Solar Construction 101 follows a commercial or utility-scale solar project from the moment it is cleared for construction through to a built, tested and energized system. It is written for people who need to understand what actually happens on a solar site — not a general construction-management course with solar examples bolted on.
What you will learn
- What “ready for construction” means in practice, and how to tell when a project is not.
- How to read a construction package and identify who owns which part of the scope.
- The full construction sequence, from mobilization through energization.
- How rooftop, ground-mount and carport builds differ in sequence, crew and risk.
- How to follow the power through a system — DC side, AC side and interconnection.
- Where cost and schedule actually get lost, and how change is managed in the field.
- The difference between mechanical and substantial completion, and why it decides when you get paid.
Course outline — 24 lessons
- What Happens During Solar Construction?
- The Solar Construction Team
- The Three Major Non-Residential Solar Project Types
- What Does “Ready for Construction” Really Mean?
- Reading the Construction Package
- Scope of Work- Who Owns What?
- Construction Sequence- From Mobilization to Energization
- Building a Commercial Rooftop Solar Project
- Building a Ground-Mount Solar Project
- Building a Solar Carport or Canopy
- Following the Power- DC Side
- Following the Power- AC Side
- Interconnection Construction
- Construction Schedule and Critical Path
- Construction Cost Control
- Managing Changes in the Field
- Construction Meetings and Reporting
- Milestone Payments
- Solar Construction Safety
- Quality Control- Building It Right the First Time
- Common Solar Construction Problems
- Mechanical Completion vs Substantial Completion
- Testing and Commissioning
- Project Closeout
Who this course is for
Project managers and coordinators moving into solar from other construction sectors. Developers, financiers and asset managers who need to understand what their EPC is doing and why the schedule looks the way it does. Field staff stepping into a first supervisory role. Anyone whose job touches a solar build without having run one.
What you need to know first
Nothing. The course assumes no prior solar experience. If you want the underlying technology first, Solar 101 covers how photovoltaic systems work and what the major components do.
What comes next
Solar Construction 101 is the foundation of an eight-course construction track. From here, Construction Planning and Field Execution goes deeper on scheduling and daily field management, Solar Construction Budgets on cost control, and the Engineering, Procurement & Construction Agreement course on the contract that governs the whole build.
The course is free. Create an account to start.