Learn how solar energy works, how projects move from opportunity to operation, and how development, engineering, finance, construction, legal, and asset management come together to get them built. Free, self-paced training designed for anyone looking to understand or work in the solar industry.
Understand how solar projects come together—from technology and development to finance, construction, and long-term operations.
Understand the fundamentals of solar PV, from sunlight and modules to inverters, electricity, and the grid.
Follow a project from origination and site selection through development, financing, construction, and operations.
Meet the developers, engineers, attorneys, financiers, contractors, utilities, asset managers, and other professionals involved.
Explore the disciplines and careers behind solar projects and identify the areas you want to learn more about.
Stop guessing what you need to know and let industry veterans help you succeed
Solar projects require far more than installers. Professionals across business, engineering, finance, law, construction, operations, and energy markets all play a role in turning an opportunity into an operating energy asset.
You don’t need an engineering degree or previous solar experience. Solar Energy 101 is designed to give anyone a practical foundation in how the industry works.
Build a practical foundation across the technology, project types, economics, lifecycle, and people that make the solar industry work.
Take your foundation further with focused training across the disciplines that bring solar projects from opportunity to operation.
Maximize Project Performance
Learn how operating projects are monitored, maintained, and optimized. Explore performance guarantees, reporting, contract administration, warranty management, and risk mitigation.
Find and Qualify New Opportunities
Learn how renewable energy projects are sourced, evaluated, and advanced into the development pipeline. Explore lead generation, site qualification and opportunity screening.
Navigate Contracts, Risk, and Rights
Understand the agreements and legal frameworks that support project development. Explore site control, leases, easements, PPAs, EPC contracts, and risk allocation.
Turn Ideas Into Technical Solutions
Learn the technical principles behind renewable energy project design. Explore feasibility studies, production modeling, equipment selection, electrical systems, and engineering best practices.
Bring Projects From Plans to Reality
Discover how renewable energy projects are built safely and efficiently. Learn about procurement, scheduling, quality control, commissioning, and project execution.
Understand How Power Is Valued
Explore the markets and regulations that shape renewable energy projects. Learn about utility tariffs, wholesale markets, renewable energy credits, net metering, and grid operations.
From Concept to Construction
Learn how developers coordinate site control, permitting, interconnection, financing, and stakeholder management to transform opportunities into operating renewable energy assets.
Solar energy is energy from sunlight that can be converted into electricity or heat. Solar photovoltaic systems use semiconductor cells within solar modules to convert sunlight directly into electricity.
Solar cells produce direct-current electricity when sunlight interacts with semiconductor material inside the cell. An inverter then converts that DC electricity into alternating-current electricity used by buildings and the electric grid.
Most systems include solar modules, racking or mounting equipment, inverters, electrical wiring and equipment, monitoring systems, and a connection to a building or electric grid. Some projects also include battery energy storage.
The categories primarily differ in size, location, customers, ownership structures, and how electricity is consumed or sold. Residential and commercial projects are often located behind the customer's utility meter, while community and utility-scale projects commonly export electricity to the grid.
No. Solar companies employ professionals in development, sales, finance, law, construction, project management, operations, policy, marketing, engineering, procurement and many other fields.
Roles span origination, project development, engineering, finance, legal, construction, procurement, project management, asset management, operations, energy markets and executive leadership.
A learner can build a useful conceptual foundation relatively quickly. Developing professional expertise depends on the role, but understanding the basic technology, terminology and project lifecycle is an excellent starting point.
Yes. The Energy Academy provides free access to its renewable-energy learning platform and solar training resources. The broader site likewise positions the Academy as free renewable-energy education.
