A Solar Engineer designs, installs and maintains renewable energy systems, such as solar panels, to provide sustainable energy solutions for both residential and commercial properties. They must have a good understanding of solar technology and electrical systems, as well as knowledge of relevant design and safety regulations.

Job Tasks : 
 

Create plans for solar energy system development, monitoring, and evaluation activities.

• Prepare detailed work plans.

Conduct engineering site audits to collect structural, electrical, and related site information for use in the design of residential or commercial solar power systems.

• Collect data about project sites.

Design or coordinate design of photovoltaic (PV) or solar thermal systems, including system components, for residential and commercial buildings.

• Design alternative energy systems.

Create electrical single-line diagrams, panel schedules, or connection diagrams for solar electric systems, using computer-aided design (CAD) software.

• Create graphical representations of energy production systems.

Review specifications and recommend engineering or manufacturing changes to achieve solar design objectives.

• Evaluate plans or specifications to determine technological or environmental implications.
• Recommend technical design or process changes to improve efficiency, quality, or performance.

Develop design specifications and functional requirements for residential, commercial, or industrial solar energy systems or components.

• Determine design criteria or specifications.

Provide technical direction or support to installation teams during installation, start-up, testing, system commissioning, or performance monitoring.

• Provide technical guidance to other personnel.

Perform computer simulation of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation system performance or energy production to optimize efficiency.

• Create models of engineering designs or methods.

Develop standard operation procedures and quality or safety standards for solar installation work.

• Determine operational methods.

Create checklists for review or inspection of completed solar installation projects.

• Inspect finished products to locate flaws.

Test or evaluate photovoltaic (PV) cells or modules.

• Test green technologies or processes.

Perform thermal, stress, or cost reduction analyses for solar systems.

• Analyze green technology design requirements.
• Analyze costs and benefits of proposed designs or projects.

Design or develop vacuum tube collector systems for solar applications.

• Design alternative energy systems.

• A solar engineer typically needs to have the following qualifications:
•  Solar engineers typically need a bachelor’s degree in engineering, physics or a related field. Some of the most common majors for aspiring solar engineers include electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and civil engineering.
•  Solar engineers receive most of their training through their educational programs. Internships are also a great way to gain practical experience. Internships allow students and recent graduates to apply their classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios under the supervision of experienced professionals.
•  Solar engineers can acquire several certifications that demonstrate their expertise in different aspects of solar energy. Most require that the professional has completed a certain amount of education after receiving a license to practice and displays the individual’s dedication to the profession.