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TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION OF INSTALLERS AND DESIGNERS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY INSTALLATIONS The certification or equivalent qualification schemes and training programmes referred to in Article 18(3) shall be based on the following criteria: 1. The certification or equivalent qualification process shall be transparent and clearly defined by the Member States or by the administrative body that they appoint.

1a. The certificates issued by certification bodies shall be clearly defined and easy to identify for workers and professionals seeking certification.

1b. The certification process shall enable installers to acquire the necessary theoretical and practical knowledge and guarantee the existence of skills needed to put in place high quality installations that operate reliably.

2. Installers of systems using biomass, heat pump, shallow geothermal, solar photovoltaic and solar thermal energy, including energy storage, and recharging points shall be certified by an accredited training programme or training provider or equivalent qualification schemes.

3. The accreditation of the training programme or provider shall be effected by Member States or by the administrative body that they appoint. The accrediting body shall ensure that the training, including upskilling and reskilling programmes, offered by the training provider are inclusive and have continuity and regional or national coverage. The training provider shall have adequate technical facilities to provide practical training, including sufficient laboratory equipment or corresponding facilities to provide practical training. The training provider shall offer, in addition to the basic training, shorter refresher and upskilling courses organised in training modules allowing installers and designers to add new competences, widen and diversify their skills across several types of technology and their combinations. The training provider shall ensure adaptation of training to new renewable energy technology in the context of buildings, industry and agriculture. Training providers shall recognise acquired relevant skills. The training programmes and modules shall be designed to enable life-long learning in renewable energy installations and be compatible with vocational training for first time job seekers and adults seeking reskilling or new employment. The training programmes shall be designed in order to facilitate acquiring qualifications covering different types of technology and solutions and avoid limited specialisation in a specific brand or technology. The training provider may be the manufacturer of the equipment or system, institutes or associations.

4. The training leading to certification or qualification of an installer shall include theoretical and practical parts. At the end of the training, the installer must have the skills required to install the relevant equipment and systems to meet the performance and reliability needs of the customer, incorporate quality craftsmanship, and comply with all applicable codes and standards, including energy and eco-labelling.

5. The training course shall end with an examination leading to a certificate or qualification. The examination shall include a practical assessment of successfully installing biomass boilers or stoves, heat pumps, shallow geothermal installations, solar photovoltaic or solar thermal installations, including energy storage, or recharging points, enabling demand response.

6. The certification schemes or equivalent qualification schemes referred to in Article 18(3) shall take due account of the following guidelines:

(a) Accredited training programmes should be offered to installers with work experience, who have undergone, or are undergoing, the following types of training:

(i) in the case of biomass boiler and stove installers: training as a plumber, pipe fitter, heating engineer or technician of sanitary and heating or cooling equipment as a prerequisite;

(ii) in the case of heat pump installers: training as a plumber or refrigeration engineer and have basic electrical and plumbing skills (cutting pipe, soldering pipe joints, gluing pipe joints, lagging, sealing fittings, testing for leaks and installation of heating or cooling systems) as a prerequisite;

(iii) in the case of a solar photovoltaic or solar thermal installer: training as a plumber or electrician and have plumbing, electrical and roofing skills, including knowledge of soldering pipe joints, gluing pipe joints, sealing fittings, testing for plumbing leaks, ability to connect wiring, familiar with basic roof materials, flashing and sealing methods as a prerequisite; or (iv) a vocational training scheme to provide an installer with adequate skills corresponding to a three years education in the skills referred to in point (a), (b) or (c), including both classroom and workplace learning.

(b) The theoretical part of the biomass stove and boiler installer training should give an overview of the market situation of biomass and cover ecological aspects, biomass fuels, logistics, fire protection, related subsidies, combustion techniques, firing systems, optimal hydraulic solutions, cost and profitability comparison as well as the design, installation and maintenance of biomass boilers and stoves. The training should also provide good knowledge of any European standards for technology and biomass fuels, such as pellets, and biomass related national and Union law.

(c) The theoretical part of the heat pump installer training should give an overview of the market situation for heat pumps and cover geothermal energy sources and ground source temperatures of different regions, soil and rock identification for thermal conductivity, regulations on using geothermal energy sources, feasibility of using heat pumps in buildings and determining the most suitable heat pump system, and knowledge about their technical requirements, safety, air filtering, connection with the heat source and system layout, and integration with energy storage solutions, including in combination with solar installations. The training should also provide good knowledge of any European standards for heat pumps, and of relevant national and Union law. The installer should demonstrate the following key competences:

(i) a basic understanding of the physical and operation principles of a heat pump, including characteristics of the heat pump circle: context between low temperatures of the heat sink, high temperatures of the heat source, and the efficiency of the system, determination of the coefficient of performance and seasonal performance factor (SPF);

(ii) an understanding of the components and their function within a heat pump circle, including the compressor, expansion valve, evaporator, condenser, fixtures and fittings, lubricating oil, refrigerant, superheating and sub-cooling and cooling possibilities with heat pumps; and (iii) the ability to choose and size the components in typical installation situations, including determining the typical values of the heat load of different buildings and for hot water production based on energy consumption, determining the capacity of the heat pump on the heat load for hot water production, on the storage mass of the building and on interruptible current supply; determine energy storage solutions, including via the buffer tank component and its volume and integration of a second heating system;

(iv) an understanding of feasibility and design studies;

(v) an understanding of drilling, in the case of geothermal heat pumps.

(d) The theoretical part of the solar photovoltaic and solar thermal installer training should give an overview of the market situation of solar products and cost and profitability comparisons, and cover ecological aspects, components, characteristics and dimensioning of solar systems, selection of accurate systems and dimensioning of components, determination of the demand for heat, options for integrating energy storage solutions, fire protection, related subsidies, as well as the design, installation and maintenance of solar photovoltaic and solar thermal installations. The training should also provide good knowledge of any European standards for technology, and certification such as Solar Keymark, and related national and Union law. The installer should demonstrate the following key competences:

(i) the ability to work safely using the required tools and equipment and implementing safety codes and standards and to identify plumbing, electrical and other hazards associated with solar installations;

(ii) the ability to identify systems and their components specific to active and passive systems, including the mechanical design, and to determine the location of the components, the system layout and the configuration, and options for the integration of energy storage solutions, including through combination with recharging stations;

(iii) the ability to determine the required installation area, orientation and tilt for the solar photovoltaic and solar water heater, taking account of shading, solar access, structural integrity, the appropriateness of the installation for the building or the climate and to identify different installation methods suitable for roof types and the balance of system equipment required for the installation; and (iv) for solar photovoltaic systems in particular, the ability to adapt the electrical design, including determining design currents, selecting appropriate conductor types and ratings for each electrical circuit, determining appropriate size, ratings and locations for all associated equipment and subsystems and selecting an appropriate interconnection point.

(e) The installer certification should be time restricted, so that a refresher seminar or event would be necessary for continued certification.