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You have likely noticed that the demand for fossil fuels is decreasing and is being replaced by a surge in renewable energies like solar. It’s because people are making it clear they prioritize the environment.
The need for clean energy has also caused an increase in career opportunities for engineers in the renewable energy sector.
One of these opportunities is the solar engineer. If you want to pursue being a solar engineer, it’s a path with several steps, including education requirements, hands-on experience, and various technical and soft skills.
What Does a Solar Engineer Do?
A solar engineer primarily designs builds, and maintains solar electric systems. However, they don’t stop there. They have many roles in many different aspects of the solar energy sector.
While engineering is usually associated with building and designing, a solar engineer may also perform installations or construct and maintain the construction and maintenance of solar power plants.
They might choose to work in research sectors, collecting data, performing lab work, and conducting field experiments to improve solar technology rather than on commercial projects.
Common Solar Engineer Responsibilities
As a solar engineer, you may be responsible for:
- Designing solar systems
- Assessing installation sites
- Completing commercial energy audits
- Testing systems and troubleshooting when problems occur
- Creating project management plans
- Improving safety systems
These responsibilities are typical, but with time, they’ll probably change as the industry grows.
Educational Path to Become a Solar Engineer
Becoming a solar engineer usually requires a college or university degree. However, it’s a path that can be customized to some degree. Many solar engineers took these three steps and one optional step:
Step 1: Obtain a Bachelor’s Degree
As a prospective solar engineer, you could pursue a bachelor’s degree specializing in mechanical, chemical, industrial, or civil engineering. Some universities have also already begun offering a specialized solar engineering degree.
No matter what it’s called, the focus of all these programs requires strong chemistry or physics skills, mathematics, and computer science.
Step 2 (Optional): Get a Master’s Degree
Many solar engineers are successful in their careers with just a bachelor’s degree. Others may pursue a Master’s in renewable energy or solar engineering immediately following their bachelor’s degree or wait until later in their career. A Master’s degree can be beneficial for graduates who want a more research-centered career.
In addition to the skills learned with a bachelor’s degree, a Master’s degree can teach you about energy policies, sustainable energy systems, and the latest technology available to businesses.
Step 3: Certifications and Licensing
After completing your degree, the next step is to get the required licensing for your area, such as a Professional Engineer (PE) license.
Certifications can also set you up for success in your job search and show your determination to continue your education. Consider certification with the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP).
Step 4: Continuing Education
Like many trade skills, learning doesn’t end after you graduate. Solar engineers attend continuing education classes about solar energy and photovoltaic (PV) technology.
Skills Required to Become a Solar Engineer
There’s no one right way to become a solar engineer, but there are skill sets you can build that will help you get hired.
The most common skill sets involve a combination of technical and soft skills. These skills demonstrate the ability to work together and that you have the ability to work with solar energy systems.
Soft Skills
Soft skills are how you work with others (teamwork) and take charge of a group (leadership). Being a team player is beneficial for anyone looking to work in the energy sector. The industry involves a lot of project work and coordinating with other engineers during multi-person problems.
You will also want to fine-tune your problem-solving and communication skills. These are useful in day-to-day life and for completing complex design and installation challenges.
Technical Skills
Unlike soft skills, technical or “hard skills” are ones you learn through teaching and hands-on experience.
- Solar photovoltaic system design: An understanding of PV systems and software used to design solar panels to meet energy production goals.
- Electrical and mechanical engineering fundamentals: Allows the solar engineer to ensure solar systems are mounted and wired correctly for optimal performance.
- Experience with Solar Software tools: Includes programs like PVsyst for optimizing solar system performance and AutoCAD for system designs and layouts.
- Energy storage integration: Experience designing systems integrating energy storage with solar panels.
Many solar engineer jobs will also ask for an applicant to be knowledgeable of the National Electrical Code (NEC) and any other local regulations they’ll encounter on the job to avoid fines and maintain their safety.
Solar Engineer Job Types
Solar engineer is an umbrella term in the energy industry. The descriptions may overlap, and some may require specialized education and training.
- Solar structural engineer: Specializes in the foundation of solar energy systems. They ensure every system is mounted securely after its installed on a building.
- Solar design engineer: An engineer who plans solar energy systems for residential, commercial, and industrial applications.
- Solar installation engineer: A supervisor for the installation of solar panels. They help teach installation methods and ensure that every installation meets building codes.
- Solar panel engineer: The person responsible for developing, designing, or building solar energy panels. They often also perform maintenance and site audits.
Solar Engineer Salary and Job Outlook
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t list solar engineers yet, but it lists similar engineering professions you can use to get an approximate salary.
The average 2023 annual salary for an electrical, mechanical, chemical, or industrial engineer in the U.S. is $99,000 to $104,000/yr.
Job Outlook
As many companies transition from oil and gas, you will see the need for solar engineering grow. This is especially true of engineers who can design efficient and cost-effective systems.
Solar engineering is expected to grow as much as 9% between 2023 and 2033.
Types of Companies Hiring Solar Engineers
Solar power isn’t just for business use. Solar power systems have also spread to residential and industrial projects thanks to a push from governments offering rebates and green awareness campaigns.
As a solar engineer, you would play an important role in making solar energy accessible through the development of these projects for many different types of companies.
Renewable Energy
Engineers in renewable energy contracts provide installation services and designs for solar panels for large-scale solar farms, focusing on PV system design, project management, and research and development.
Utilities
As an important part of many utility companies’ energy portfolios, solar energy now includes projects like solar farms large enough that they can feed into the electrical grid.
This growth makes utility companies a good potential employer for solar engineers interested in large-scale solar power generation and storage.
As more local and federal regulations aim for a switch to clean energy production, more utility companies will look to solar for help with filling quotas.
Construction and Engineering Firms
Construction and engineering firms design and build large structures that require equally large solar energy projects to power them. The firms often represent multi-million dollar projects that require large workforces and can contribute to national renewable energy goals.
If you hope to work in construction, large construction firms are particularly interested in solar structural engineers who can oversee the structural integrity of solar panel installations on large residential and commercial projects.
After Graduation: Steps to Land Your First Solar Engineering Jobs
It’s normal for graduates to be anxious about entering the industry after vocational training, college, or university. Following a few key steps will give you the best chance of landing your first solar engineering job.
Step 1: The Resume
Build a strong resume that clearly lists your education, relevant work experience, and any activities that might appeal to a potential employer.
If you lack paid work experience, use coursework, internships, and awards related to solar energy. Use your resume to highlight relevant technical skills like computer-aided design (CAD), PV design, and project management.
Step 2: The Experience
If you have hands-on experience, list it! At this stage, experience can set you apart from other entry-level applicants.
If you don’t have any, look for opportunities to get experience through engineering firms or a related field with co-op programs or certification courses.
Step 3: The Networking
Networking is important before and after graduation. Who you know can help you keep in touch with industry changes and help you find solar engineer jobs that haven’t been advertised yet.
Try attending conferences or joining a professional organization such as the 501(c)(3) non-profit American Solar Energy Society (ASES).
Who Should Become a Solar Engineer?
Solar engineering may be a good choice if you want a career involving creating and the renewable energy sector.
It’s a career with lots of specialties that all have different responsibilities. Together, they revolve around working toward a more efficient way of providing solar energy.
Conclusion
Like many other careers, there is no one set way to become a successful solar engineer. You can have one of many different educational backgrounds with a number of skill sets and many companies would find you a good fit. Learn and find what works best for you.
Regardless of how you arrive at the job, a career as a solar engineer allows you to contribute to renewable energy sources, a more energy-efficient landscape, and a sustainable future.
