Free Mentoring Offered To Victoria’s Solar Sparkies

Solar Victoria has kicked off a new initiative to help electricians, electrical engineers and licensed electrical inspectors boost their skills and technical know-how.

Uptake of home solar power in Victoria in recent years has been largely driven by the state’s $1.3 billion Solar Homes Program, which supports the installation of various renewable energy systems with subsidies – including the hugely popular Victorian solar panel rebate.

Victorians are a lucky bunch as they can double dip – taking advantage of the national subsidy along with the state-based rebate; both of which are actually up-front discounts on the purchase of a PV system.

Since the Program began in 2018 and up until the end of February this year, 218,057 solar power systems, 12,309 home battery systems and 3,003 solar hot water systems have been installed. And there’s a lot more to come, with the decade-long Program aiming to support the installation of solar panels, solar hot water or batteries on 770,000 homes across the state.

Supporting Victoria’s Clean Energy Workforce

There’s certainly plenty of ongoing demand for solar installations in Victoria. Supply hinges not just on the availability of components, but also heavily on people power. Installing all these systems requires a large workforce, and one that is kept up-to-date with the latest safety and industry standards.

Part of the Victorian Government’s $11 million investment to train and equip the state’s solar workforce, the Solar Victoria Technical Mentoring and Support initiative launched yesterday will deliver free face-to-face onsite mentoring to eligible participants along with access to 30 days of follow-up technical support by email or phone.

Participants will work side-by-side with industry experts from the Institute of Electrotechnology, the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) and TechSafe Australia, learning about the latest in solar and battery tech and receiving personalised advice and guidance.

Mentoring sessions cover:

• Identifying the participant’s focus areas, discussing current knowledge, relevant standards, and required documentation.
• Discussing necessary tools and equipment, and their use.
• Electricians will be provided technical feedback on design and installation based on observation of their work.
• For Licensed Electrical Inspectors (LEIs): confirming compliance standards and the provision of documentation and guidance for the inspection process, particularly around improvement opportunities.

The mentoring is available across regional and metropolitan Victoria until the end of December, or until all the funded spots are snapped up. Each face-to-face session involves a minimum of one 2-hour session per person.

“This exciting new initiative will help encourage a higher level of competence and confidence – and ensure solar PV and battery installations comply with all safety and industry standards,” said Solar Victoria CEO Stan Krpan. “We are committed to developing, upskilling and supporting workers in the renewable sector, and want more licensed electrical inspectors to feel comfortable in taking on solar work.”

Further information on the technical mentoring and support, including eligibility requirements and how to book, is available here. Other initiatives under Solar Victoria’s training and workforce development program can be found here.