NABCEP PV Associate (PVA) — Practice Exam
Design: siting: practice questions
Our NABCEP PV Associate bank has 10 questions on this topic. Here are 4 of them with answers; the full mock exam draws from every topic, like the real one.
Question 1
For maximum year-round energy from a fixed array, the tilt angle is often close to:
- 90° at all latitudes
- Twice the latitude
- Half the site longitude
- The site's latitude
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D. The site's latitude — Higher latitudes favor steeper tilts; site details may change the best tilt.
Question 2
In compass headings, what azimuth is due west?
- 0°
- 90°
- 180°
- 270°
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D. 270° — North 0°, east 90°, south 180°, west 270°.
Question 3
What is magnetic declination?
- The sun's height at noon
- The angle between true north and magnetic north at a location
- The sun's height above the horizon at solar noon on the winter solstice
- The angle between two rows
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B. The angle between true north and magnetic north at a location — It varies by location and over time.
Question 4
Why does partial shading of one module in a string reduce output so much?
- Shading increases voltage too much
- Shading increases the string voltage too much, so the inverter shuts off for protection
- Shading turns off the inverter
- Series-connected modules carry the same current, so the weakest module limits the string
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D. Series-connected modules carry the same current, so the weakest module limits the string — Bypass diodes, optimizers and microinverters reduce the loss.