zero cost to the city. Buildings with solar panel installations
generally see an electric bill reduction of between 30% and 40%.

Through the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in collaboration with the LB Electric
Company and Halsey Street Green Solutions, SPESTP will train 100 participants from the local
community (veterans, prison re-entry, unemployed and underemployed with no prior electrical or
construction experience) – providing them with the classroom and worksite technical skills
training, on-the-job training, and support services that they will need to become Certified Solar
Panel Installers. In addition, SPESTP is working with Local 164 of the Electrician’s Union to
place the top graduating participants in an apprenticeship program with Local 164.

The following pages describe the roles, responsibilities and commitments of the aforementioned
SPESTP collaboration partners

SPESTP Partnership Roles & Responsibilities

Newark Workforce Employment Office

Newark Workforce Employment Office (Newark Works) will recruit, screen, test, select and
provide courses and training material for up to 100 local participants for the Solar Panel Energy
Savings and Training Project. Their roles and responsibilities will include the following:

1. Promote SPESTP in the local community and recruit applicants

2. Interview each participant to determine interests and qualifications
3. Verify that each applicant has a high school diploma or a GED
4. Test applicants for eight grade reading and math level competencies
5. Conduct a drug screening of all applicants who pass the attitude test
6. Provide a basic physical exam for all participants who satisfy previous criteria
7. Provide applicants with job readiness, life skills and First Aid/CPR training
8. Provide applicants with OSHA Construction Safety Training
9. Provide a checklist on each applicant referred by Newark Works for solar panel
installation training which verifies that the applicant has successfully complied with items
two through eight above.
10. Provide applicants with two course books, training materials and construction tool kits
11. Cover registration/fee cost of “basic and advanced solar panel installation courses” at
NJIT

In addition, Newark Works should provide SPESTP participants with bus passes, remedial math
and English tutoring, counseling and mentoring, employment services and any other support
services currently available through Newark Works throughout the life of the SPESTP.

© 2009. Halsey Street Green Solutions. ALL Rights Reserved. Page 2

 Solar Panel Energy Savings & Training Project
The LB Electric Company, NJIT and HSGS

The LB Electric Company, NJIT and HSGS have collaborated to develop the following 20 week
solar panel installation program (described below) for trainees who have no previous electrical
construction experience. The solar panel installation training curriculum is a combination of
classroom and on-the-job training. In addition, the training is incentive based, with the salary
increases attached to the successful completion of every project milestones (e.g., completing
solar panel classroom training, passing the solar panel installation certification test, passing the
advanced solar panel installation certification test, etc.). Just as Workforce Development will
recruit, screen, test, select and provide courses and training material for up to 100 local
participants, the LB Electric Company will pay the salaries for the 100 project participants (i.e.,
ranging from 8 to 15 dollars per hour) for the life of the 20 week solar panel installation training
project.

SPESTP Program Components and Curriculum

Program Components

1. Pre-Construction & Electricity Basics (classroom training for electrical contract work)
(2 Weeks)
2. Basic Solar Panel Installation Classroom Training (2 Weeks)
3. Solar Panel On-The-Job Rooftop Training (16 Weeks)
4. Advanced Solar Panel Installation Classroom Training (Occurs evenings during week 12)

Curriculum

Weeks 1 & 2 – Pre-construction & electricity basics classroom training for electrical contract work

Classroom training will occur Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This course
will include: Practice Using Hand and Power Tools; Personal Protective and Lifesaving
Equipment; Health Hazards in Electrical Construction, Stairways and Ladders; Electricity
Basics Training: Math skills and use of scientific calculators; AC/DC fundamentals,
Ohm's Law; typical load and generation concepts; Matter, electron flow, and methods to
produce electromotive force; Relationships between voltage, ohms, amperes, three-
phase voltage, current and power in wye/delta circuits; The effects of resistors, inductors
and capacitors; Calculating single- and three-phase values; and Multi-meters used in lab
for problem solving work-related DC circuits.

Weeks 3 & 4 – Basic Solar Panel Installation Classroom Training

Classroom training will occur Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This course
will cover: Solar panel installation safety basics; Electricity basics; Solar energy
fundamentals; PV module fundamentals; system components; PV system electrical &
mechanical design; Plus hands on opportunities to: Use solar panel installation & voltage
measurement tools; Mount, install & cable solar panels; & Conduct performance analysis
& troubleshooting.

© 2009. Halsey Street Green Solutions. ALL Rights Reserved. Page 2

 Solar Panel Energy Savings & Training Project
Weeks 5 to 20 – Solar Panel On-The-Job Rooftop Training

During the on-the-job rooftop training component of the project participants will have
authentic opportunities to work with electricians and certified solar panel installers to learn
how to become competent solar panel installers. In this process the participants will
gradually move from being observers of the solar panel installation process to grounding,
installing and cabling solar under the watchful eye of an electrician or certified solar panel
installer.

Week 12 – Advanced Solar Panel Installation Classroom Training

Classroom training will occur Monday through Friday, 6 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. This course will
cover: Estimation and evaluation of grid-tied system production based on a given set of
system parameters; Determine the number of modules taking into account roof size,
obstructions, and money constraints; Determination of inter-row shading and lag bolt
calculations; Performance of advanced wire sizing with NEC & voltage drop calculations;
Size over-current protection and appropriately place disconnects; Design location for
combiner boxes, junction boxes, and series fusing boxes; Perform bus-bar calculations
with a given set of system parameters; List the appropriate safety concerns and OSHA
regulations given a job description; and Produce proper labeling required by the NEC.

Project Incentives & Pay Scale

During the classroom training phase of the solar panel installation training project (weeks 1
to 4) participants will receive $8.00 per hour. When the participants move into the on-the-
job rooftop phase of the project in week 5 they advance to $10.00 per hour. If they pass the
Basic Solar Panel Installation Certification test they advance to $12.50 per hour in week 8
of the 20 week training program. If they pass the Advanced Solar Panel Installation
Certification test they advance to $15.00 per hour in week 14 of the 20 week training
program.

Certifications Provided by SPESTP

• OSHA electrical construction safety training certification

• First Aid/CPR certification
• Basic solar panel installation training certification from NJIT
• Advanced solar panel installation training certification from NJIT
• Solar panel installation certification from the solar panel manufacturer

Support Materials Provided to Program Participants via Workforce Development

• Each program participant will receive a construction workers kit (e.g., tool belt
and basic tools, hardhat, goggles, safety gloves) = $150.00 each
• Each program participant will receive training material (2 Books, 2 CD-ROMS,
electrical experiment simulation kits, etc.) = $200.00 each
• Each program participant will receive a monthly bus pass for the 5 months of the
(20 Weeks) of the SPESTP training program.
• Veterans and prison re-entry program participants should have counseling and
mentoring services available to them to address their unique needs.

© 2009. Halsey Street Green Solutions. ALL Rights Reserved. Page 2