Engineering
Solar Engineer
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
Designs and develops technologies that produce and store energy from solar power.
Job Outlook
There were 19 Solar Engineer job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 553 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Solar Engineer industry, which includes the Solar Engineer career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2012:
Salary
Many new Solar Engineer jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $89,239.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $80,577.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Solar Engineer postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $78,300.
Education and Experience
Posted Solar Engineer jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 0% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 70% |
| Master's Degree | 29% |
| Doctoral Degree | 1% |
| Other | 0% |
Posted Solar Engineer jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 28% |
| 3 to 5 years | 49% |
| 6 to 8 years | 16% |
| 9+ years | 6% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Solar Engineer positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Microsoft Excel (55%)
- Teamwork / Collaboration (44%)
- Communication Skills (40%)
- Microsoft Office (39%)
- Writing (35%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- PVsyst (46%)
- Python (37%)
- Engineering, Procurement, and Construction Management (35%)
- Scheduling (34%)
- Process Improvement (27%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Calculation (20%)
- Project Management (20%)
- AutoCAD (20%)
- Database Design (20%)
- Quality Assurance and Control (17%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Medium Voltage (7%)
- PV System Design and Drafting (7%)
- Wind Power (5%)
- Photovoltaic Energy (4%)
- Solar Design (4%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed along with the marginal value: the average salary difference between postings that request that skill and those that do not.
- Clean Energy (2%) – marginal value $2,147
- ETAP Software (3%) – marginal value $1,580
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Solar Engineer skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Solar Photovoltaic Performance Engineer/Consultant
- Solar Performance Engineer
- Principal Engineer - U S
- Solar Performance Engineer Remote
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Renewable Energy Engineer
- Energy Engineer
- Wind Energy Engineer
- Alternative Energy Manager
- Energy Analyst / Auditor
- Distributed Energy Engineer
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Solar Engineer jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Black & Veatch (105)
- DNV GL (38)
- The Engie (18)
- NextEra Energy, Inc. (18)
- First Solar (16)
North Carolina
- John Wood Group Plc (3)
- Black & Veatch (2)
- Cypress Creek Renewables (2)
- Radian Generation (2)
- Strata Solar (2)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Burning Glass Technologies. For more information about how they gather data and what it represents, see Burning Glass Technologies - Frequently Asked Questions.