Renewable Energy Professional (REP)


Overview

During the 2014 legislative session, the General Assembly passed and Governor Lincoln D. Chafee signed S 2692 A/H 8200 A, amending An Act Relating to Businesses and Professionals - Electricians and Plumbers. The amendment updates the electrical and plumbing licensing laws and creates a new type of contractor: the Renewable Energy Professional (REP). The new rules create a limited license that allows REPs to perform certain renewable energy system installation work without holding an electrical or plumbing license.

The Office of Energy Resources and the Department of Labor and Training partnered to quickly implement this legislation. If you are interested in learning more about this policy, please visit (http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText14/SenateText14/S2692A.pdf) for the Senate version and (http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText14/HouseText14/H8200A.pdf) for the House version.

The Electrical Contractor's License already includes the work allowed by the REP limited license. Only contractors or individuals without an electrical license are required to obtain the REP limited license to perform ancillary non-electrical work on renewable energy systems. There are many ways that someone can qualify for a Renewable Energy Professional license. If you have any of the following, you can apply for a license. This list was built with input from the current renewable energy installer community in Rhode Island and through consultation with other state energy offices.  If you know of a qualification that you believe should be added to this list, please feel invited to contact Shauna Beland with the contact information below:

  • The applicant holds a certificate from the SEI Solar Professionals Certificate for Residential and Commercial Photovoltaic Systems.
  • The applicant currently holds a certificate from the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) as a: PV Installation Professional OR Solar Heating Installer (solar hot water). The REP will then be able to install only the technology for which they hold a certificate.
  • The applicant holds a current certification from Underwriter Laboratory (UL)’s PV Installer Certification Program. This training is available to members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA).
  • The applicant holds an Associate’s degree or higher in a renewable energy technology or solar PV installation from an accredited school.  
  • The applicant holds a certificate of training from a manufacturer of a specific technology for the installation of that specific technology (e.g. solar roof shingles).  
  • The applicant holds a certification from Everblue's PV Training Program, NABCEP PV Installation Exam Prep course.
  • The applicant holds a certificate of completion from the Department of Energy SunShot Initiative’s Solar Ready Vets® program.  A certificate of completion from any of the military bases offering this training will be accepted.

If you are interested in applying for a Renewable Energy Professional license, you can download the application here. First time applicants need to bring all materials and paperwork to the Department of Labor and Training Professional Regulation Office, located at 1511 Pontiac Avenue, Building #73, Cranston, RI 02920.

FAQ

The Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT) and the Office of Energy Resources have worked together to create a Frequently Asked Questions document regarding what electricians and non-electricians can do on a solar PV job site. The questions were compiled during the July 2015 Solar Stakeholder meeting. OER and DLT provided the answers. If you have questions that are not answered in this document, please email them to Shauna Beland, shauna.beland@energy.ri.gov and we will work to add them to this Q & A document.


Current Rhode Island Licensed Renewable Energy Professionals

The following is a list of the individuals and companies who have received a Renewable Energy Professional (REP) license in Rhode Island by the Department of Labor and Training (DLT). This list will be updated as needed. This list is not an endorsement by the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources or the State of Rhode Island for any specific individuals or businesses.

Name Company Technology LIC Expires
Matthew Arner SolarFlair Photovoltaics March 31, 2020
Matthew Banoub Aten Energy Conservation, LLC Photovoltaics November 27, 2017
Anthony Baro E2SOL LLC Photovoltaics - Dual Axis Solar Tracking Only October 31, 2018
Vito Buonomano Northeast Solar & Wind Power, LLC Photovoltaics July 31, 2018
Stephen Burns EnterSolar, LLC Photovoltaics July 12, 2019
David Caldwell Caldwell & Johnson, Inc. Photovoltaics - solar shingles only July 29, 2017
John Carey 1st Light Energy Photovoltaics March 30, 2020
James Coffee Green NRG Photovoltaics July 14, 2019
David Compaan RBI Solar, Inc. Photovoltaics January 13, 2019
James Cormican RBI Solar, Inc. Photovoltaics March 31, 2019
John Dell'Oro Renewable Energy Solutions Photovoltaics September 30, 2020
Steven DePina Renewable Energy Solutions Photovoltaics February 28, 2019
Edmund DiTroia Renewable Energy Services of New England, Inc. Photovoltaics October 31, 2018
Peter Fine US Solarworks LLC Photovoltaics & Solar Thermal December 22, 2018
Stuart Flanagan Newport Renewables Photovoltaics April 30, 2019
Samuel Florence Altaray Solar Photovoltaics February 18, 2019
Jeff Gadomski Pro Star Electric Inc. Photovoltaics November 2019
Anthony Gazzaniga Solect Energy Development Photovoltaics May 13, 2019
Daniel Gold Green Water and Power Photovoltaics August 30, 2018
Peter Hughes Sunwatt Solar Photovoltaics October 30, 2019
Jason Kechijian Solbright Renewable Energy Photovoltaics November 3, 2016
Robin Klein Bright Planet Solar Photovoltaics May 31, 2020
Kevin Kura Trinity Solar Photovoltaics September 11, 2018
Steven Lawrence Conti Enterprises, Inc. Photovoltaics April 24, 2018
Walter Mahla Megawatt Energy Solutions, LLC Photovoltaics May 31, 2019
Peter Marte Hannah Solar Photovoltaics April 30, 2019
Tyler Mason Sol Power Solar Photovoltaics April 30, 2019
Philip McCarron Bay State Solar Construction, Inc. Photovoltaics May 31, 2019
Brian McGovern Energy Scape Designs Photovoltaics September 14, 2019
James Moon Moon Associates, Inc. Photovoltaics - solar shingles only March 31, 2019
Charles Morgan Eastern CT Solar, LLC Photovoltaics August 31, 2019
Warren Murphy Real Goods Solar/RGS Photovoltaics January 31, 2019
Luke Neimiec Acushnet Alternative Heating Photovoltaics December 9, 2018
Yao Ouattaro Second Generation Energy Photovoltaics January 30, 2020
Charles Picard SolarCity Photovoltaics October 23, 2016
Hans Castro Pisconti Syncarpha Capital Photovoltaics February 23, 2018
Michael Riley 401Solar Photovoltaics May 5, 2018
Douglas Sabetti Newport Solar Photovoltaics October 31, 2019
Samuel Schlitzer Solect Energy Development Photovoltaics January 31, 2020
Michael Smith MF Smith Associates Photovoltaics - solar shingles only November 7, 2017
John Teti Direct Energy Solar Photovoltaics September 17, 2017
Dwight Thompson Nexamp, Inc. Photovoltaics February 23, 2019
Andrew Truitt Dividend Solar Photovoltaics July 24, 2017
Robert Tyce Hillview Environmental, LLC Photovoltaics July 31, 2019
Christopher Warfel Entech Engineering, Inc Photovoltaics July 31, 2018
Jake Wileyl Palmetto Solar Photovoltaics April 30, 2019
Jonathan Williams New England Clean Energy Photovoltaics April 20, 2018

For further information or questions about the Renewable Energy Professionals application, please contact:

Shauna Beland
Office of Energy Resources
401-574-9111
shauna.beland@energy.ri.gov