Sustainable Energy Action Committee > Clean Energy Clearinghouse

Clean Energy Educational Resources

No matter where you find yourself in your career, all clean energy stakeholders—including authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs), fire departments, clean energy contractors, manufacturers and suppliers, electric utilities, building owners, facility managers, and others—benefit from current and timely information related to renewable energy developments. This Clean Energy Clearinghouse offers access to free educational resources and CEU bearing courses to make sure you have the information you need, when you need it. 

Please note: You may have to scroll down on some CEU bearing course links in order to access all relevant information.

EMPOWERED Solutions Clean Energy Question of the Week

Check out this week’s question and answer below. Come back each Monday to explore something new about distributed energy resources. Read previous questions and answers about solar, storage, electric vehicles, and efficient building technology here.

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Why is it important during the permit review of a rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system to understand structural elements of the design?

Code official and plans examiner review and approval of a solar PV system plan impacts the safety of the final installation. As a result, an accurate and comprehensive review is critical before issuing a permit. When it comes to the structural elements of a solar PV plan, you will want to focus on fire safety, structural attachments, and weather sealing.

Learn More:

In our free course on CleanEnergyTraining.org, Structural Elements: Plan Review & Permitting of Residential Rooftop Solar PV Systems, you will learn a three-phased approach to analyzing the compliance of structural attachments: 1) a prescriptive process that works for many systems when criteria for the area have been determined; 2) using a rafter span table for systems that don’t meet the determined criteria; and 3) understanding when an engineered drawing of the system should be required. You will also gain an understanding of how to distinguish between access pathways and setbacks to ensure safe and unobstructed access to solar panels for firefighters. Finally, you will learn to look for weather sealing details in the plan and base on what is acceptable for your jurisdiction according to the area climate conditions. 

This course serves as an introduction to a series that covers the permitting process for a residential solar PV system. Start today and gain the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively and efficiently inspect these types of systems in your jurisdiction.

Category: Solar
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Training Solutions from EMPOWERED Partner: Southface Institute

  • Model Codes and Distributed Energy Resources (Free CEU Online Course). Model codes set the standards for buildings and infrastructure. They are key to understanding distributed energy resources (DERs; solar panels, electric vehicles, and home weatherization, etc.) that consumers use to generate and manage energy on site.
  • Utilities, DERs, and Interconnection (Interactive PDF; Article). In this course, learn about the role of distributed energy resources (DERs) in the energy sector and interconnected processes with utilities. Homeowners, government officials, developers, and other community members can benefit from understanding the changing dynamics between utilities and (DERs) on the customer end of utility transmission and distribution systems.
  • High Performance Building Solutions: HVAC and Mechanical Code Training (Free CEU Online Course). Code officials must understand high-performance HVAC and mechanical systems to effectively address issues with inconsistent code compliance that occur when these systems are renovated or replaced. Learn how to select and assess proper installation and verification of HVAC and mechanical systems prior to adding other distributed energy resources.
  • High Performance Building Solutions: Building Envelope Code Training (Free CEU Online Course). Use of distributed energy resources (DERs) is growing in small to mid-sized commercial buildings, driven by incentives like the Inflation Reduction Act. Architects and code officials must know the fundamentals of design, specification, and verification of high-performance building envelopes. This training will comprehensively address commercial high-performance building envelopes, including benefits and key code considerations.

Solar (PV)

Energy Storage

High Performance Buildings

Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment

Two people examine building plans.

Permitting and Inspection

CEU-Bearing Training Opportunities

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Bookmark this page and check back frequently. It will be continuously updated and we hope it will become your go-to place to learn about clean energy technologies, how to ensure safe operation of equipment and systems, associated safe work practices, and applicable codes. 

Need more information, have questions, feedback, or suggestions for future resources? Contact us at [email protected].

The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) in partnership with the International Code Council, International Association of Electrical Inspectors, National Association of State Fire Marshals, Slipstream, Florida Solar Energy Center, South-Central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource, Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, New Buildings Institute, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, Southface Institute, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory assembled these resources to provide you with up-to-date, reliable, vetted information and training related to existing and emerging technologies.