Solar Energy Systems Engineers

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Design or develop vacuum tube collector systems for solar applications.
• Develop standard operation procedures and quality or safety standards for solar installation work.
• Perform thermal, stress, or cost reduction analyses for solar systems.
• Review specifications and recommend engineering or manufacturing changes to achieve solar design objectives.
• Create plans for solar energy system development, monitoring, and evaluation activities.
• Create electrical single-line diagrams, panel schedules, or connection diagrams for solar electric systems, using computer-aided design (CAD) software.
• Test or evaluate photovoltaic (PV) cells or modules.
• Review specifications and recommend engineering or manufacturing changes to achieve solar design objectives.
• Provide technical direction or support to installation teams during installation, start-up, testing, system commissioning, or performance monitoring.
• Perform thermal, stress, or cost reduction analyses for solar systems.
• Develop design specifications and functional requirements for residential, commercial, or industrial solar energy systems or components.
• Conduct engineering site audits to collect structural, electrical, and related site information for use in the design of residential or commercial solar power systems.
• Design or coordinate design of photovoltaic (PV) or solar thermal systems, including system components, for residential and commercial buildings.
• Perform computer simulation of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation system performance or energy production to optimize efficiency.
• Create checklists for review or inspection of completed solar installation projects.

Skills

• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

Abilities

• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.

Knowledge

• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Education

Education

Bachelor's degree

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

No on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

×

Education and Training Opportunities

• Gonzaga University
  E 502 Boone Ave, Spokane WA 99258-0001
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 800-986-9585
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://www.gonzaga.edu/
  Program Name
  Engineering, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• North Seattle College
  9600 College Way North, Seattle WA 98103-3599
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 206-934-3600
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  https://northseattle.edu/
  Program Name
  Nanotechnology
  Length
  2 years
  Award Level
  Associate's degree
  Save

  ---

• Seattle Pacific University
  3307 3rd Ave W, Seattle WA 98119-1997
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 206-281-2000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://spu.edu/
  Program Name
  Engineering, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• Seattle University
  900 Broadway, Seattle WA 98122-4340
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 206-296-6000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  http://www.seattleu.edu/
  Program Name
  Engineering, Other
  Length
  Less than one year
  Award Level
  Post-master's certificate, Postbaccalaureate certificate
  Save
  Program Name
  Systems Engineering
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree
  Save

  ---

• University of Washington-Seattle Campus
  1400 NE Campus Parkway, Seattle WA 98195-4550
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  20,000 and above

  Financial Aid 206-543-2100
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://www.washington.edu/
  Program Name
  Forest Engineering
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree, Doctor's degree - research/scholarship, Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Engineering, General
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Engineering, Other
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree, Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Nanotechnology
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Doctor's degree - research/scholarship, Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Electrical and Computer Engineering
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Manufacturing Engineering
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• University of Washington-Tacoma Campus
  1900 Commerce St, Tacoma WA 98402-3100
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 253-692-4400
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/
  Program Name
  Electrical and Computer Engineering
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree
  Save

  ---

• Walla Walla University
  204 S College Ave, College Place WA 99324-1198
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 509-527-2615
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://www.wallawalla.edu/
  Program Name
  Engineering, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• Washington State University
  French Administration Building, Pullman WA 99164-5910
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  20,000 and above

  Financial Aid 509-335-3564
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://wsu.edu/
  Program Name
  Nanotechnology
  Length
  Less than one year
  Award Level
  Postbaccalaureate certificate
  Save
  Program Name
  Engineering Science
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Doctor's degree - research/scholarship
  Save
  Program Name
  Engineering, General
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree
  Save

  ---

• Western Washington University
  516 High Street, Bellingham WA 98225-9008
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  10,000 - 19,999

  Financial Aid 360-650-3000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  http://wwu.edu/
  Program Name
  Electrical and Computer Engineering
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Manufacturing Engineering
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• Whitman College
  345 Boyer Ave, Walla Walla WA 99362
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 509-527-5111
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  http://www.whitman.edu/
  Program Name
  Engineering, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

Close

Pay

Washington Annual Salary

125080/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

60.14/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

4,670

Yearly Projected Openings

350

Personality

Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:

• Attention to Detail
• Dependability
• Integrity
• Cooperation
• Adaptability/Flexibility
• Persistence

Tools

• Abrasion testers
• Ageing ovens
• Ammeters
• Analytical balances
• Atomic absorption AA spectrometers
• Binocular light compound microscopes
• Brushless motor DC
• Calorimeters
• Capacitance meters
• Colorimeters
• Compression testers
• Coulometers
• Creep testers
• Electrical frequency meters
• Electrometers
• Extruders
• Fatigue testers
• Fish tape
• Flexure or transverse testing machines
• Frequency calibrator or simulator
• Goniometers or arthrometers
• Graphic recorders
• Graphics tablets
• Hand held camcorders or video cameras
• Hardness testers
• Hipot testers
• Impact testers
• Infrared dryers
• Infrared imagers
• Infrared spectrometers
• Isolation glove boxes
• Laboratory evaporators
• Laboratory mechanical convection ovens
• Laminators
• Laser fax machine
• Laser printers
• Lasers
• Liquid chromatographs
• Load frame
• Mass spectrometers
• Megohmmeters
• Metal testing instruments
• Moisture meters
• Multi gas monitors
• Optical character recognition systems
• Orbital shakers
• Personal computers
• Photocopiers
• Plotter printers
• Pocket calculator
• Polarimeters
• Portable data input terminals
• Potentiometers
• Power meters
• Refrigerated and heated reach in environmental or growth chambers
• Resistance thermometers
• Rheometers
• Roughness measuring instruments
• Scanning electron microscopes
• Scanning probe microscopes
• Semiconductor process systems
• Semiconductor testers
• Shear strength testers
• Signal generators
• Solar radiation surface observing apparatus
• Spectrometers
• Spectrophotometers
• Strain gauges
• Temperature cycling chambers or thermal cyclers
• Tension testers
• Thermo gravimetry analyzers
• Thermocouples
• Thickness measuring devices
• Transmission electron microscopes
• Tube furnaces
• Ultrasonic cleaning equipment
• Vacuum ovens
• Videoscopes
• Voltage or current meters
• X ray diffraction equipment
• pH meters

Technology

• Analytical or scientific software
• Computer aided design CAD software
• Customer relationship management CRM software
• Data base user interface and query software
• Development environment software
• Electronic mail software
• Enterprise resource planning ERP software
• Geographic information system
• Industrial control software
• Mobile location based services software
• Object or component oriented development software
• Office suite software
• Operating system software
• Presentation software
• Process mapping and design software
• Program testing software
• Project management software
• Spreadsheet software
• Web platform development software
• Word processing software