The rise of Solar PV has seen many electricians looking to enhance and expand their skillsets in order to be able stay ahead of the game and move into a less competitive market that is growing fast.
However one of the biggest questions we get asked is whether or not an electrician should be getting involved in the fitting of the panels at height on a roof?
It is important to note that although an installation must be supervised by an MCS accredited electrician the fitting of the panels to the roof does not have to be carried out by the MCS accredited person. However if you are responsible for supervising the installation, it is advisable to know what is involved in fitting the panels and the various issues that you may have to deal with in connecting the panels through the roof.
If you are planning on setting up as a small independent MCS accredited PV installation company, then you will probably want to be involved in fitting the panels to the roof to keep costs low in those early days. Due to the size and weight of most PV panels you will never fit them alone so it is likely you will partner with someone who has roofing experience to complete the install. As your company grows you may employ more roofers to fit panels whilst you focus on connecting the panels to the national grid.
There is a strong argument that you should let the roofers do what they do best while you get on with the electrics and this is a very valid one. This is partly why so many roofers are now training in how to fit PV panels. We are also aware of many larger PV companies that have lots of roofing contractors, however they really need experienced electricians and these are still in short supply.
So should an electrician get on a roof? There is no simple answer to this question as it really depends on your plans and goals, however more knowledge is never a bad thing and we would always advise training in the roofing side of Solar PV installation alongside your technical electrical training.
I think the question is best answered if we break it down by goal:
Do you want to set up your own company? – Then yes you may want to start being heavily involved in all aspects of the install.
Do you simply want to work for someone else? – Then you may not need to get on the roof however some knowledge of what’s involved would go a long way.
In either case it’s more beneficial to have knowledge of how the panels are fitted to the roof even if you will not be doing the fitting day to day.
At Trade Skills 4U we offer a range of Solar PV courses the majority of which feature training on our full size training roof.