Solar Energy and Energy Transition Training Course

Participants can assess solar-resource data quality and select suitable yield inputs.

• Global horizontal irradiation, direct normal irradiation and diffuse irradiation definitions
• Read solar atlases, satellite datasets and ground measurement records
• Pyranometer and pyrheliometer measurements, calibration requirements and uncertainty sources
• Transposition models converting horizontal irradiation to plane-of-array irradiation
• Typical meteorological year datasets and interannual variability assessment methods
• Resource uncertainty ranges for P50, P75 and P90 energy estimates

Participants can select suitable PV technologies and identify critical component choices.

• Crystalline silicon, thin-film and bifacial module technology performance characteristics
• Module nameplate ratings, temperature coefficients and degradation warranty terms
• String inverters, central inverters and power conversion selection criteria
• Mounting structures: fixed-tilt, single-axis tracking and rooftop ballast systems
• Balance-of-system components: combiner boxes, cables, transformers and switchgear
• IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 module qualification requirements

Participants can screen solar sites against physical, legal and environmental constraints.

• Desktop site screening using irradiation, slope, access and proximity data
• Land tenure verification, easements, setbacks and competing land-use claims
• Topography, geotechnical conditions, flooding and drainage risk assessment
• Shading analysis from terrain, vegetation, buildings and future development
• Environmental and social impact assessment scope for solar developments
• Biodiversity, water, cultural heritage and community-impact mitigation measures

Participants can produce a preliminary PV layout and design basis.

• Design basis defining capacity, export limit, availability and operating conditions
• Array orientation, tilt angle, row spacing and ground-coverage ratio
• String sizing from module voltage ranges and inverter limits
• DC-to-AC ratio selection using clipping, yield and equipment costs
• Single-line diagrams showing arrays, inverters, transformers and grid connection
• IEC 62548 requirements for photovoltaic array design and installation

Participants can calculate a preliminary annual energy yield and document assumptions.

• Plane-of-array irradiation calculations using site coordinates and system orientation
• Performance ratio calculation from irradiation, output and rated capacity
• Model temperature, soiling, shading, mismatch and wiring losses
• Availability, inverter efficiency, transformer losses and auxiliary consumption assumptions
• Degradation curves and lifetime energy forecasts for financial models
• PVsyst yield-report structure, loss diagrams and assumption review

Participants can review key electrical design, protection and safety requirements.

• DC and AC cable sizing using current, voltage-drop and thermal limits
• Earthing systems, lightning protection and surge protection device selection
• Protection coordination between inverters, transformers and utility network equipment
• Arc-flash hazards, isolation procedures and lockout-tagout controls
• IEC 60364 requirements relevant to low-voltage photovoltaic installations
• Commissioning tests, as-built records and safety documentation requirements

Participants can assess solar grid-connection requirements and integration risks.

• Connection studies covering load flow, fault level and voltage control
• Grid-code requirements for frequency response, reactive power and ride-through
• Curtailment drivers: network congestion, system balancing and dispatch constraints
• Interconnection application data, utility studies and connection agreement milestones
• Assess export limits, behind-the-meter consumption and reverse-power flow
• Forecasting solar output for dispatch, scheduling and balancing operations

Participants can determine when battery storage improves a solar project's value proposition.

• Battery storage services: time shifting, peak shaving and frequency response
• Lithium-ion battery architecture, state-of-charge and usable-capacity concepts
• Size storage using load profiles, solar generation and tariff periods
• Round-trip efficiency, cycle life, degradation and augmentation assumptions
• Dispatch strategies under export caps, demand charges and price signals
• Fire safety, thermal management and battery-container siting requirements

Participants can compare onsite solar and corporate procurement routes for electricity buyers.

• Load-profile analysis using interval demand, tariff and consumption data
• Self-consumption, net billing, net metering and export compensation structures
• Behind-the-meter solar design under roof, demand and export constraints
• Corporate power purchase agreements: physical, sleeved and virtual structures
• Additionality, renewable energy certificates and emissions-accounting treatment
• Compare ownership, lease, energy-as-a-service and third-party financing models

Participants can plan development workstreams, approvals and decision gates for solar projects.

• Development timeline from origination through notice to proceed
• Permit register covering land, planning, environmental, construction and operating approvals
• Critical-path analysis for surveys, utility studies and statutory consultations
• Land-option agreements, lease provisions and access-rights documentation
• Community engagement plans addressing concerns, benefits and grievance channels
• Stage-gate decisions supported by evidence, risk closure and investment approvals

Participants can build a project financial model for a solar investment decision.

• CAPEX breakdown: modules, inverters, structures, civil works and interconnection
• OPEX assumptions for maintenance, insurance, land rent and asset management
• Revenue models using tariffs, merchant prices and contracted escalators
• Model debt sizing, interest, repayment schedules and debt-service coverage
• Calculate NPV, IRR, payback period and levelised cost of electricity
• Sensitivity analysis for irradiation, CAPEX, degradation, curtailment and prices

Participants can identify the technical and commercial evidence needed for investment approval.

• Bankability criteria for technology, counterparties, contracts and project controls
• Independent engineer reviews of design, yield, schedule and budget assumptions
• P50 and P90 cases within lender base-case assessment
• Due diligence data rooms, document indexes and evidence-quality checks
• Debt-service coverage ratios, reserve accounts and lender covenant concepts
• Investment-committee papers linking returns, risks, mitigations and approval conditions

Participants can compare solar contracting structures and identify material risk allocation points.

• EPC contract scopes, fixed-price terms and completion guarantees
• Engineering, procurement and construction interfaces under multi-package delivery
• Power purchase agreement terms: price, tenor, settlement and curtailment
• O&M agreements covering availability, response times and performance reporting
• Liquidated damages for delay, output shortfall and performance failures
• Contract risk matrix assigning responsibility for grid, land and force majeure

Participants can prepare a solar tender evaluation approach and supplier-selection recommendation.

• Request-for-proposal scope defining technical, commercial and submission requirements
• Bidder prequalification using financial capacity, experience and safety records
• Technical bid evaluation against design, yield and quality criteria
• Normalise commercial bids for exclusions, contingencies, taxes and escalation
• Reference checks, factory audits and supply-chain traceability reviews
• Award recommendation documenting scoring, clarifications and negotiated departures

Participants can plan construction controls and quality checks for solar project delivery.

• Construction schedules linking procurement, civil works, installation and energisation
• Quality inspection plans for piling, mounting, cabling and terminations
• Factory acceptance tests and site acceptance tests for electrical equipment
• Monitor installation progress using earned value and milestone reporting
• Nonconformance reports, corrective actions and punch-list closeout procedures
• Construction health and safety plans for lifting, electrical and working-at-height risks

Participants can define operational performance controls and maintenance priorities for PV assets.

• Commissioning sequence from pre-energisation inspection through performance testing
• IEC 62446-1 documentation, verification and testing for PV systems
• SCADA architecture, data points, alarms and cybersecurity access controls
• Availability calculation, performance-ratio monitoring and loss categorisation
• Preventive maintenance plans for modules, inverters, transformers and trackers
• Fault diagnosis using trend data, thermography and IV-curve testing

Participants can manage solar project risks through construction, operations and retirement.

• Risk register structure using probability, impact, owner and mitigation actions
• Assess climate hazards including heat, hail, wind, flooding and wildfire
• Supply-chain due diligence for labour, materials provenance and supplier conduct
• Module recycling, inverter replacement and decommissioning cost provisions
• Repowering decisions based on degradation, technology improvement and grid capacity
• Report environmental, social and governance performance using project indicators

Participants can position solar investments within an organisational energy-transition roadmap.

• Portfolio screening across sites using demand, tariffs, roofs and land
• Marginal abatement cost curves comparing solar with efficiency and storage
• Sequence solar investments against grid upgrades, contracts and capital constraints
• Scenario planning for policy change, price volatility and technology costs
• Decarbonisation roadmap milestones, governance roles and performance indicators
• Board reporting linking energy resilience, emissions and financial outcomes

Participants can build, review and present a complete solar project assessment with an investment recommendation.

• Define project objectives, boundaries, stakeholders and decision criteria
• Develop site, resource, yield and preliminary design assumptions
• Build CAPEX, OPEX, revenue, financing and sensitivity model inputs
• Compile permitting, grid, construction, operational and ESG risk registers
• Review project evidence against technical, commercial and investment criteria
• Present recommendation, implementation plan, approval conditions and next actions