A great career in solar energy starts with training and CEC Accreditation
The Clean Energy Council (CEC) is the governing body for Australia’s solar designers and installers. They ensure a high standard of work for the Australian solar and battery industry.
GSES provides the required training to apply for accreditation with the CEC, and jump start your career.
An Accredited Designer and Installers can approve solar & battery designs and installations. This means they are built to AS/NZ standards and of high quality. As a result, CEC Accreditation also lets you obtain solar Small-Scale Technology Certificates, (STC’s) which can be worth thousands of dollars. STC’s sets you and your business ahead of the competition, and builds trust in the renewable energy industry. There are however, specific regulations for who is eligible for accreditation and the process to follow.
Which CEC Accreditation Career Path are you on?
Electrician
Can become Accredited as a Designer, Installer or Both
Step 1
- 4th year apprentices can usually take our courses but must have a full licence to apply with CEC. Contact us beforehand.
- Enrol in your course, receive your resource book and complete your language, literacy and numeracy assessment.
Step 2
- Study at your own pace, using our tutor support for help.
- Installation Course students book their hands-on practical session at 60% completion.
- Finish the course within a few weeks up to 1 year. Most students take between 3 and 12 months.
Step 3
- Ensure you or your company have public liability insurance, and a Working Safely at Heights certificate
- Apply for Provisional Accreditation with the CEC. Approved in about 1 week.
Step 4
- Complete the Online CEC Assessments within 90 Days.
- Submit your first installation for the CEC case study.
- Obtain full accreditation upon approval
CEC Accredited Career
- Maintain Accreditation with Continuous Professional Development Courses
- Expand your knowledge with other accreditation pathways in Grid-connected, Battery Storage, and Stand Alone Design
Engineer/ Engineering Technologist
Can only become an Accredited Designer
Step 1
- Ensure your electrical or renewable energy engineering degree is recognised by Engineers Australia or the Washington Accords.
- Note: Those without an electrical / renewable energy engineering degree (mechanical, civil, chemical etc.) will need to take the Electrical Basics exam.
Step 2
- Enrol in your course, receive your resource book and complete your language, literacy and numeracy assessment.
- Study at your own pace, using our tutor support for help.
- Finish the course within a few weeks up to 1 year. Most students take between 3 and 12 months.
Step 3
- Ensure you or your company have public liability insurance.
- Apply for Provisional Accreditation with the CEC. Approved in about 1 week.
Step 4
- Complete the Online CEC Assessment within 90 Days.
- Obtain full accreditation
CEC Accredited Career
- Design residential, commercial and utility scale solar systems.
- Maintain Accreditation with Professional Development Courses
- Expand your knowledge with other accreditation pathways in Grid-connected, Battery Storage, and Stand Alone Design
No electrical or engineering background
Currently, there is no immediate pathway to accreditation.
We are working to create a pathway in the future here. Stay tuned!
A Career without CEC Accreditation
- You can still study Grid Connected PV, Battery Storage, and Stand Alone Power System Design. Your knowledge of renewable energy will advance your career regardless.
- Next, hire accredited designers like Mindaro. to approve your designs, act as an owner’s engineer, or do a complete design for you. GSES can also provide commercial solar inspections and other engineering and consultancy services.
- Alternatively, you can study short courses like Solar Power System Fundamentals and Solar Battery System Fundamentals to understand renewable energy better. These can be completed within one day.
Benefits of CEC Accreditation
In addition to the major benefits listed above, you will also have the following benefits once you have your CEC Accreditation:
- Access to the CEC’s solar technical advice support line
- Access to toolbox talks, how to’s and technical information
- Informed of important changes to industry standards and guidelines
- Notified of CEC approved products and their removal
- Informed of issues found from Clean Energy Regulator inspections
- Have yourself included on the CEC’s find an installer tool (This also applies for designers)
- Voice your opinion to government and regulators
Customers are more likely to choose an accredited company or installer because they work to the highest standard, and can offer competitive pricing due to the STC offsets.
How much will training and CEC Accreditation cost?
Any time you invest in education, you are investing in yourself, and your future career. The payback of having reliable, well paying work for years to come is easily worth your initial investment. We also are the only Renewable Energy RTO offering Zip Pay & Zip Money payment plan options! If you already have the prerequisite qualifications, costs may look similar to the following:
- Accreditation courses with GSES ranges from $1395 to $2595. The electrical basics exam is $120 (prices subject to change)
- Liability insurance can be obtained from many suppliers, and is surprisingly affordable, around $65 per month, or $780 a year. Most companies will already have insurance.
- Installers require a Working Safely at Heights certificate which is about $200
- If you are starting a business, a sole trader ABN application is free.
- Provisional application currently costs $165 +GST, and the upgrade to full accreditation costs 550+GST.
- Annual renewals currently cost $240+GST, and adding additional accreditations like Batteries and Stand Alone Systems costs $190+GST as well.
Total Costs in your first year: About $2110 to $3900 depending on your situation.
When can I start? In about a day!
First, gather your prerequisite documents. This could be your electrical license, engineering degree or Australian equivalence certificates. Next, read the course description and polices to ensure you understand, and contact us if you have questions.
Finally, purchase your selected course through our shop page. You will receive enrolment instructions while your resource book will be shipped out to you. Once you have your login details, you will need to complete a short Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) assessment. This lets us know how well you will understand the material. This is manually checked and approved by our tutor team. Once approved, you are off and running!
To ensure your smooth progress through the course, try to schedule at least 1 day a week to read and work through the course. If you need help, reach out to the GSES tutor team. We are here to get you through and on to the next stage of your career!
Job Growth for those with CEC Accreditation
Australia’s renewable energy growth has exceed expectations and the targets of governments. This is partly due to a grass roots movement towards cleaner energy from homeowners and rooftop solar. The largest driver has been the plummeting cost of solar panels, which continues to make systems a better investment. The CEC Accreditation scheme instills trust which contributes to this growth.
For example, in 2018-2019 renewable energy jobs grew by 27%, largely spurred by rooftop solar. More job projections for 50% renewable energy by 2030 can be found with the Climate Council Job Growth Report.
Solar Career Map
There are many career paths in solar, which are best described in this interactive graphic made by the International Renewable Energy Council (IREC)