Science & ResearchISCO 2149

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.

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Check yourself in a minute: solar energy engineer

Rate 5 of the 30 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

promote sustainable energy

design a solar heating system

perform scientific research

use technical drawing software

perform feasibility study on solar heating

About solar energy engineer

As a solar energy engineer, you will be at the forefront of Poland's renewable energy revolution, designing and optimizing systems that convert sunlight into clean, sustainable electricity. Your responsibilities span the entire project lifecycle—from conducting site audits to assess solar potential, creating detailed technical drawings and specifications, to monitoring system performance and efficiency. You will apply your deep knowledge of photovoltaic systems, thermodynamics, and electrical engineering principles to solve complex technical challenges and design solutions tailored to individual client needs or utility-scale projects. Your work contributes directly to reducing Poland's carbon footprint and advancing the country's ambitious renewable energy targets. The solar industry in Poland is experiencing rapid growth, with increasing government incentives and public support for clean energy, creating strong career prospects and opportunities for professional advancement.

Key Work Functions

Core areas of responsibility for a solar energy engineer.

Solar System Design

Design solar energy systems including photovoltaic arrays, inverters, and balance of system components
Create detailed technical drawings and specifications for solar installations
Select appropriate photovoltaic panel types and configurations based on site conditions and energy requirements
Design solar heating systems for residential and commercial applications
Develop system layouts optimizing energy output and space utilization

Site Assessment and Evaluation

Conduct comprehensive engineering site audits to evaluate solar potential and feasibility
Analyze geographical data, weather patterns, and seasonal variations affecting solar production
Assess site conditions including roof structure, ground capacity, and shading analysis
Prepare site evaluation reports with recommendations for optimal system configuration

Engineering and Performance Optimization

Apply thermodynamics principles to optimize energy conversion efficiency in solar systems
Adjust engineering designs to account for local conditions, regulations, and client requirements
Monitor and analyze system performance data to identify optimization opportunities
Design energy storage solutions to maximize solar energy utilization

Research and Sustainability

Perform scientific research on new solar technologies, materials, and efficiency improvements
Evaluate alternative energy solutions and micro-generation technologies for specific applications
Assess environmental impact and sustainability of solar projects throughout their lifecycle
Promote sustainable energy practices and advocate for renewable energy adoption

Technical Documentation and Compliance

Prepare comprehensive technical documentation including specifications, drawings, and manuals
Ensure solar system designs comply with electrical codes, building standards, and regulations
Develop interconnection applications for grid-tied solar systems
Maintain knowledge of evolving regulations, incentives, and energy market conditions

Stakeholder Communication and Project Support

Communicate technical concepts to non-technical clients and project stakeholders
Provide technical support to contractors, installers, and maintenance teams during project execution
Conduct training sessions on solar system operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting
Participate in project meetings and provide technical expertise for decision-making

Do You Have the Skills for This Role?

Core competency requirements inferred from the occupation's skill profile. Take the free assessment to see how you match.

Must-Have Skills (Advanced)

Problem SolvingAdvanced

Supporting Skills

Digital FluencyIntermediate

Transdisciplinary ThinkingIntermediate

Self ManagementIntermediate

Check your gaps

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (30)

solar energysolar energyThe 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 electrici...energy marketenergy marketThe 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.sustainable technologiessustainable technologiesTechnologies with the aim of reducing environmental and ecological risks, achieving at the same time, a positive economic, social, and environmental impact. They are innovative technologies designed t...energyenergyPower 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 principlesengineering principlesThe engineering elements like functionality, replicability, and costs in relation to the design and how they are applied in the completion of engineering projects.electrical engineeringelectrical engineeringThe field of engineering that deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism.technical drawingstechnical drawingsDrawing software and the various symbols, perspectives, units of measurement, notation systems, visual styles and page layouts used in technical drawings.energy micro-generation technologiesenergy micro-generation technologiesThe technologies which allow the small-scale generation process of harvesting low carbon sources such as the sun, wind, or water flow, to produce heat or electricity. Energy micro-generation technolog...types of photovoltaic panelstypes of photovoltaic panelsDifferent types of photovoltaic cells and panels, with different efficiencies in different types of weather, costs, durability and lifespan ratings, and mounting possibilities.thermodynamicsthermodynamicsThe branch of physics that deals with the relationships between heat and other forms of energy.alternative energyalternative energySources of energy that do not originate from fossil fuels and have few greenhouse emissions.solar productssolar productsThe varieties and key features of solar products such as solar panels, solar water heaters or solar-powered chargers. Moreover, the knowledge of their functionalities, components and legal requirement...power engineeringpower engineeringSubdiscipline 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...promote sustainable energypromote sustainable energyPromote 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, ...design a solar heating systemdesign a solar heating systemDesign a solar thermal energy system. Calculate accurate heating demand of the building, calculate accurate domestic hot water demand in order to select the right capacity (kW, litres). Make a detaile...perform scientific researchperform scientific researchGain, correct or improve knowledge about phenomena by using scientific methods and techniques, based on empirical or measurable observations.use technical drawing softwareuse technical drawing softwareCreate technical designs and technical drawings using specialised software.perform feasibility study on solar heatingperform feasibility study on solar heatingPerform the evaluation and assessment of the potential of solar heating systems. Realise a standardised study to estimate the heat loss of the building and the heating demand, the demand of domestic h...manage engineering projectmanage engineering projectManage engineering project resources, budget, deadlines, and human resources, and plan schedules as well as any technical activities pertinent to the project.adjust voltageadjust voltageAdjust voltage in electrical equipment.approve engineering designapprove engineering designGive consent to the finished engineering design to go over to the actual manufacturing and assembly of the product.photovoltaic systemsphotovoltaic systemsSystems that convert a renewable source as the sun into electrical energy. Based in the energy conversion chain, photovoltaic systems could be divided into three types: grid direct PV systems, grid-in...design solar energy systemsdesign solar energy systemsDevelop design specifications for solar energy systems and their components. Create checklists for the inspection and monitoring of completed solar installation projects.use thermal analysisuse thermal analysisUse 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 an...examine engineering principlesexamine engineering principlesAnalyse the principles that need to be considered for engineering designs and projects such as functionality, replicability, costs and other principles.adjust engineering designsadjust engineering designsAdjust designs of products or parts of products so that they meet requirements.provide information on solar panelsprovide information on solar panelsProvide 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 sol...maintain concentrated solar power systemsmaintain concentrated solar power systemsPerform 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 electric...conduct engineering site auditsconduct engineering site auditsCollect structural, electrical and related site information by conducting engineering site audits. They are used for the design of engineering solution such as solar power systems.operate solar thermal energy systems for hot water and heatingoperate solar thermal energy systems for hot water and heatingUse solar tube collectors systems to generate and store domestic potable hot water and heating, in order to increase energy performance.

Optional (39) — show

battery designbattery designThe techniques used to design batteries, characterise their properties and performance, including electrochemical analysis and physical measurements, as well as to devise the integration of various co...business intelligencebusiness intelligenceThe tools used to transform large amounts of raw data into relevant and helpful business information.data miningdata miningThe methods of artificial intelligence, machine learning, statistics and databases used to extract content from a dataset.visual presentation techniquesvisual presentation techniquesThe visual representation and interaction techniques, such as histograms, scatter plots, surface plots, tree maps and parallel coordinate plots, that can be used to present abstract numerical and non-...electricity marketelectricity marketThe 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.information extractioninformation extractionThe techniques and methods used for eliciting and extracting information from unstructured or semi-structured digital documents and sources.smart grids systemssmart grids systemsSmart grids are a digital electricity network. The system involves the electronic digital control of production, distribution and use of electricity, information management of the components and energ...fluid mechanicsfluid mechanicsThe characteristics and properties of fluids, including gases, liquids and plasmas, at rest and in motion, and the forces on them.quality standardsquality standardsThe national and international requirements, specifications and guidelines to ensure that products, services and processes are of good quality and fit for purpose.data analyticsdata analyticsThe science of analysing and making decisions based on raw data collected from various sources. Includes knowledge of techniques using algorithms that derive insights or trends from that data to suppo...data storagedata storageThe physical and technical concepts of how digital data storage is organised in specific schemes both locally, such as hard-drives and random-access memories (RAM) and remotely, via network, internet ...statistical analysis system softwarestatistical analysis system softwareSpecific software system (SAS) used for advanced analytics, business intelligence, data management, and predictive analytics.cloud technologiescloud technologiesThe technologies which enable access to hardware, software, data and services through remote servers and software networks irrespective of their location and architecture.industrial heating systemsindustrial heating systemsHeating 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.unstructured dataunstructured dataThe information that is not arranged in a pre-defined manner or does not have a pre-defined data model and is difficult to understand and find patterns in without using techniques such as data mining.state estimationstate estimationThe process of fusing input data measurements and a mathematical model to determine the internal state of an energy system.renewable energyrenewable energyThe 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 increa...test procedures in electricity transmissiontest procedures in electricity transmissionPerform 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, ...perform a feasibility study on solar absorption coolingperform a feasibility study on solar absorption coolingPerform the evaluation and assessment of the potential of the application of solar cooling. Realise a standardised study to estimate the cooling demand of the building, costs, benefits and life cycle ...troubleshoottroubleshootIdentify operating problems, decide what to do about it and report accordingly.maintain photovoltaic systemsmaintain photovoltaic systemsPerform 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, a...perform data miningperform data miningExplore large datasets to reveal patterns using statistics, database systems or artificial intelligence and present the information in a comprehensible way.analyse big dataanalyse big dataCollect and evaluate numerical data in large quantities, especially for the purpose of identifying patterns between the data.inspect facility sitesinspect facility sitesInspect 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 ...calculate solar panel orientationcalculate solar panel orientationCalculate 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 t...wear appropriate protective gearwear appropriate protective gearWear relevant and necessary protective gear, such as protective goggles or other eye protection, hard hats, safety gloves.analyse test dataanalyse test dataInterpret and analyse data collected during testing in order to formulate conclusions, new insights or solutions.utilise machine learningutilise machine learningUse techniques and algorithms that are able to extract mastery out of data, learn from it and make predictions, to be used for program optimisation, application adaptation, pattern recognition, filter...run simulationsrun simulationsRun simulations and audits to assess operability of newly implemented setups; detect errors for improvement.read engineering drawingsread engineering drawingsRead 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 softwareuse CAD softwareUse computer-aided design (CAD) systems to assist in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimisation of a design.draw blueprintsdraw blueprintsDraw 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.use specific data analysis softwareuse specific data analysis softwareUse specific software for data analysis, including statistics, spreadsheets, and databases. Explore possibilities in order to make reports to managers, superiors, or clients.perform project managementperform project managementManage 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 g...utilise decision support systemutilise decision support systemUse the available ICT systems that can be used to support business or organisational decision making.assess financial viabilityassess financial viabilityRevise 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. Asse...design thermal equipmentdesign thermal equipmentConceptually 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 ...information structureinformation structureThe type of infrastructure which defines the format of data: semi-structured, unstructured and structured.design a solar absorption cooling systemdesign a solar absorption cooling systemDesign an absorption cooling generation system with solar regeneration by heat tube collectors. Calculate accurate cooling demand of the building in order to select the right capacity (kW). Make a det...

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Frequently asked questions

What does a solar energy engineer do?

What skills does a solar energy engineer need?

A solar energy engineer needs 30 essential skills, including solar energy, energy market, sustainable technologies, energy, engineering principles.

Will AI replace solar energy engineer jobs?

The AI disruption score for solar energy engineer is 54/100 (moderate risk). Skills most exposed to automation: information extraction, quality standards, perform data mining. Most resilient: energy, energy micro-generation technologies, wear appropriate protective gear.