P4 Level 2
Accreditation

Small-scale residential and commercial Solar PV design and installation principles.

      • Duration of Validity: 36 Months
      • Pass Rate Requirement: 80%+
      • Test Format: Online Test
      • Test Duration: 120min
      • Prerequisite Accreditation: P4 Level 1

    Successful candidates may apply for their P4 Level 2 Registered Practitioners Card

    Candidates writing the P4 Level 2 test will need to have a basic understanding and knowledge of the following:

    1. Electrical Theory
      1. Ohm’s Law
      2. Series and Parallel
      3. Volt drop and Cable sizing
      4. Harmonics & Power Factor
    2. Module technology
      1. Bi-facial, Floating
      2. Poly vs Mono vs Thin-film
      3. Quality – Tier 1 vs 3rd party testing
    3. Irradiation
      1. GHI vs DNI
    4. Surge Protection and Earthing
      1. Internal and External surge protection
      2. Risk analysis
    5. Power and Energy
      1. Calculate Power requirement and Energy Requirement
    6. Temperature Coefficients
      1. Aluminium, Modules and Copper
    7. Mounting structures
        1. Thermal Breaks and Ballasted systems
        2. Glass glass vs framed modules
    8. Electrical Switching & Safety
      1. Fuse calculation for batteries and PV
      2. AC vs DC Switching
      3. Fault current calculation
    9. Batteries
      1. Energy densities
      2. Li-ion
      3. Lead acid
    10. Standards & Safety
      1. Identify the correct wiring layout for a single 3kw Pure Grid tied inverter.
      2. Identify the correct wiring layout for a UPS-type hybrid inverter on a dedicated circuit.
      3. IEC & SANS standards
      4. Wind loads while working on roofs
      5. Working at heights
    11. System Sizing
      1. Standards (NRS097 limitation)
      2. Consumption profile
      3. Load
    12. Drawings and diagrams
      1. Circuit diagrams for Single-phase grid-tied system

    Preparation for the test

    Candidates are encouraged to do self-study in preparation for this test. This is an open-book test and candidates may log in and out to do research while completing the test.  No formal training is required, but training providers that offer training for solar PV installers, should be able to provide the required information within their training material in order for students to pass the test.  Refer to the P4 Quality Assurance Program page for a list of AREP approved training providers.

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