Installers are the backbone of the ever-changing solar industry. Whether it is bifacial panels, string inverters or the latest battery energy storage systems, solar and storage technology can be a lot to keep up with. That’s why you and your team need to attend Mountain West’s Installer Day.
Wednesday, March 1, 2023
7:30 – 9:00 am
Registration
LOWER LEVEL 2
10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Expo Hall Open
COLORADO BALLROOM
8:00 – 9:00 am
Breakfast and Networking
LOWER LEVEL 2
9:00 – 9:30 am
Energy, water, and preserving natural resources in the Mountain West
DENVER BALLROOM
Featured Speaker: KC Becker–Region 8 Administrator, EPA
9:30 – 10:30 am
PV Installation Best Practices
PENROSE BALLROOM A
Presented by:
The good, the bad, and the ugly: gain insight on how to do it right, save on installation time and labor, and avoid unnecessary call-backs and red-tags from your AHJ or utility. A fun-filled presentation on residential, commercial, and utility-scale PV systems that will make you groan, gasp, and, at the same time, have some “a-ha” moments.
10:30 – 11:00 am
Coffee Break and Networking
COLORADO BALLROOM
11:00 – 12:00 pm
Commercial Interconnection Options
PENROSE BALLROOM A
Presented by:
Are you an experienced residential PV system designer, installer, project manager, or electrician looking to move into larger-scale systems? This presentation will introduce the important concepts you’ll need to understand in order to successfully design and interconnect PV systems to a three-phase utility grid. We will review the most common three-phase utility configurations and cover what kinds of information is needed from a site in order to be able to complete a commercial system design. We will also look at different examples of commercial switchgear, and discuss methods for how and where to interconnect a PV system on larger commercial sites. Additionally, we will provide an overview of the different types of equipment that you are likely to be using. Join us for this hour-long presentation to get an overview of what you’ll encounter when working on larger-scale PV systems.
New building performance and electrification requirements in Denver!
PENROSE BALLROOM B
Presented by:
Learn about Denver’s existing building energy performance requirements and how building owners can use renewable power generation to fill the gaps for their 2030 energy targets. The session will also cover Denver’s new building code changes to get the city’s buildings working towards partial electrification of their space and water heating equipment.
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Lunch and Networking
COLORADO BALLROOM
1:30 – 2:30 pm
2023 NEC® Changes Affecting PV and Energy Storage Systems
PENROSE BALLROOM A
Presented by:
Join Solar Energy International for a discussion of changes in the 2023 NEC®. Regardless of the version of the National Electrical Code enforced in your jurisdiction, the Code drives industry-wide best practices and product development cycles of manufacturers; it is critical for installers, designers, manufacturers, engineers, developers, and building officials to stay current. This presentation will focus on critical updates and changes that impact PV system design and installation for all types of applications – including energy storage systems – ranging from off-grid, to interactive PV systems on buildings, up to utility-scale solar farms. There are some great updates that will help reduce system cost while maintaining safety – you need to know what they are to take advantage; and there’s some updates that may end up adding cost – and you need to know the best ways to deal with them. Bring questions if you have them and be ready for some fun talking Code.
Let’s Talk About the Trades: Workforce Strategies & Resources
PENROSE BALLROOM B
Presented by:
Instructor: Marilyn Akers Stansbury, CEO, Independent Electrical Contractors Rocky Mountain
This session will address workforce challenges facing skilled trades. What has happened the last several years in the trades workforce and where are we now? The job market is different now, where should I be going and what should I be looking for my next employee? What can and should I be doing to retain my employees?
3:00 – 4:00 pm
Worker Safety – NFPA 70E
PENROSE BALLROOM A
Presented by:
Most of us are familiar with the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70), but did you know this document is part of a trilogy of standards – intended to be used together – to ensure maximum safety for electrical installations? In this one-hour course focused on worker safety, we will look into a different and perhaps lesser-known part of this trio: the Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace (NFPA 70E). Using this standard as our guide, we will discuss how to identify and assess electrical hazards and risks, and we will review the “Hierarchy of Risk Control Methods” to understand different strategies for hazard risk reduction. We will also review lockout-tagout principles, shock and arc flash boundaries, and we’ll discuss how to select the right PPE for the task at hand. There are many strategies and opportunities for reducing hazards and maintaining a safe working environment for employees, and understanding NFPA 70E is the key to creating safe working areas.
4:00 – 4:30 pm
Coffee Break and Networking
COLORADO BALLROOM
4:30 – 5:30 pm
A Look at Lithium-ion Battery Types and Considerations
PENROSE BALLROOM A
Presented by:
Lithium-ion battery technologies are advancing rapidly as their cost is dropping almost as quickly. In this presentation we’ll review some of the common factors that need to be considered when comparing different types of lithium-ion batteries including some nuances of the technology. We’ll finish by looking at the advantages and disadvantages of the two most common types of lithium-ion batteries used with PV systems.
IECRM Presents: Apprenticeships
PENROSE BALLROOM B
Presented by:
Instructor: Marilyn Akers Stansbury, CEO, Independent Electrical Contractors Rocky Mountain
This session will “cover who we are, what we do, and why we do it” as the Independent Electrical Contractors trade association empowering the electrical contracting and renewable energy industry. Discussion topics will include registered apprenticeships, electrical licensure and training requirements, prevailing wage, the Inflation Reduction Act, workforce development and other benefits and services of IECRM membership.
5:30 pm
Conference Concludes