SuperSolarSchool
The core training for anyone serious about a solar career. In five days, SuperSolarSchool takes you from the fundamentals to designing, installing and commissioning real PV systems, and sets you up for the PV GreenCard, South Africa's recognised installer qualification.
Description
SuperSolarSchool is GREEN Solar Academy's flagship training, a five-day course that builds everything you need to work as a solar installer, from theory to hands-on system design and commissioning.
You'll cover the full picture: how PV systems work, how to size and plan them for real customers, how to install them safely and correctly, and how to manage projects from site survey to sign-off. Training happens in a fully equipped workshop, with real components and real systems, not just slides and diagrams.
Developed together with the DGS (German Solar Energy Society), SuperSolarSchool is endorsed by SAPVIA as a 5-day PV GreenCard training course. GREEN Solar Academy also offers the SAPVIA PV GreenCard Assessment, allowing you to complete both your training and assessment journey with us. The assessment is NOT included in this course and must be booked separately, but completing SuperSolarSchool gives you the strongest possible foundation to pass it.
SuperSolarSchool builds the foundation for a long-term career in solar. The skills you gain here prepare you for the PV GreenCard Assessment and create a strong base for advanced courses such as Commercial PV Design, Compliance for PV Systems, or PV System O&M as you progress.
Target Audience
SuperSolarSchool is for anyone who wants a serious, structured start in solar PV:
- Technically inclined newcomers to solar, including career changers
- Electricians and electrical engineers moving into solar installation
- Employees of solar companies who need a solid technical foundation
- Entrepreneurs and business founders entering the solar market
- Installers working towards the SAPVIA PV GreenCard qualification (assessment not included)
Main Topics
Days 1 & 2 - Foundations and System Knowledge
- Electrotechnical basics: series and parallel connections, current, voltage, I-V characteristic curves
- PV system concepts: stand-alone, grid-tied, hybrid, back-up
- PV system components including batteries and data sheet reading
- Basics of grid-tied PV system installation
Day 3 - Hands-On Installation
- Site preparation, tools and equipment
- Practical installation of a grid-tied PV system including commissioning
- Routine inspections, data capturing, testing, troubleshooting
Days 4 & 5 - O&M, Planning and PV GreenCard preparation
- Operation and maintenance
- Site survey and on-site inspection
- Planning and design of grid-tied systems with and without battery storage
- Industry key figures and business opportunities
- SAPVIA PV GreenCard Assessment preparation
Accreditation
Prerequisites
SuperSolarSchool moves at a brisk pace. NQF level 4 and maths skills at matric level are necessary; math literacy is not sufficient to fully follow the course content.
Not sure if you're ready? Do the self-evaluation here before registering. If the level proves too difficult after you've started, the course fee cannot be refunded, so it's worth checking first.
If the self-evaluation suggests you're not quite ready yet, we recommend starting with Solar 101: it covers PV fundamentals with fewer calculations and builds a solid base before you step up to SuperSolarSchool.
To prepare, you can also watch our PV basics video playlist on YouTube.
NOTE: A participant must have an attendance rate of at least 90% in order for GREEN Solar Academy to issue a certificate of attendance.
Registration Process
When you click on REGISTER, you will need to provide all of your particulars in order to be issued with a pro-forma invoice. Your attendance of any training or assessment can only be confirmed on full payment of the invoice. Please consult our T&Cs for more information.
Your Next Step
SuperSolarSchool is the foundation, but staying competitive in the solar market means continuing to build. Here's where most of our graduates go next:
- Get certified. The SAPVIA PV GreenCard Assessment is the natural next step after SuperSolarSchool. It's the qualification that lets you work as a recognised installer in South Africa - and it's what the whole training has been preparing you for.
- Move into commercial projects. Commercial PV Design takes your skills into larger, more complex systems and opens the door to higher-value work.
- Switch from manual to software design. The PV*SOL Live Webinar is shows you how to use PV*SOL Premium design software to do a project design, a natural follow-on if you want to make use of the design skills introduced in this course.