The Renewable Energy Installer Academy (REIA), a pilot project funded under the INTERREG programme as a joint initiative of Action Renewables in Northern Ireland and Sustainable Energy Ireland in Republic of Ireland, was developed in response to the recognition that the lack of trained installers and specifiers is one of the critical barriers to the development of a sustainable renewable energy market. 

The objective of the REIA pilot project was to develop structures for training, registration and quality control of installers in the INTERREG region, which is Northern Ireland and the six border counties, namely Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Louth, Monaghan and Sligo. 

During the pilot phase of the project, REIA developed training courses and a laboratory specification for training facilities, and facilitated the establishment of training facilities for Solar Water Heating, Heat Pumps and Biomass in four training centres in the INTERREG region.  

The curriculum in each technology was developed in accordance with best practice in Europe with the support of European experts in the relevant technologies.

It is now planned to build upon the success of the pilot project and to develop REIA into a sustainable association for renewable energy installers to promote and ensure quality renewable energy installations.  A key function of REIA will be the accreditation of training facilities to deliver the required competence in renewable energy installers and the registration of installers. 

The establishment of sufficient capacity in training institutes to deliver training will be essential to meeting the training needs and ensuring the competence of renewable installers.  The training courses and learning outcomes have been registered with FETAC in RoI and BPEC in NI and in order to provide training, training providers must be nationally accredited (eg by FETAC/BPEC) and by REIA.