Training Programs

Midwest Renewable Energy Association Training

The Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) offers industry-leading professional training for solar photovoltaics (PV). MREA courses are accredited by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), and meet the educational requirements for credentialing by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP).

Whether you want to start a career in the renewable energy field, maintain a credential, or install solar on your home, MREA has a variety of courses to advance your skills. We offer online and in-person learning options to fit your busy schedule.

MREA Members always pay less for training, and gain FREE access to our introductory tutorials.
Learn more about membership and sign-up to be a member here.

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Returning Students

Advanced Courses
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Course Listings and Registration

All Courses

Below is a list of all courses MREA offers. To see the next available offering of the course, click the button that says Register.

General Courses

Syllabus Link	Prerequisites	Format	CECs	Price
(G 108) Working with Electricity	None	In-Person Lab, Online: Independent Study	DSPS	$55 – $75	Register
(G 110) Navigating the NEC	None	Online: Independent Study	NABCEP DSPS	$95 – $115	Register

PV Courses

Syllabus Link	Prerequisites	Format	CECs	Price
(PV 101) Basic Photovoltaics	None	In-Person Lecture or Online: Scheduled/Instructor-Led	MDLI IDPS DSPS	$115 – $135	Register
(PV 201) PV Site Assessment	PV 101	In-Person Lecture or Online: Scheduled/Instructor-Led	IDPS DSPS	$175 – $195	Register
(PV 202) PV System Design	PV 101, PV 201	In-Person Lecture or Online: Scheduled/Instructor-Led	MDLI IDPS DSPS	$295 – $315	Register
(PV 220) PV Exam Prep	PV 101, PV 201, and PV 202	In-Person Lecture or Online: Independent Study	IDPS	$75 – $95	Register
(PV 304) PV Labs & Design Scenarios	PV 101, PV 201, and PV 202 or NABCEP credential	In-Person Lab or In-Person Lecture	NABCEP MDLI IDPS DSPS	$250 – $270	Register
(PV 312) Roof Mount PV System Design & Installation Lab	PV 101, PV 201, and PV 202 or NABCEP credential	In-Person Lab or In-Person Lecture	NABCEP DSPS	$325 – $345	Register
(PV 320) Solar Training Academy	None	In-Person Lab or Online: Scheduled/Instructor-Led		$1799 – $1899	Register
(PV 420) Battery-Based PV System Design	PV 101, PV 201, and PV 202 or NABCEP credential	In-Person Lecture or Online: Scheduled/Instructor-Led	NABCEP	$125 – $145	Register
(PV 425) PV System O&M Fundamentals	PV 101, PV 201, and PV 202 or NABCEP credential	Online: Scheduled/Instructor-Led	NABCEP MDLI DSPS	$125 – $145	Register
(PV 430) Intro to System Advisor Model (SAM)	PV 101 or NABCEP credential	Online: Scheduled/Instructor-Led	NABCEP	$135 – $155	Register
(PV 431) Modeling PV-Battery Systems in SAM	PV 430 Intro to System Advisor Model (SAM)	Online: Scheduled/Instructor-Led	NABCEP	$125 – $145	Register
(PV 435) PV Sales & Finance	PV 101 or NABCEP credential	In-Person Lecture or Online: Scheduled/Instructor-Led	NABCEP	$155 – $175	Register
(PV 451) Energy Storage Fundamentals	Basic Photovoltaics (PV 101)	In-Person Lecture	NABCEP MDLI DSPS	$165 – $185	Register
(PV 452) Designing Solar Plus Storage Systems	Energy Storage Fundamentals (PV 451)	In-Person Lecture	NABCEP DSPS	$255 – $275	Register
(PV 604) Inspecting PV Systems	PV 101 or Licensed Electrician	In-Person Lecture	NABCEP MDLI DSPS	$125 – $145	Syllabus
(PV 620) Fire Code Regulations for PV Systems	None	Online: Independent Study	NABCEP DSPS	$55 – $75	Register
(PV 703) PV Curriculum Development	PV 101, PV 201, and PV 202 or NABCEP credential	In-Person Lecture		$1100 – $1100	Register

Wind Courses

Syllabus Link	Prerequisites	Format	Price
(W 101) Introduction to Wind Energy Systems	None	None	Online: Independent Study	$80 – $100	Register
(W 201) Small Wind Site Assessment	W 101	W 101	Online: Independent Study	$100 – $120	Register

Courses By Date

Online Independent Study

Navigating the NEC (G 110)

Price: $95 - $115 NABCEP

Working with Electricity (G 108)

Price: $55 - $75 DSPS

PV Exam Prep (PV 220)

Price: $75 - $95

Fire Code Regulations for PV Systems (PV 620)

Price: $55 - $75 NABCEP DSPS

Introduction to Wind Energy Systems (W 101)

Price: $80 - $100

Small Wind Site Assessment (W 201)

Price: $100 - $120

Online Instructor-Led

MREA Core Course Package

Price: $717 - $791 MDLI IDPS DSPS

Basic Photovoltaics (PV 101)

Price: $115 - $135 DSPS

PV Site Assessment (PV 201)

Price: $175 - $195 DSPS

PV System Design (PV 202)

Price: $295 - $315 DSPS

January 2022

PV Sales and Finance (PV 435.01) -- Online -- January 10 through February 6

Price: $155 - $175 NABCEP

2022 Solar Training Academy-Tuesday 10am Zoom Option (PV 320.01) -- Online/In-Person -- January 11 through May 7

Price: $1799 - $1899 NABCEP DSPS

2022 Solar Training Academy-Thursday 4pm Zoom Option (PV 320.02) -- Online/In-Person -- January 13 through May 7

Price: $1799 - $1899 NABCEP DSPS

2022 Solar Training Academy-Saturday 10am Zoom Option (PV 320.03) -- Online/In-Person -- January 15 through May 7

Price: $1799 - $1899 NABCEP DSPS

PV System O&M Fundamentals (PV 425.01) -- Online -- January 24 through February 13

Price: $125 - $145 NABCEP DSPS

Intro to System Advisor Model (SAM) (PV 430.01) -- Online -- January 31 through February 20

Price: $135 - $155 NABCEP

February 2022

Battery-Based PV System Design (PV 420.01) -- Online -- February 7 through February 27

Price: $125 - $145 NABCEP

Modeling PV-Battery Systems in SAM (PV 431.01) -- Online -- February 21 through March 6

Price: $125 - $145 NABCEP

March 2022

PV Sales and Finance (PV 435.02) -- Online -- March 7 through April 3

Price: $155 - $175 NABCEP

PV System O&M Fundamentals (PV 425.02) -- Online -- March 28 through April 17

Price: $125 - $145 NABCEP MDLI DSPS

April 2022

PV Curriculum Development (PV 703.01) -- Custer, WI -- April 8 through April 9

Price: $1100

Battery-Based PV System Design (PV 420.02) -- Online -- April 11 through May 1

Price: $125 - $145 NABCEP

May 2022

PV Labs and Design Scenarios (PV 304.01) -- Custer, WI -- May 20 through May 20

Price: $250 - $270 NABCEP MDLI IDPS DSPS

Roof Mount PV System Design and Installation Lab (PV 312.01) -- Custer - WI -- May 21 through May 22

Price: $325 - $345 NABCEP DSPS

September 2022

PV Sales and Finance (PV 435.03) -- Online -- September 12 through October 9

Price: $155 - $175 NABCEP

PV System O&M Fundamentals (PV 425.03) -- Online -- September 19 through October 9

Price: $125 - $145 NABCEP MDLI DSPS

PV Labs and Design Scenarios (PV 304.03) -- Custer, WI -- September 30 through September 30

Price: $250 - $270 NABCEP MDLI IDPS DSPS

October 2022

Roof Mount PV System Design and Installation Lab (PV 312.03) -- Custer - WI -- October 1 through October 2

Price: $325 - $345 NABCEP DSPS

Intro to System Advisor Model (SAM) (PV 430.02) -- Online -- October 10 through October 30

Price: $135 - $155 NABCEP

Battery-Based PV System Design (PV 420.03) -- Online -- October 24 through November 13

Price: $125 - $145 NABCEP

Modeling PV-Battery Systems in SAM (PV 431.02) -- Online -- October 31 through November 13

Price: $125 - $145 NABCEP

Course Search and Filter

Select a specific course type, technology, month, or course name you are interested in and then click the Search button to view results. If your filter becomes too specific, try selecting ALL in one or more of the categories to expand the list of results.

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2022 Solar Training Academy

Designed for your busy schedule, the Solar Training Academy is a series of courses providing students with industry-leading solar technical training. Topics include photovoltaic (PV) fundamentals, PV site assessment practices, and design principles and considerations. No prerequisites are required. Whether you’re looking to join the solar workforce, or you’re interested in learning how to design and install your own PV system, the Academy is the best place to start.

MREA Energy Storage System Tech Center

The ESS Tech Center is an integral part of the new Solar Plus Storage curriculum and provides both an in-person exploration and an in-depth hands-on training, along with consumer-facing tours of some of the leading residential battery energy storage systems available.

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Energy Professional Workshop Series

MREA hosted a recurring virtual Energy Professional Series on a weekly basis from March until July, recordings are now available upon registration. Learn about the solar industry’s latest and greatest products while gaining CECs for NABCEP credentials.

Contract Training

Are you looking to train a group of new hires, or provide continuing education to your experienced staff? We offer Contract Training built to suit your needs. Visit our Contract Training webpage or reach out to our training team for more information courses@midwestrenew.org

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MREA PV Endorsement Program

Are you looking for a resume builder? Use MREA as a reference when applying for jobs in the industry.

Learn More

2022 Training Catalog Coming Soon

Email us if you would like to be on the mailing list courses@midwestrenew.org

For a list of courses available for registration now, please scroll up to the Course Listings and Registration section of this webpage.

You can still flip through the 2020 catalog here.

Testimonial

The courses are easily accessible, and well prepared.
I found it a great way to learn about solar energy and prepare for the NABCEP PV Associate exam.

– Brian Bischoff, MREA Alumni –

Midwest Renewable Energy Association Training

New Students

Returning Students

Student Resources

Course Listings and Registration

All Courses

General Courses

PV Courses

Wind Courses

Courses By Date

Online Independent Study

Online Instructor-Led

January 2022

February 2022

March 2022

April 2022

May 2022

September 2022

October 2022

Course Search and Filter

2022 Solar Training Academy

MREA Energy Storage System Tech Center

Energy Professional Workshop Series

Contract Training

MREA PV Endorsement Program

2022 Training Catalog *Coming Soon*

Testimonial

The courses are easily accessible, and well prepared. I found it a great way to learn about solar energy and prepare for the NABCEP PV Associate exam.

2022 Training Catalog Coming Soon

The courses are easily accessible, and well prepared.
I found it a great way to learn about solar energy and prepare for the NABCEP PV Associate exam.