Working in Solar Energy : Solar Energy Jobs in the Next Decade

Is There a Job Boom in Solar Energy?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, renewable energy jobs are the top two fastest-rising occupations from 2016 to 2026.

Solar panel installers are expected to grow by 105%, while wind turbine service technicians will double.

The falling cost of solar energy has boosted the industry in recent years, but it has also created a volatile business environment.

Mergers, bankruptcies, and layoffs are examples.

According to MIT research, solar panel module costs have dropped at the fastest rate of any energy technology, and the trend is expected to continue.

Research and development was the main driver of cost reductions until 2012 when they were credited to changes in module efficiency, material prices and usage, and overheads.

If regulations cooperate, lower costs mean greater accessibility and an increase in job opportunities.

Some argue that regulations, or the uncertainty of future regulations, prevent solar energy companies from hiring.

Political forces are at work, and states wield significant power over the renewable energy industry.

Tax breaks, subsidies, grants, and other incentives all exert pressure on the solar industry.

Solar energy jobs have been projected to have a promising future by economists for many years.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, solar panels installers - will be the fastest-growing occupation from 2016 to 2026.

This position is expected to more than double in the next decade, outpacing the growth rate of other in-demand jobs such as software developer, nurse practitioner, and data scientist.

The steadily declining cost of solar energy is the driving force behind those optimistic projections.

As per a 2017 International Renewable Energy Agency analysis, the cost of solar energy is expected to fall by 60% over the next decade.

This would make renewable energy resources more available to consumers, resulting in a surge in funding and job creation to deliver clean solar energy to homes.

Generation of solar energy

Solar energy is a versatile way to generate electricity.

It can heat water, heat and cool homes and commercial buildings, and power streetlights, among other things.

Solar energy is especially useful for supplying electricity to remote regions and portable devices since it is easily accessible almost everywhere and does not require fuel or a connection to a power grid (an interconnected network used to deliver electricity from suppliers to consumers).

Solar energy is used to produce huge amounts of electricity on a utility-scale and supply power to individual homes and businesses.

• Utility-scale solar power plants, alongside conventional power sources such as coal and natural gas plants, supply significant energy to the power grid.

  Solar power plants normally produce a few megawatts of electricity, equivalent to small or medium-sized coal or gas-fired plants.

  Plants still in the planning stages are expected to generate several hundred megawatts, comparable to a medium to a large coal or nuclear plant.

• Commercial solar power is used by businesses that can install large groups of solar panels known as photovoltaic (PV) arrays on unused land, rooftops, or parking structures, such as office buildings, warehouses, and retail stores.

  These panels complement the property's electricity supply and may produce more power than the property utilizes at times.

  This surplus energy is frequently sold back to the local utility company.

• Residential solar power is generated by homeowners who have solar panels installed on their roofs to provide power to their homes.

  This type of solar energy is becoming more popular.

  Residential solar power is typically supplemented by conventional energy from the power grid to provide additional energy when the solar panels cannot meet energy needs, such as at night or when it is exceedingly cloudy.

Most Common Solar Energy Jobs

The most plentiful source of potential energy on earth is sunlight.

If utilized effectively, sunlight has the potential to easily exceed present and future electricity needs.

According to research, adequate energy from the sun reaches Earth each hour to meet the world's energy consumption for a whole year.

Solar energy, generated by converting sunlight into electricity, would reduce emissions from electricity generation while also lowering long-term energy costs.

As solar power becomes more affordable, it has the potential to meet a larger portion of the world's growing energy demands.

As its use grows, so will the demand for more workers.

Solar job openings include positions in finance, safety standards, logistics and distribution, software engineering, architectural drafting, sales, and manufacturing, in addition to the person installing the sun-soaked panels you see on rooftops.

The most prevalent solar energy jobs available today are divided into three broad categories.

The first is hands-on installation and maintenance roles, which require people to build and maintain solar panels.

Following that are sales positions, which connect residential and commercial solar customers with energy solutions.

Finally, a few highly skilled - and well-paid - "tech" roles, such as software engineer and electrical engineer, represent the solar sector's shift toward more advanced power storage and growing software requirements.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of open solar energy jobs today are in the energy and utility companies.

But, there is an increasing number of solar energy jobs available in non-traditional sectors.

Nonprofits promoting solar energy use, consulting firms assisting companies in deploying solar solutions, banking and financial services investing in solar energy, educational institutions conducting academic research on solar technology, government employers hiring for regulatory staff, and others are among them.

Jobs in scientific research

Because solar energy is still gaining popularity and acceptance, research and development are critical industry components.

Continued research and increased returns to scale as production has increased have resulted in a slew of innovations that have reduced costs while increasing efficiency, dependability, and aesthetics.

New materials, for instance, have been devised that enable low-cost and lightweight thin-film solar panels that are less costly to manufacture and easier to transport than glass- or laminate-coated solar panels.

Jobs in scientific research and development have become increasingly interdisciplinary, and as a result, physicists, chemists, materials scientists, and engineers frequently collaborate as part of a team.

Most solar industry scientists work in an office or laboratory, but they also spend time with engineers and processing specialists in manufacturing facilities.

• Physicists use mathematics to monitor, measure, analyze, and advance theories to explain physical phenomena.

  To enhance the efficiency of solar panels, physicists collaborate with chemists, materials scientists, and engineers in the solar power industry.

  Physicists are also discovering new materials for solar panel generation, such as thin-film photovoltaic solar panels.

• Chemists study the properties, composition, and structure of matter and the laws that govern the interactions of substances.

  Chemists in the solar power industry can use this knowledge to enhance solar panel design, design new materials for making solar panels, and upgrade existing materials.

  Since most solar panels are made of semiconducting materials, which are normally silicon-based materials or organic compounds, and some newer thin-film panels are made of organic materials, they emphasize semiconducting materials.

• Materials scientists examine different materials' structures and chemical properties to create new products or improve on existing ones.

  Current solar power research is focused on designing materials, particularly thin-film cells, and lowering the cost of photovoltaic panels.

  Materials scientists are also working to improve the efficiency of solar panels.

  The percentage of available energy that is harnessed by the solar cells is referred to as efficiency.

  Most modern solar cells can only harvest 10 to 15% solar energy, with some panels capable of 25 to 30% efficiency.

  Lastly, Material Scientists are developing building-integrated solar energy technologies that address common complaints about solar panels detracting from a building's aesthetic appeal due to their large and bulky size.

Jobs in Solar Energy Engineering

Engineers use scientific and mathematical principles to devise cost-effective solutions to technical problems.

Their work connects scientific research to commercial applications.

Most engineers specify precise functional requirements before designing, testing, and integrating components to create designs for new products.

Engineers are responsible for assessing a design's effectiveness, cost, reliability, and safety after the design phase.

Engineers rely heavily on computers to create and analyze designs and simulate and test solar energy systems.

The majority of engineers work in offices, laboratories, or manufacturing plants.

Engineers are typically employed by solar technology providers and may be required to travel regularly to various work sites.

• Materials engineers work on developing, processing, and testing materials for use in products that must meet strict design and quality standards.

  They work with semiconductors, metals, plastics, glass, and composites (mixtures of these materials) in the solar industry to create new materials that meet solar cells' electrical and chemical requirements.

  They develop and analyze materials at the atomic level, employing advanced techniques to replicate the properties of those materials and their constituents using computer modelling programs.

• Electrical engineers are responsible for the design, development, testing, and supervision of electrical wiring.

  They are in charge of designing the electrical circuitry of solar panels and supporting devices such as inverters and wiring systems.

• Industrial engineers figure out how to use the basic factors of production-people, machines, materials, information, and energy-in the most efficient way possible to create a product or provide a service.

  They are mainly concerned with improved productivity through people management, innovation, and production methods for solar cells or mirrors.

  To maximize efficiency, industrial engineers examine product specifications and design manufacturing and information systems using mathematical models.

• Mechanical engineers design, build, and test tools, engines, machines, and other mechanical devices.

  Engineers in the solar power industry work on the machines that make solar panels.

  They also design and test the electric generators and pumps used in concentrating solar power plants.

• Computer software developers are computer specialists who design and build software for a wide range of applications.

  Computer software is to forecast weather and sunlight patterns so as evaluate the viability and cost of generating solar energy in a specific area.

  Software is used in power plants to monitor equipment and adjust the direction of mirrors or photovoltaic panels so that the optimum energy is captured as the sun moves across the sky.

  Updating, repairing, expanding, and modifying existing programs are the responsibility of software developers.

• Engineering technicians help engineers handle technical issues in research, development, manufacturing, construction, inspection, and maintenance.

  Engineering technicians who work in the research and development of solar panels will construct or set up equipment, prepare and conduct experiments, collect data, and calculate or record results.

  They may also help engineers and scientists create prototypes of newly designed equipment or in the use of computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) equipment.

Jobs in Solar Energy Manufacturing

The solar industry's manufacturing is centred on three innovations: concentrating solar power (CSP), photovoltaic solar power, and solar water heating.

But, most solar manufacturing companies are primarily concerned with photovoltaic solar power and the production of photovoltaic panels.

Photovoltaic panels are manufactured in a more complex manner than CSP components, involving complex electronics.

Many competent workers are needed to manufacture photovoltaic panels, including semiconductor processors, computer-controlled machine tool operators, glaziers, and coating and painting workers.

• Semiconductor processors supervise the manufacturing process of solar cells.

  Semiconductors are unique substances that, based on the conditions, serve as either conductors or electrical insulators.

  Semiconductors are converted into photovoltaic cells by semiconductor processors.

  The process begins with the creation of nuggets, which are cylinders of silicon or other semiconducting materials.

  The ingots are sliced into thin wafers and sometimes polished using automated equipment.

  The wafers are then attached to metal strips and inserted into the cells.

  These cells are then combined to form larger solar panels.

• Computer-controlled machine tool operators run computer numerically controlled (CNC) machines, which form and shape solar mirror or panel components.

  Some more skilled CNC operators also program the machines to cut new pieces based on design schematics.

  CNC operators operate machines that are used to mass-produce components that require extremely precise cutting.

  They manufacture suitable mirrors for CSP plants and many components of solar panels.

• Glaziers select, cut, install, replace and remove glass or glass-like materials.

  Photovoltaic panels are usually enveloped in glass or laminates and mounted in an aluminium frame to protect them from the elements.

  Glaziers are in charge of measuring and cutting the glass or laminate that will cover the panel and securing it in place and sealing it with rubber, vinyl, or silicone compounds.

• Coating and painting machine setters, operators, and tenders add coatings to solar panels, which can be a complex process that requires extreme precision.

  Mirrors in CSP plants are normally coated to safeguard them from particles and make them scratch and corrosion-resistant.

  Protective coatings are also applied to maximize the performance of the panels.

  Solar panels with special coatings, such as titanium oxide, are less reflective and thus absorb more sunlight.

What are the prospects for solar energy over the next ten years?

The 2020s will be a game-changer for solar energy.

Renewable energy costs have decreased over the last decade due to technological advancements in wind turbine and solar panel design, materials, and manufacturing.

Here are three trends that will define the decade of the 2020s.

Solar energy will outperform oil.

Non-hydro renewables have increased as a percentage of total electricity generation over the last decade.

Till now, growth has been consistent.

Natural gas, rather than renewables, has replaced much of the electricity generated by coal.

However, we anticipate greater growth in renewables over the next decade.

The low cost of renewable energy compared to gas-powered generators is a major motivator for municipalities and governments to transition to renewable energy.

This is separate from the increasing societal pressure to "go green." As old infrastructure reaches the end of its useful life, renewables will take its place.

Climate Will Be More Important

Extreme weather events will become more common due to climate change, increasing the need for power sources to be resilient in all conditions.

While solar energy was once considered unreliable, large coal and gas-fired power plants are now seen as the more vulnerable and ageing goliaths.

It only takes one event - whether natural or man-made - to create a major outage in a broad region.

AI Will Increase Efficiencies

Aside from distributed networks, we will need to improve the ability to predict weather and manage energy appropriately.

Artificial intelligence (AI) will allow us to manage power with high efficiency for the first time.

It will be possible to control, manage, and store power more efficiently, which means that it will take less energy to produce the same amount of power.

Already in 2021, the impact of climate change is causing countries and their people to take notice.

Climate change and rising temperatures will definitively alter the trajectory of concern and initiatives over the next decade.

Technology is central to how we address this grave threat to our society.

Technological advancement is always slow before picking up speed - but AI, renewable energy, and distributed power networks are not new.