Solar Energy Systems Engineers
Science, Technology, Engineering and MathematicsO*NET 17-2199.11United States
Perform site-specific engineering analysis or evaluation of energy efficiency and solar projects involving residential, commercial, or industrial customers. Design solar domestic hot water and space heating systems for new and existing structures, applying knowledge of structural energy requirements, local climates, solar technology, and thermodynamics.
- Median annual earnings
- $122,888
- Projected change
- +5.4%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 176.9K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
55.6% of the workforce
Growing to 186.44K by 2035
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The work
What solar energy systems engineers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Conduct engineering site audits to collect structural, electrical, and related site information for use in the design of residential or commercial solar power systems.
- Create plans for solar energy system development, monitoring, and evaluation activities.
- Design or coordinate design of photovoltaic (PV) or solar thermal systems, including system components, for residential and commercial buildings.
- Provide technical direction or support to installation teams during installation, start-up, testing, system commissioning, or performance monitoring.
- Create electrical single-line diagrams, panel schedules, or connection diagrams for solar electric systems, using computer-aided design (CAD) software.
- Perform computer simulation of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation system performance or energy production to optimize efficiency.
- Review specifications and recommend engineering or manufacturing changes to achieve solar design objectives.
- Develop design specifications and functional requirements for residential, commercial, or industrial solar energy systems or components.
- Develop standard operation procedures and quality or safety standards for solar installation work.
- Create checklists for review or inspection of completed solar installation projects.
- Perform thermal, stress, or cost reduction analyses for solar systems.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $63,794
- 25th percentile
- $88,633
- 50th percentile
- $122,888
- 75th percentile
- $165,733
- 90th percentile
- $204,289
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $122,888 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+5.4%average or slower
2025176,896 jobs
2035 projected186,435 jobs
9,539 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 55.6%
- High school diploma or less
- 11.1%
- Certificate
- 11.1%
- Associate degree
- 11.1%
- Some college
- 7.4%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 3.7%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Solar Engineers99 postings
- 02Solar Energy Engineers69 postings
- 03Distribution Engineers63 postings
- 04Solar Pv Installers50 postings
- 05Field Engineers48 postings
- 06Solar Project Managers31 postings
- 07Development Engineers30 postings
- 08Field Solar Specialists25 postings
- 09Regional Field Engineers24 postings
- 10Manufacturing Engineers23 postings
- 11Electrical Engineers22 postings
- 12Renewable Energy Engineers20 postings
- 13Solar Array Operatives19 postings
- 14Project Development Engineers18 postings
- 15Solar Designers16 postings
- 16Electrical Construction Engineers15 postings
- 17Solar Design Engineers15 postings
- 18Tier 3 Engineers15 postings
- 19Safety Engineers14 postings
- 20Solar Electricians14 postings
Top employers
- 01NextEra Energy55 postings
- 02Leidos48 postings
- 03Blue Origin39 postings
- 04Cmta38 postings
- 05Bowman & Company Llp34 postings
- 06Burns & McDonnell34 postings
- 07M. A. Mortenson Company29 postings
- 08Tesla28 postings
- 09First Solar26 postings
- 10Solv Energy23 postings
- 11Black & Veatch19 postings
- 12Legence18 postings
- 13Aerotek16 postings
- 14SpaceX16 postings
- 15Pure Power Engineering15 postings
- 16Depcom Power14 postings
- 17Tapio13 postings
- 18Centrica Business Solutions12 postings
- 19Koch Industries12 postings
- 20Wanzek12 postings
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