Course Description for Bright Solar Futures/Solar Power CTE Offering
Bright Solar Futures is a three-year CTE program that prepares students for career opportunities in the solar energy and weatherization industries. The program gives participants a working understanding of the overall solar energy industry, solar energy system installation, electricity fundamentals, energy efficiency and conservation, work site safety, and job readiness. Career pathways are explored throughout. The course includes in-class learning, lab-based hands-on training, field trips, and instructional visits from subject matter experts. The full program prepares students for opportunities to obtain industry recognized professional credentials including the NABCEP Associates and the OSHA 10 Construction Safety certification. Graduates are supported with internships and job opportunities.
Important Notes About the Program
- Lessons are in the recommended order by industry professionals who have had experience teaching the content. The order is flexible and can be restructured by the teaching staff as needed based on personal experience.
- Field trips are a very important part of the experience for students. Since local resources, transportation, logistics for class size, insurance and other considerations must be considered, these are not specifically cited in the curriculum but highly endorsed.
- Guest teachers from the solar industry play a significant role in bringing the real work to the lab setting when trips are not possible. This is very important in providing for additional perspectives from experienced professionals. Guest teachers in this program provide additional hands-on experiences. The experience and background of the teachers involved also influence the need for professional demonstration and practice.
- Many of the 10th and 11th grade lesson plans are the same to accommodate new students in a given cohort who have been allowed to join the course in 11th grade for the first time.
- Lesson plan topics are often linked to the same lesson plan over the three years . The plans are often meant to provide resources for the teacher on a topic. It is up to the teacher to decide what and how much to teach depending on the background and skill levels of the students.
- Teachers of this curriculum are encouraged to make this curriculum their own. They may choose to use other lesson plans to build more knowledge in a specific area of interest. For example, if there is a need to cover additional ground on a topic like renewable vs. finite energy sources, teachers should feel free to do so.
- Weatherization is presented as a separate quarter. This is arbitrary. In the original pilot for this course, energy efficiency and weatherization was interspersed with the solar curriculum since many topics overlap in their content. This decision may also be influenced by the availability in the lab of complex equipment such as a blower door and a sample house set up.
- Given that several writers over two years helped to create this curriculum, you will find some variation in how lessons are formatted and presented. Every attempt was made to follow the best practices cited later in this introduction.
- Assessment should be on-going and tied to hands-on work. While quizzes and exams may find a place in this program, rubrics for demonstrated knowledge has shown to be the most effective for students. Rubrics for demonstrated work with constructive, guided feedback has been successful
- The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners® (NABCEP®) Associate Credential is the goal for all students in the program. Teachers can find up-to-date information about certification and the NABCEP exam in the NABCEP Associate Handbook and at the NABCEP certifications web site. One of the recommended study prep courses/approaches used in the Philadelphia pilot is the author of one of the solar texts, Sean White. This and other resources, several without cost, are also available, such as the NABCEP PV Associate Practice Exam. In the original pilot, application and fees were covered by the school district. Further reading: Why Get an Associate Credential?
Solar Energy Technology I (10th Grade)
In this first year, students will learn the fundamental aspects of solar energy and weatherization. The course is foundational in the concepts of renewable energy, energy efficiency and construction safety practice. The course also presents an introductory understanding of different types of energy systems, solar installation techniques, solar sales and economics, electricity basics, and building science. Students receive instructor led, lab-based, hands-on experience utilizing solar and energy efficiency components and tools. Their insight into these concepts will be enhanced with field trips to existing solar energy systems and live installation sites in the local area. Students are introduced to the various career choices in the solar/weatherization fields.
Solar Energy Technology II (11th Grade)
Since new students may enroll in 11th grade, students thoroughly review the fundamental skills from solar power I with an emphasis on demonstrating specific skill in performing solar installation. This includes battery-based systems, weatherization, safety and related building work. In year two, the teaching goes deeper. There is in-depth learning to manage and design solar projects and demonstrate use of current computer supported design programs. Additionally, students learn how to conduct quality assurance inspections and site surveys, to maintain and test equipment, and to describe the “House as a System” framework in more depth. During this year, students explore the variety of industry careers that are available in the solar and energy efficiency sectors.
Solar Energy Technology III (12th Grade)
All fundamental skills for solar installation and weatherization introduced in Year I and II are reinforced and connected to direct application of skills. In work groups, students form their own solar company as the platform for presenting their solar and weatherization skills via Capstone projects. Students perform hands-on demonstrations for assembly of photovoltaic system components and conducting effective home energy and weatherproofing audits. They will also demonstrate solar energy system sizing and design principles along with a comprehensive understanding of the overall solar installation process. Students will perform weatherization tasks including installing air sealing, moisture barriers, and insulation application techniques.
The 4th quarter of Year III is devoted to presentation of work and preparation for the NABCEP PV Associate Exam and Certification. The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners® (NABCEP®) is the most respected, well-established and widely recognized certification organization for professionals in the field of renewable energy. One of the recommended study prep courses/approaches used in the Philadelphia pilot is the author of one of the solar texts, Sean White. This and other resources, several without cost, are also available, such as the NABCEP PV Associate Practice Exam. In the original pilot, application and fees were covered by the school district.