Solar Energy Systems Engineers
Perform site-specific engineering analysis or evaluation of energy efficiency and solar projects involving residential, commercial, or industrial customers. Design solar domestic hot water and space heating systems for new and existing structures, applying knowledge of structural energy requirements, local climates, solar technology, and thermodynamics.
Solar Energy Systems Engineers perform site-specific engineering analysis or evaluation of energy efficiency and solar projects involving residential, commercial, or industrial customers. The role reports a median annual salary of $117,750 in the US and is showing modest growth of 2% over the next decade. Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.47 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include solar energy, energy market, sustainable technologies, energy, engineering principles.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £48,776 a year for Engineering professionals n.e.c. (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £39,653 to £61,717 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2129). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Solar Energy Systems Engineers, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
No single fixed route is listed for this career. These Indian degrees lead to it, according to the US CIP–SOC education-to-occupation crosswalk; open a degree for its entrance exams and colleges.[1]
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Electronics and Communication Engineering — B.Tech / B.E. in Electronics and Communication Engineering (four years)
Entrance exams: JEE Main, JEE Advanced, BITSAT, MHT CET, KCET, WBJEE, AP EAPCET, TS EAPCET
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Mechatronics and Robotics — B.Tech in Mechatronics Engineering (four years)
Entrance exams: JEE Main, MET, SRMJEEE, VITEEE, MHT CET
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- CIP 2020 – SOC 2018 crosswalk (NCES / BLS) (read on 2026-09-27)
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Engineering and Technology
- Design
- Building and Construction
- Mathematics
- Mechanical
- Computers and Electronics
- Physics
- Administration and Management
What you'd actually do
- Conduct engineering site audits to collect structural, electrical, and related site information for use in the design of residential or commercial solar power systems.
- Create plans for solar energy system development, monitoring, and evaluation activities.
- Design or coordinate design of photovoltaic (PV) or solar thermal systems, including system components, for residential and commercial buildings.
- Provide technical direction or support to installation teams during installation, start-up, testing, system commissioning, or performance monitoring.
- Create electrical single-line diagrams, panel schedules, or connection diagrams for solar electric systems, using computer-aided design (CAD) software.
- Perform computer simulation of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation system performance or energy production to optimize efficiency.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Solar Energy Systems Engineers do?
Perform site-specific engineering analysis or evaluation of energy efficiency and solar projects involving residential, commercial, or industrial customers. Design solar domestic hot water and space heating systems for new and existing structures, applying knowledge of structural energy requirements, local climates, solar technology, and thermodynamics.
How much does Solar Energy Systems Engineers earn?
The median annual salary for Solar Energy Systems Engineers in the US is $117,750.
What is the job outlook for Solar Energy Systems Engineers?
The role is showing modest growth of 2% over the next decade. Current US employment is approximately 158,800 workers.
How do I become solar energy systems engineers?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Solar Energy Systems Engineers need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include solar energy, energy market, sustainable technologies, energy, engineering principles, electrical engineering. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Solar Energy Systems Engineers?
Our AI-durability model gives Solar Energy Systems Engineers a score of 0.47 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Solar Energy Systems Engineers has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.