Solar energy engineer

Solar energy engineers design systems which generate electrical energy from sunlight, such as photovoltaic systems. They design and construct systems which optimise the energy output from solar power, and the sustainability of the production process of solar systems.

The following job titles also refer to solar energy engineer:

solar energy technology engineering specialist
solar energy engineering expert
solar energies engineer
solar energy engineering specialist
solar energy systems engineer
solar engineer
solar energy technology engineering adviser
solar energy engineering adviser
solar power engineer
solar energy technology engineer
solar energy technology engineering consultant
solar energy technology engineering expert
solar energy engineering consultant

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as solar energy engineer. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Solar energy engineer is a Skill level 4 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to solar energy engineer.

energy systems engineer
renewable energy engineer
power distribution engineer
hydropower engineer
thermal engineer

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of solar energy engineer. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of solar energy engineer with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of solar energy engineer.

Solar energy: The energy which originates from light and heat from the sun, and which can be harnessed and used as a renewable source of energy using different technologies, such as photovoltaics (PV) for electricity production and solar thermal energy (STE) for thermal energy generation.
Energy market: The trends and major driving factors in the energy trading market, energy trades methodologies and practice, and the identification of the major stakeholders in the energy sector.
Energy: Power capacity in the form of mechanical, electrical, heat, potential, or other energy from chemical or physical resources, which can be used to drive a physical system.
Engineering principles: The engineering elements like functionality, replicability, and costs in relation to the design and how they are applied in the completion of engineering projects.
Electrical engineering: Understand electrical engineering, a field of engineering that deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism.
Technical drawings: Drawing software and the various symbols, perspectives, units of measurement, notation systems, visual styles and page layouts used in technical drawings.
Engineering processes: The systematic approach to the development and maintenance of engineering systems.
Types of photovoltaic panels: Different types of photovoltaic cells and panels, with different efficiencies in different types of weather, costs, durability and lifespan ratings, and mounting possibilities.
Thermodynamics: The branch of physics that deals with the relationships between heat and other forms of energy..
Power engineering: Subdiscipline of energy and electrical engineering which specialises in the generation, transmission, distribution, and usage of electrical power through the connection of electrical devices to motors, generators, and transformers, such as an AC-DC power adapter.

These skills are necessary for the role of solar energy engineer.

Conduct engineering site audits: Collect structural, electrical and related site information by conducting engineering site audits. These audits are used for the design of engineering solution such as solar power systems.
Promote sustainable energy: Promote the use of renewable electricity and heat generation sources to organisations and individuals, in order to work towards a sustainable future and encourage sales of renewable energy equipment, such as solar power equipment.
Adjust engineering designs: Adjust designs of products or parts of products so that they meet requirements.
Perform scientific research: Gain, correct or improve knowledge about phenomena by using scientific methods and techniques, based on empirical or measurable observations.
Design solar energy systems: Develop design specifications for solar energy systems and their components. Create checklists for the inspection and monitoring of completed solar installation projects.
Use technical drawing software: Create technical designs and technical drawings using specialised software.
Use thermal analysis: Use software tools such as Icepak, Fluens and FloTHERM as a means to develop and optimize thermal control designs in order to cope with a wide range of difficult problems regarding thermal products and properties of thermal materials.
Manage engineering project: Manage engineering project resources, budget, deadlines, and human resources, and plan schedules as well as any technical activities pertinent to the project.
Create autocad drawings: Create As-Built municipal drawings using AutoCAD.
Provide information on solar panels: Provide organisations and individuals searching for alternative methods to provide facilities and residences with energy on the costs, benefits, and negative aspects of the installation and use of solar panels, and what one must take into account when considering the purchase and installation of solar systems.
Maintain concentrated solar power systems: Perform routine maintenance as well as repairs on systems which use reflective materials, such as lenses and mirrors, and tracking systems to concentrate sunlight into a beam, which powers an electrical power plant through its heat generation.
Examine engineering principles: Analyse the principles that need to be considered for engineering designs and projects such as functionality, replicability, costs and other principles.
Adjust voltage: Adjust voltage in electrical equipment.
Maintain solar energy systems: Test the performance of the solar panels, read the measuring meters to check electricity indicators, identify and remedy malfunctions, and clean the panels if necessary.
Approve engineering design: Give consent to the finished engineering design to go over to the actual manufacturing and assembly of the product.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of solar energy engineer. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Electricity market: The trends and major driving factors in the electricity trading market, electricity trades methodologies and practice, and the identification of the major stakeholders in the electricity sector.
Fluid mechanics: The characteristics and properties of fluids, including gases, liquids and plasmas, at rest and in motion, and the forces on them.
Quality standards: The national and international requirements, specifications and guidelines to ensure that products, services and processes are of good quality and fit for purpose.
Industrial heating systems: Heating systems fuelled by gas, wood, oil, biomass, solar power, and other reneable energy sources and their energy saving principles, applicable specifically to industrial buildings and facilities.
Renewable energy technologies: The different types of energy sources which cannot be depleted, such as wind, solar, water, biomass, and biofuel energy. The different technologies used to implement these types of energy to an increasing degree, such as wind turbines, hydroelectric dams, photovoltaics, and concentrated solar power.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of solar energy engineer. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Test procedures in electricity transmission: Perform tests on powerlines and cables, as well as other equipment used for the transmission of electrical power, in order to ensure the cables are well insulated, the voltage can be controlled well, and the equipment is compliant with regulations.
Troubleshoot: Identify operating problems, decide what to do about it and report accordingly.
Maintain photovoltaic systems: Perform maintenance tasks and repairs on systems which generate electrical energy through the conversion of light into electric currents, the photovoltaic effect. Ensure compliance with regulations, and correct installation of the photovoltaic power system.
Inspect facility sites: Inspect the land of a possible construction site for distribution facilities by measuring and interpreting various data and calculations by using the appropriate equipment. Check if the field work is conform with plans and specifications.
Calculate solar panel orientation: Calculate the optimal placement of solar panels. Take into account the longitude, seasonal insolation values, the direction of true south, and the placement of any shadow-casting structures in order to find the best location and inclination for the panels.
Wear appropriate protective gear: Wear relevant and necessary protective gear, such as protective goggles or other eye protection, hard hats, safety gloves.
Run simulations: Run simulations and audits to assess operability of newly implemented setups; detect errors for improvement.
Read engineering drawings: Read the technical drawings of a product made by the engineer in order to suggest improvements, make models of the product or operate it.
Use cad software: Use computer-aided design (CAD) systems to assist in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimisation of a design.
Draw blueprints: Draw layout specifications for machinery, equipment and building structures. Specify which materials should be used and the size of the components. Show different angles and views of the product.
Perform project management: Manage and plan various resources, such as human resources, budget, deadline, results, and quality necessary for a specific project, and monitor the project’s progress in order to achieve a specific goal within a set time and budget.
Assess financial viability: Revise and analyse financial information and requirements of projects such as their budget appraisal, expected turnover, and risk assessment for determining the benefits and costs of the project. Assess if the agreement or project will redeem its investment, and whether the potential profit is worth the financial risk.
Design thermal equipment: Conceptually design equipment for healing and cooling using heat transfer principles such as conduction, convection, radiation and combustion. The temperature for these devices should stay stable and optimal, since they continually move heat around the system.

2149 – Engineering professionals not elsewhere classified

 

 

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References

1. Solar energy engineer – ESCO