NABCEP PV case studies
NABCEP PV · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The NABCEP PV Installation Professional (PVIP) Board Certification is a professional credential for people who design, install, and commission solar photovoltaic systems in the field. It is aimed at working installers, lead installers, crew supervisors, designers, and technical managers who want independent verification of their competence rather than a training certificate alone. The NABCEP PV case studies are 5 cases and about 4,007 words.
1The 9.2 kW Quote on a 5.2 kW Roof
A 40 ft × 16 ft south-facing roof plane (dimensions taken on the roof surface) with a 4:12 pitch on a 1990s ranch is the only viable array location. The homeowner's signed quote, generated from a satellite design app, promises 9.2 kW using 400 W modules (78.5 in × 39.5 in).
868 words, about 4 min2String Sizing at −18 °C with Bifacial Gain
A customer signs for 20 × 550 W bifacial modules on a ground mount, all on one south plane, feeding a 7.6 kW single-phase string inverter with two MPPTs. Module data: Voc 49.6 V, Vmp 41.7 V, Isc 14.0 A, Imp 13.2 A, βVoc −0.25%/°C.
768 words, about 4 min3The Busbar Nobody Checked
Permit-approved design: 10.4 kW array, 10 kW inverter, 60 A 2-pole PV breaker backfed into an existing 200 A residential panel. The array is mounted and the DC is landed; the crew is ready to make the AC connection.
763 words, about 4 min40.9 MΩ at Handover
Commissioning a 10.8 kW residential system: 24 × 450 W modules, two strings of 12, one string per MPPT of a 10 kW string inverter, ground mount 120 ft from the house. Conditions are clear, 31 °C, 980 W/m².
775 words, about 4 min5Six kWh a Day Vanished
A three-year-old 8.4 kW system: two strings of 10 × 420 W modules, one string per MPPT of a string inverter. Last June it made 34–36 kWh/day; this June it peaks at 26 kWh/day on clear days with no fault codes and no change to the tariff or the load.
833 words, about 4 min