How To Become A Solar Energy Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a solar energy engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Robert Foster

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a solar energy engineer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $43.47 an hour? That's $90,417 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 3% and produce 9,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a Solar Energy Engineer?

Robert Foster

Assistant Professor, New Mexico State University

Get connected with the professional organizations in your field to help build your network. Look for mentors that can help you launch your career. If you want to become a PE or certified technician, be sure to get on with an organization that has PEs and certified technicians already that can mentor you (e.g., NABCEP).

ScoreSolar Energy EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.1

Avg. Salary $90,417

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.9

Growth Rate 3%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.28%

Asian 18.27%

Black or African American 3.19%

Hispanic or Latino 7.54%

Unknown 4.39%

White 66.34%

Gender

female 23.08%

male 76.92%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress Level

5.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.1

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.2

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

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Key steps to become a solar energy engineer

Explore solar energy engineer education requirements

Most common solar energy engineer degrees

Bachelor's

64.7 %

Master's

17.6 %

Associate

11.8 %

Start to develop specific solar energy engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Renewable Energy	43.44%
CAD	23.29%
AC	18.57%
PV	14.71%

Complete relevant solar energy engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New solar energy engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a solar energy engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real solar energy engineer resumes.

Research solar energy engineer duties and responsibilities

Develop tools to automate equipment fault detection and energy analysis using data collect from commercial HVAC systems.
Perform energy calculations using spreadsheets and energy modeling software to determine energy savings associate with mechanical HVAC equipment and systems
Calculate energy/water cost and usage savings that meet company-wide ROI requirements.

Prepare your solar energy engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your solar energy engineer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a solar energy engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Solar Energy Engineer Resume templates

Build a professional Solar Energy Engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Solar Energy Engineer resume.

Apply for solar energy engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a solar energy engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams