NJATC Announces Publication of Electrical Industry's First Photovoltaic Systems Textbook

BETHESDA, MD (July 9, 2007) – The National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee for the Electrical Industry (NJATC) announced the publication of a groundbreaking work, Photovoltaic Systems – the first comprehensive guide to the installation of commercial and residential solar energy systems.

Says Todd Stafford, senior director of instrumentation, alternative energy and International Training Center operations for NJATC, “Renewable resources such as solar power have become increasingly important, but no authoritative reference to the design, installation and evaluation of photovoltaic (PV) systems existed within the industry. This work is not just the first but the only textbook currently available in the field.”

Authored by Jim Dunlop, leading renewable energy expert and curriculum specialist for NJATC, with Stafford as technical editor, the textbook covers the principles of photovoltaics – the direct conversion of solar energy into electricity -- and how to effectively incorporate it into stand-alone or utility-connected electrical systems. Detailed illustrations clarify the concepts behind PV-system operation, while photographs of actual installations show how components are integrated to form complete PV systems. What’s more, an accompanying CD-ROM provides interactive worksheets, quizzes, calculators, video clips and animated graphics depicting PV principles and operation and links to additional resources. The work is published and available through American Technical Publications.

Explains Stafford, NJATC – a joint program of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) – has been training journeymen in the design and installation of solar energy systems for more than a decade. “The new textbook is the culmination of years of experience, and now stands at the center of our training, together with other specially developed course materials” says Stafford, “Our journeymen come to the course with thousands of hours of experience in wiring and general construction. Our course marries those skill sets to the creation of state-of- the-art solar energy systems. It’s the only course of its kind in the industry, and it’s producing the highly skilled workers creating today’s efficient and cost-effective PV systems.”

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Through their joint marketing organization – the National Labor-Management Cooperation Committee (NLMCC) of the organized electrical construction industry – NECA and IBEW together work to:
• Reach customers with accurate information about the industry; and
• Achieve better internal communication between labor and management.

With 750,000 members who work in a wide variety of fields – including construction, utilities, telecommunications and manufacturing – the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is among the largest member unions in the AFL-CIO. The IBEW was founded in 1891. For more information, visit www.ibew.org.

Voice of the $100 billion industry responsible for bringing lighting, power and communications to buildings and communities across the United States, the National Electrical Contractors Association was founded in 1901. NECA’s national office and 119 local chapters advance the industry through advocacy, education, research and standards development. For more information, visit www.necanet.org.

The mission of the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) is to develop and standardize training to educate the members of the IBEW and NECA, ensuring and providing the electrical construction industry with the most highly trained and highly skilled workforce possible. For more information, visit www.njatc.org.

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