The initial ARRA money, issued to states based on their population, was released just about a year ago. The portion that came to Texas was ~$225 million, maximum grant amount was $2 million. Of the 215 grant applications that made the final cut probably 95% were from cities and ISDs. I had the good fortune to be chosen as one of ten evaluators statewide who had to read every one of the apps, at least specific portions. Of the 3 pages of specific items that evaluators were asked to grade on a scale of 1 to 5, none mentioned NABCEP as a requirement by the state. However a number of both cities and ISDs made NABCEP a requirement for qualifying as the chosen one to complete the installation. I didn't make a mental note of how many NABCEP qualified apps there were because it was not among the listed item of importance. Quite a few had it as a requirement as I recall. As an aside, several years ago a municipally owned electric utility in Texas wanted to make NABCEP a mandatory requirement for any 'qualified' installers of utility rebated residential or commercial PV installations. The city attorney noted that the first time an otherwise qualified installer challenged that requirement in court, the city would lose. They modified the requirement to require someone 'qualified to sit for the PV certification test' be employed by the installer. That seems to be the model followed by other munis, REPs and T&Ds offering rebates in Texas. NABCEP has emphasized this difference, licensed vs. certified, numerous times.
Jim Duncan North Texas Renewable Energy 486 W.N. Woody Road Azle Texas 76020 NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer No.031310-57 TECL 27398 [email protected] 817.917.0527 www.ntrei.com -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]on Behalf Of Allan Sindelar Sent: Sunday, September 19, 2010 11:22 AM To: RE-wrenches Subject: [RE-wrenches] ARRA Question Does anyone know if NABCEP is a requirement for any project that uses ARRA funding? Thank you, Allan -- Allan Sindelar [email protected] NABCEP Certified Photovoltaic Installer EE98J Journeyman Electrician Positive Energy, Inc. 3201 Calle Marie Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507 505 424-1112 www.positiveenergysolar.com
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