PQRS - Solar PV Training Academy

22/10/2026

Before the testing starts, we test the setup. 🚩

At the Virginia Solar PV Plant (240 MW), numerous tests will be required to test the existing earth against the design.

Record keeping and consistency in testing method are critical. For this project we needed to:
• Repeat the method.
• Record the data
• Recreate the same testing environment

So Carel trialled a simple idea: numbered flags marking each measuring point, so every reading is recorded against a flag number.

How it works with two people:
• One records the data.
• The other moves the clamp to the next test spike.

Both can confirm where they are, which test was just done, and what comes next, without recounting the spikes every time.

Across the big areas we’ll be covering, that means readings you can repeat, compare and trust. The verdict to the team: “a game changer” for the field.

Good results start with a good, reliable setup. ⚡

Follow along as we build up to our live Lightning & Surge Protection training.

19/10/2026

🎥 Know what you're protecting before you buy the surge protection.

Good lightning and surge protection starts with earthing and bonding.
Get that right, and choosing cable sizes and SPDs gets much easier.

Carel explains it in this short presentation (under 14 minutes) from the NTC Industry Think Tank on the earthing of alternative supplies.

Link in the first comment 👇

Our live online Lightning & Surge Protection training is coming.
Watch this space. ⚡

18/10/2026

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "This was one of my best decisions I have made to attend the courses from PQRS."

Mornay has completed three PQRS courses and is proud to be part of the AREP family. Thank you, Mornay!

Learning never really stops. Standards change, technology changes, and in a tough market the practitioners who keep learning are the ones who stay in demand.
If you've done a PQRS course before, our refresher courses bring you up to date at a reduced rate:
🔹 Solar PV Design & Install Excel Level 1 Refresher: R1,975
🔹 Solar PV Design & Install Exceed
Level 2 Refresher: R2,550
Writing or rewriting the AREP Level 2 Test? The Exceed Level 2 refresher is a smart way to get ready. (Prices include VAT.)

Message us on WhatsApp at 082 322 2601 or email [email protected].

15/10/2026

Skills get you the job. Credentials get you the contract.

Municipalities, banks and insurers check the AREP directory, and the P4 Level 2 Card is recognised by municipalities, banks, insurers, SALGA and AMEU.

Here's the path to your P4 Green Card:
1️⃣ Build your knowledge (a PQRS course is a great place to start).
2️⃣ Write the AREP Level 2 Test
3️⃣ Pass it and you qualify for your P4 Green Card
4️⃣ Your card is valid for 36 months. After that, you redo the Level 2 Test and apply for your new card.

And tonight at 18h00, Association for Renewable Energy Practitioners - AREP is hosting a free live Zoom session on Power Factor and Harmonics with SIAAC.
Details are in our earlier post. ⚡

Questions? Contact [email protected] or WhatsApp 082 322 2601

14/10/2026

14/10/2026

Still filling in CoCs on paper? 📄➡️📱

Meet the e-CoC: a web-based Certificate of Compliance system for electricians, contractors, and service providers.

✅ Complete certificates and test reports on site, even offline. Your data syncs automatically when you're back online.
✅ Link every certificate to a project.
✅ Export a branded PDF
✅ Service providers can track and allocate certificate and test report inventory.

See how it works.
👉 e-coc.online

Questions? [email protected]

-coc

10/10/2026

Free live session: Power Factor and Harmonics, Explained

Solar reduces what a site draws from the grid, but it doesn’t necessarily fix poor power factor or harmonic distortion. Both can exist alongside a solar system that’s performing exactly as designed.

Join the Association for Renewable Energy Practitioners - AREP, SIAAC and Electric Assemblies to learn:
✅ What power factor and harmonics are
✅ the signals worth looking out for on C&I sites
✅ when a power quality assessment may be useful

Plus: a Power Factor Savings Calculator you can use on your own clients’ sites and a chance to enter for one of 10 free Power Quality Assessments for C&I sites above 100 kW AC.

📅 Thursday 15 October | 18h00–19h00 SAST
💻 Free, live on Zoom

10/10/2026

Free live session: Power Factor and Harmonics, Explained

Solar reduces what a site draws from the grid, but it doesn’t necessarily fix poor power factor or harmonic distortion. Both can exist alongside a solar system that’s performing exactly as designed.

Join AREP, SIAAC Group, and Electric Assemblies to learn:
✅ What power factor and harmonics are
✅ The signals worth looking out for on C&I sites
✅ When a power quality assessment may be useful

Plus: a Power Factor Savings Calculator you can use on your own clients’ sites and a chance to enter for one of 10 free Power Quality Assessments for C&I sites above 100 kW AC.

📅 Thursday 15 October | 18h00–19h00 SAST
💻 Free, live on Zoom
Registration link in the first comment 👇

09/10/2026

You guessed. Here’s the answer. ⚡

Carel is on site this month doing lightning and surge protection assessments on a very large solar farm.

You don’t need a site this size to start. Our free lightning risk calculator at pqrs-online.com gives you a first look at your own project. A short PDF report is R450 if you want it in writing, and a detailed report is R2,000.

🎓 Want to learn how to do this yourself? Our live online Lightning & Surge training is coming in the first week of December.

📧 [email protected]
📱 082 322 2601

07/10/2026

Guess what we’re up to. 👀

This is one very large solar farm. Our team is out there this month doing a specialist assessment.

Hint 1: it’s not the panels.
Hint 2: it’s about what falls from the sky.

Drop your guess in the comments. We’ll reveal the answer on Friday. 👇