- What PV2 Certification Actually Is
- Who Issues It and How the Exam Works
- The Eligibility Checklist: More Than an Exam
- The 15 Competency Areas You Are Tested On
- How PV2 Builds on PVI1
- Where PV2 Fits in the Solar Workforce
- Staying Certified: The Renewal Question
- Sequencing Your Preparation Around PV2 Content
- Frequently Asked Questions
- PV2 here means ETA International's Photovoltaic Installer/Designer credential, not any other certification sharing the acronym.
- The exam is 100 questions in two hours with a 75% passing score and a $155 fee.
- Eligibility requires 60 training hours, OSHA 10, ETA CSS certification and 150 attested experience points.
- Compulsory experience includes at least three PV systems of 2 kW or larger.
What PV2 Certification Actually Is
The Photovoltaic Installer/Designer (PV2) is a credential offered by ETA International for solar professionals who go beyond basic installation work. Where an entry-level credential proves you understand how a photovoltaic system goes together, PV2 is aimed at people who also scope customer needs, survey sites, size arrays, select components, design wiring, plan energy storage, manage projects, commission systems and maintain them afterward.
A quick note on naming: "PV2" is an acronym that other credentials in other industries also use. This article, and everything on this site, concerns only ETA's Photovoltaic Installer/Designer (PV2). If you have seen different fees, dates or pass figures attached to a "PV2" elsewhere, they belong to something else. For more on the naming question, see our explainers on what PV2 stands for and what PV2 is.
Who Issues It and How the Exam Works
ETA International administers the certification. Testing is arranged through an ETA Certification Administrator, and ETA lists Trapeza online testing or paper testing as the delivery routes. You do not simply walk into a generic testing center; you coordinate with an administrator who proctors the session.
| Exam Element | PV2 Detail (per ETA) |
|---|---|
| Certifying body | ETA International |
| Examination fee | $155 |
| Number of questions | 100 |
| Time limit | Two hours |
| Passing score | 75% |
| Certification term | Four years |
| Retake policy | One free retake within one year of the first examination |
| Delivery | Arranged with an ETA Certification Administrator; Trapeza online or paper |
At 75%, you need roughly 75 of 100 questions correct. That leaves little room to skip a domain and hope for the best. Our PV2 passing score breakdown goes deeper on what that threshold means in practice, and the PV2 certification cost guide covers the full pricing picture beyond the exam fee, including training and prerequisite credentials.
ETA's general testing FAQ permits a nonprogrammable calculator. That matters for a credential with array sizing and wiring content, but the FAQ does not establish PV2-specific rules about reference books, so confirm what your administrator allows before test day rather than assuming.
The Eligibility Checklist: More Than an Exam
This is where PV2 differs from many exam-only credentials. Passing the written test is one requirement among several. According to ETA's PV2 process checklist, a candidate must:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Complete 60 contact hours of ETA-approved or equivalent photovoltaic training.
- Complete OSHA 10 construction safety or an equivalent jurisdictional course.
- Obtain ETA Customer Service Specialist (CSS) certification.
- Document at least 150 attested experience points, covering every compulsory task, with at least two reference contacts.
- Agree to ETA's Code of Conduct.
- Pass the written examination.
The Installation Experience Requirement
The compulsory experience includes installing at least three systems of 2 kW or larger. ETA's overview lists no separate hands-on examination, but that does not waive this documented experience. Treat the field record as a real gate, not a formality.
- Experience is attested, meaning someone must vouch for it.
- Every compulsory task must appear in your documentation, not just the total points.
- Reference contacts should be people who directly observed your work.
Current PVI1 certification credits 40 of the 60 required training hours, which is a meaningful shortcut if you already hold it. The full breakdown of each prerequisite lives in our PV2 requirements guide, and the training side is covered in PV2 training.
The 15 Competency Areas You Are Tested On
ETA publishes a PV2 competency document listing 15 numbered headings. ETA states that examination questions derive from the certification competencies. Importantly, these are unweighted objectives, not a percentage blueprint, so there is no official guidance telling you that one area is worth a fixed share of the 100 questions. Plan to be competent across all of them. Our complete guide to the 15 content areas expands on each.
Foundation and context
Domain 1: History and Background of Photovoltaics (PV)
Context for how the technology developed and why it matters. Expect foundational recall rather than heavy calculation.
Domain 2: Additional PV Project Safety
Safety beyond the OSHA 10 baseline, applied to PV work: energized conductors, working at heights on roofs and system-specific hazards. The competency document spells the heading "ADDITONAL"; that is ETA's own spelling.
Domain 3: How the Grid Works
How utility-interactive systems relate to the grid, which underpins design decisions and commissioning.
Customer, codes and survey
Domain 4: Determining Customer Needs
Translating a customer's goals, loads and constraints into design requirements. This is where the designer half of the title shows up.
Domain 5: Codes and Standards
The regulatory framework governing PV installations. Know how codes shape component choices and wiring methods.
Domain 6: Conducting a Site Survey
Evaluating a site for a PV system: orientation, shading, structural and electrical considerations.
Design and build
Domain 7: Components Selection
Choosing modules, inverters and balance-of-system equipment that fit the design and the code.
Domain 8: Array Sizing
Calculation-heavy territory. Bring your nonprogrammable calculator habits and practice working problems end to end.
Domain 9: Wiring the System
Conductor, protection and connection design for the PV system.
Domain 10: Energy Storage Systems
Batteries and storage integration, an area where modern installer/designer work increasingly overlaps with traditional PV.
Domain 11: PV Mounting Systems
Racking and attachment methods, including how mounting choices tie back to the site survey.
Delivery and lifecycle
Domain 12: Project Management
Planning, coordinating and documenting a PV project from contract to completion.
Domain 13: Testing and Troubleshooting
Verifying system performance and diagnosing faults methodically.
Domain 14: Commissioning the System
The final verification and handoff steps that turn an installed system into an operating one.
Domain 15: Maintaining the System
Ongoing service, inspection and upkeep over the system's life.
How PV2 Builds on PVI1
PV2 is positioned as a step beyond PVI1, not a replacement. PVI1 establishes core installer competence; PV2 adds the design, planning and lifecycle dimensions. In practical terms:
- Training credit: Current PVI1 certification counts for 40 of the 60 required training hours.
- Knowledge overlap: The PV2 competencies assume you already understand PV fundamentals, so they emphasize what a more senior practitioner decides rather than just what a crew member does.
- Career signal: PV2 communicates that you can scope and design, not only install.
If you are deciding whether the extra investment is justified, our PV2 ROI analysis weighs the cost and effort against the benefits.
Where PV2 Fits in the Solar Workforce
Because the credential covers customer needs, site surveys, sizing, wiring, storage, project management and commissioning, it maps to roles that carry responsibility for a system from concept through handoff. Typical employers include solar installation contractors, electrical contractors with PV divisions, and companies that design and commission residential and commercial arrays. Job titles vary widely, and no certification guarantees a particular position or pay level.
For a closer look at the roles this credential supports, see PV2 jobs, and for earnings context, the PV2 salary guide. We deliberately avoid quoting specific earnings here, since compensation depends on region, employer, experience and role rather than the credential alone.
Staying Certified: The Renewal Question
The certification term is four years, but renewal details are one place where ETA's published materials do not line up perfectly, so read this section carefully.
| Source | Continuing Education | Annual Maintenance Fee |
|---|---|---|
| PV2 checklist | 24 hours over four years | $25 |
| ETA general policy, standard maintenance | 40 hours over four years, or employer verification | $25 |
| ETA general policy, hands-on maintenance | 24 hours plus employer verification | $25 |
Key Takeaway
The PV2 checklist and ETA's general maintenance policy describe different hour requirements, and the overview marks hands-on as not required for PV2. Do not assume which route applies to you. Confirm the correct PV2 renewal route directly with ETA, and start logging continuing-education hours from day one so you are covered whichever route is confirmed.
ETA's general maintenance policy is published at etai.org/maintenance.html, and it is worth bookmarking alongside your certificate.
Sequencing Your Preparation Around PV2 Content
Rather than a generic schedule, order your study by how the PV2 domains depend on each other. Design decisions cascade: the survey informs sizing, sizing informs components, components inform wiring. Studying in that dependency order makes the material stick. A fuller plan is in our PV2 study guide.
Foundations and safety
- Domains 1, 2 and 3: history, additional PV project safety and how the grid works
- Refresh PVI1-level fundamentals you may have let slide
Front-end design inputs
- Domains 4, 5 and 6: customer needs, codes and standards, site survey
- Walk through a mock site survey and write the resulting design requirements
Calculation core
- Domains 7, 8 and 9: components selection, array sizing, wiring
- Work problems end to end with a nonprogrammable calculator
Storage, structure and delivery
- Domains 10, 11 and 12: energy storage, mounting systems, project management
Verification and lifecycle, then full practice
- Domains 13, 14 and 15: testing and troubleshooting, commissioning, maintaining the system
- Take timed 100-question practice sets against the two-hour limit
Because the exam allows roughly 72 seconds per question on average (two hours for 100 questions), timed practice matters. You can drill that pacing on our PV2 practice test, and our PV2 cheat sheet gives you a quick-reference review in the final days. If you are wondering how demanding the test is, read how hard the PV2 exam is and what is known about the PV2 pass rate. For scheduling logistics, see PV2 exam dates.
Frequently Asked Questions
PV2 refers to ETA International's Photovoltaic Installer/Designer certification. It is intended for professionals who both install and design solar photovoltaic systems, and it builds on the knowledge covered by PVI1.
According to ETA's Renewable Energy Certifications listing, the exam has 100 questions with a two-hour limit and a 75% passing score. The examination fee is $155, and one free retake is allowed within one year of the first attempt.
ETA's overview lists no separate hands-on examination. However, the eligibility checklist still requires documented installation experience, including at least three systems of 2 kW or larger, so practical field work is required even without a practical test.
The checklist requirements listed are age, 60 training hours, OSHA 10 or equivalent, ETA CSS certification, 150 attested experience points and the Code of Conduct. Current PVI1 certification credits 40 of the 60 training hours, so it helps considerably even where it is not the only path. Verify your specific situation with ETA.
The certification term is four years. ETA's PV2 checklist cites 24 continuing-education hours and $25 annual maintenance, while its general policy describes different standard and hands-on routes. Because those sources differ, confirm the applicable PV2 renewal route with ETA.