We are delighted to announce that the first module of the SolarCV pilot training course on Parabolic Trough Concentrated Solar Power Plants (PT CSP) for solar field operator has started on 17th October 2017. The course, with a duration of 300 hours, provided a face-to-face workshop at the Training Centre for Employment in Don Benito in Badajoz, Spain.
The Extremadura Energy Agency (AGENEX) and the Extremadura’s Public Employment Service (SEXPE) were proud to launch the first training course – «Solar Field Operator in Solar Thermal Power Plants».


The training course is divided in two main parts:

  • theoretical part – comprising of 10 learning units on theoretical concepts, video tutorials, practical exercises, glossary of terms and evaluation tests;
  • practical part – consisting of one solar field e-simulator, on which the trainees can put the acquired knowledge on practice and develop practical skills.

This pilot course, developed as part of the SolarCV project – co-financed by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme, aims at training solar field operators in solar thermal power plants as there is currently no formal training nor specific certification for this job, neither at national nor European level. As one of SolarCV project’s objectives is to lay the first stone of setting up a standardised training course at European level, including creating training content, a competency profile and a European curriculum for solar field operators. Thus, this course will be given simultaneously by SolarCV project partners, in Italy, Greece and Spain.  This would lead to greater labour mobility within the European Union in the future.

Concentrating solar power (CSP), also known as Solar Thermal Electricity (STE), is a renewable energy technology that uses mirrors to concentrate the sun’s energy and convert it into high-temperature heat to create steam to drive a turbine that generates electricity. CSP is a carbon-free source of electricity that is best suited to areas in the world with strong irradiation: Southern Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East, South Africa, parts of India, China, Southern USA and Australia.

SolarCV is a project funded by European Commission under the Erasmus+ programme. It aims at increasing the response of Vocational Education Training (VET) systems by anticipating the Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) labour demand, integrating work-based learning (WBL) in the design of CSP VET and increasing mobility of EU CSP learners, by the recognition of learning outcomes and by achieving qualifications.
SolarCV tools (Curriculum & Validation) are designed considering European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) and European quality assurance in vocational education and training (EQAVET) European references, so the resulting products ensure a better understanding and comparability of qualifications across countries.

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More information about the SolarCV project, please visit our website: http://www.solar-cv.eu/