Why is NABCEP Important for a Commercial Electrical Company?
The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners® AKA -NABCEP®, is an organization dedicated to the certification of renewable energy professionals. It provides credentials and certifications for industrial and commercial electricians as well as other professionals, specialists, and novices working with photovoltaics (such as solar storage systems), solar heating, and small wind technologies.
NABCEP was founded in 2002 as a non-profit 501 (c)(6) corporation. Its mission is “to support, and work with, the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries, professionals, and stakeholders to develop and implement quality credentialing and certification programs for practitioners.”

Why NABCEP Is Important
NABCEP works with hundreds of renewable energy industry subject matter experts (SMEs) to develop NABCEP’s Board Certifications and Associate credentials. NABCEP heavily relies on these volunteer SMEs working in the industry to create Board Certifications that focus on practical, real-world experience. With their help, the NABCEP has developed and provided eight board certification programs and three associate credentials.
NABCEP holds all NABCEP Board Certified Professionals and Associate credential holders to high standards of professional and ethical practice. NABCEP’s Code of Ethics & Standard of Conduct safeguards the integrity of the industry. NABCEP is also the only certification organization in the industry with an enforceable code of ethics, The organization gives renewable energy customers a way to hold unethical installers accountable for their actions. Renewable energy customers who hire a NABCEP Board Certified Professional ensure that any reported violation will be investigated and if wrongdoing occurred, take disciplinary action.
NABCEP Board Certification Credentials
The NABCEP board certification credentials are earned by demonstrating knowledge, experience, training, and passing a challenging exam. There are the certification programs NABCEP provides:
- PV Installation Professional (PVIP) Certification
- PV Design Specialist (PVDS) Certification
- PV Installer Specialist (PVIS) Certification
- PV Commissioning & Maintenance (PVCMS) Certification
- PV Technical Sales (PVTS) Certification
- PV System Inspector (PVSI)[6] Certification
- Solar Heating Installer (SHI) Certification
- Solar Heating System Inspector (SHSI) Certification, and
- NABCEP Company Accreditation
NABCEP Associate Credentials
The NABCEP Associate Program recognizes individuals who have demonstrated knowledge of the fundamental principles of the application, design, installation, and operation of Photovoltaic, Solar Heating, or Small Wind energy systems.
An individual earns a NABCEP Associate Credential (NABCEP Photovoltaic Associate™, NABCEP Solar Heating Associate™, or NABCEP Small Wind Associate™ by passing an exam based on the NABCEP Associate Job Task Analysis (JTA) or Learning Objectives.
- The benefits of earning these credentials beyond the proven professional competence in these areas include:
- Qualifies that individual to design, sell, install, or maintain systems in a supervised capacity.
- Lists them in the online Associate Directory so that potential customers can find qualified individuals working with that technology as well as their credential type, number, and expiration date.
- Allows the company to use the applicable NABCEP Trademark on their website and promotional materials.

Tri-State Electrical Contractors Is a NABCEP Photovoltaic Associate
Tri-State Electrical has earned the NABCEP Photovoltaic Associate credentials in order to better serve our commercial and industrial solar storage solution customers. For more information, or to get a quote for a solar storage installation give us a call at (423) 800-2134, fill out our simple online form, or email us at info@tristateec.com today.
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