Training and Qualification of Small-Scale RES Installers in Europe: The Install+RES Training Courses

Abstract

RES Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable energy sources sets an overall binding target of supplying 20% of European Union (EU)’s final energy consumption from renewable energy sources by 2020 with binding national targets for each Member State. Details of how these targets will be achieved in each Member State are described in National Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAPs). High RES scenario presented in Energy Roadmap 2050 by European Commission (EC) foresees that 75% of the gross final energy can be supplied from renewable energy sources by 2050. This challenging target calls for a major effort to increase the number of qualified workers in the market able to cover the demand for high quality RES installations in the upcoming years. The substantial need for training and qualification is acknowledged in the RES Directive, Article 14(3), which includes an obligation on the Member States to make provision for the training and certification of installers of RES. This effort is also supported by actions such as the EC initiative Build Up Skills, launched by the Commission in 2011, which aims to unite forces to increase the number of qualified workforce by promoting training and qualification in the field of energy efficiency and renewable energy in the building sector in Europe. The Install+RES training courses are fully in line with this line of action and aim at providing a pool of highly qualified trainers and installers (electricians, plumbers, roofers and technicians for heating systems) of small-scale renewable energy systems (biomass, solar, photovoltaic systems and heat pumps) for buildings in several European countries, namely Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Poland and Slovenia, by establishing training courses. 33 courses have been implemented, 78 trainers and 516 installers have been qualified during the Install+RES project in the field of renewable energy systems installations. The Install+RES project started in May 2010 and ended in April 2013. The Install+RES project was co-financed by the European Commission in the framework of the Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE) Program. The Install+RES training courses material was developed in line with the requirements mentioned in Directive 2009/28/EC (Article 14, Annex IV). The Install+RES training courses were completed with an exam leading to a certification or qualification according to the requirements of the Directive 2009/28/EC. The high quality of the courses offered within the Install+RES project was ensured by the “train the trainers” courses. During the “train the trainers” courses, the trainers, who will implement the training courses for installers, acquired practical and theoretical knowledge to properly implement the training courses for installers of small-scale renewable energy systems in their countries. During the “train the trainer” courses, the trainers obtained the pedagogical and technical skills to implement the “Install+RES” courses for installers in their respective countries (Italy, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Greece and Poland). The innovative aspects of the Install+RES “train the trainer” courses such as the “hand on learning” concept, “tandem teaching” approach and the “multiplier effect” are highlighted in the following explanatory pages. The Install+RES “train the trainer” courses was established in Munich, Germany, in German and English languages. The participants of the training courses were the Install+RES training providers and also third party organisations interested in establishing training courses in their own countries. The content and the methodology of the training courses have been adapted to each target country (Poland, Italy, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Greece) according to the potential installers’ and markets’ needs resulting from the NREAPs in line with the RES Directive. The adapted material has been translated into the National languages of each target country. One pilot course and two training courses for installers have been offered in Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Poland and Slovenia in the National languages. The Install+RES training courses are meant to be an investment for sustainability by evolutionary processes, which will lead to the establishment of a high quality of skills and as consequence to the maximization of Renewable Energy Systems (RES) s efficiency, reliability, lifetime and safety. The training material and training concept developed during the Install+RES project has given a strong contribution to ensure the achievement of the targets stated in the National Renewable Energy Action Plans and in the High RES scenario of the Energy Roadmap 2050 as well as to the roadmaps to 2020 developed within the BUILD UP SKILLS Initiative.