The National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee for the Electrical Industry (NJATC) — a joint program of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) established 58 years ago — has been training journeymen in the design and installation of solar energy systems for more than a decade. Now it has another resource to add to its training repertoire. According to NJATC, “Photovoltaic Systems” is the first comprehensive guide in the industry to focus on the installation of commercial and residential solar energy systems.
“Renewable resources, such as solar power, have become increasingly important, but no authoritative reference to the design, installation, and evaluation of photovoltaic (PV) systems existed within the industry,” says Todd Stafford, senior director of instrumentation, alternative energy, and International Training Center operations for NJATC. “This work is not just the first but the only textbook currently available in the field.”
Authored by Jim Dunlop, a renewable energy expert and curriculum specialist for NJATC, with Stafford serving as technical editor, the new publication covers the principles of photovoltaics — the direct conversion of solar energy into electricity — and how to effectively incorporate it into stand-alone or utility-connected electrical systems. Detailed illustrations clarify the concepts behind PV-system operation, while photographs of actual installations show how components are integrated to form complete PV systems. An accompanying CD-ROM offers interactive worksheets, quizzes, calculators, video clips, and animated graphics depicting PV principles and operation, and links to additional resources. The work is published and available through American Technical Publications.
For more information, visit www.njatc.com.
