Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Solar Energy Systems Engineers
Occupation · SOC 17-2199.11
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.
Also called: Power Systems Engineer · Project Engineer · Solar Design Engineer · Solar Designer · Consulting Engineer · Engineer · Photovoltaic System Designer (PV System Designer) · Research Engineer · Solar Energy Engineer · Solar Engineer · Applications Engineer · Renewable Energy Specialist
Job family: Architecture and Engineering Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-17-2199-11/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- About average employment outlook (+2.1% by 2034)
- 9,300 openings/yr
- High AI exposure
- Median pay $117,750/yr
- Can largely be done remotely (teleworkable)
- A reversal from 2013 — rated low automation risk then (9th), high AI task-overlap now (69th)
69th-percentile task overlap — yet about 9,300 openings a year (+2.1% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) High | 67th | 0.8 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) High | 70th | 0.8 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High | 71st | 0.2 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.5), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.8). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.0 · 9th percentile among occupations · Low
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +2.1% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 9,300 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 158,800 → 162,100 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Solar Energy Systems Engineers sits at the 57th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
30% mean task exposure (2025)
57th percentile of 427 placed occupations
+8 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Professionals Not Elsewhere Classified · 2149 | 30% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 13 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Conduct engineering site audits to collect structural, electrical, and related site information for use in the design of residential or commercial solar power systems. Core · importance 4.5
- Create plans for solar energy system development, monitoring, and evaluation activities. Core · importance 4.4
- Design or coordinate design of photovoltaic (PV) or solar thermal systems, including system components, for residential and commercial buildings. Core · importance 4.4
- Provide technical direction or support to installation teams during installation, start-up, testing, system commissioning, or performance monitoring. Core · importance 4.3
- Create electrical single-line diagrams, panel schedules, or connection diagrams for solar electric systems, using computer-aided design (CAD) software. Core · importance 4.2
- Perform computer simulation of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation system performance or energy production to optimize efficiency. Core · importance 4.1
- Review specifications and recommend engineering or manufacturing changes to achieve solar design objectives. Core · importance 3.9
- Develop design specifications and functional requirements for residential, commercial, or industrial solar energy systems or components. Core · importance 3.8
- Develop standard operation procedures and quality or safety standards for solar installation work. Core · importance 3.6
- Create checklists for review or inspection of completed solar installation projects. Core · importance 3.6
- Perform thermal, stress, or cost reduction analyses for solar systems. Core · importance 3.2
- Test or evaluate photovoltaic (PV) cells or modules. Core · importance 2.9
- Design or develop vacuum tube collector systems for solar applications. Supplemental · importance 1.8
Work activities
- Test green technologies or processes.
- Evaluate plans or specifications to determine technological or environmental implications.
- Recommend technical design or process changes to improve efficiency, quality, or performance.
- Analyze green technology design requirements.
- Analyze costs and benefits of proposed designs or projects.
- Determine operational methods.
- Design alternative energy systems.
- Provide technical guidance to other personnel.
- Create models of engineering designs or methods.
- Determine design criteria or specifications.
- Prepare detailed work plans.
- Create graphical representations of energy production systems.
- Inspect finished products to locate flaws.
- Collect data about project sites.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Engineering and Technology | 4.3 | |
| Design | 4.1 | |
| Building and Construction | 3.9 | |
| Mathematics | 3.8 | |
| Mechanical | 3.6 | |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.3 | |
| Physics | 3.3 | |
| Administration and Management | 3.2 | |
| English Language | 3.1 |
Essential skills
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 | |
| Writing | 3.9 | |
| Speaking | 3.9 | |
| Active Listening | 3.8 | |
| Mathematics | 3.4 | |
| Science | 3.3 | |
| Active Learning | 3.3 | |
| Monitoring | 3.3 |
Abilities
| Written Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Written Expression | 4.0 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.0 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.0 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.9 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.9 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.9 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.8 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.6 | |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.6 | |
| Originality | 3.5 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.5 | |
| Near Vision | 3.4 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.4 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.4 |
Transferable skills
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.9 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.4 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 | |
| Coordination | 3.0 | |
| Persuasion | 3.0 | |
| Instructing | 3.0 | |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.0 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 48.
Tools & technology
Showing the top 40 of 57.
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
- Preparation level
- SVP (7.0 to < 8.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Engineering , Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians , Health Professions and Related Programs . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Bachelor's Degree | 55.6% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 11.1% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 11.1% | |
| High School Diploma | 7.4% | |
| Some College Courses | 7.4% | |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 3.7% | |
| First Professional Degree | 3.7% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 6.0 | |
| Investigative | 5.0 | |
| Conventional | 4.0 | |
| Enterprising | 3.0 | |
| Artistic | 2.1 | |
| Social | 1.9 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $62,840 |
| 25th percentile | $85,750 |
| Median (50th) | $117,750 |
| 75th percentile | $152,670 |
| 90th percentile | $183,510 |
| People employed | 150,750 |
Wages and employment are reported by BLS for the broader occupation group this specialty belongs to (SOC 17-2199), not for the specialty alone.
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 37,330 | $112,040 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 36,850 | $107,590 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 16,150 | $101,730 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 6,470 | $103,760 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 6,030 | $95,040 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 5,210 | $122,930 |
| Information · Sector | 3,800 | $159,700 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 3,680 | $88,000 |
| Construction · Sector | 3,520 | $81,570 |
| Utilities · Sector | 2,970 | $118,630 |
| Testing Laboratories and Services · National industry | 2,780 | $102,200 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 2,720 | $98,560 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Solar Electric Power Generation · National industry | 19.8× | 270 |
| Testing Laboratories and Services · National industry | 16.69× | 2,780 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 14.29× | 16,150 |
| Wind Electric Power Generation · National industry | 11.33× | 110 |
| Utilities · Sector | 5.24× | 2,970 |
| Nuclear Electric Power Generation · National industry | 5.23× | 190 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation · National industry | 5.16× | 360 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 3.55× | 37,330 |
Related occupations
Part of the Advanced Manufacturing , Agriculture , Construction and Energy & Natural Resources career clusters.
- Solar Sales Representatives and Assessors · 41-4011.07 Compare →
- Solar Energy Installation Managers · 47-1011.03 Compare →
- Solar Thermal Installers and Technicians · 47-2152.04 Compare →
- Energy Engineers, Except Wind and Solar · 17-2199.03 Compare →
- Wind Energy Engineers · 17-2199.10 Compare →
- Electrical Engineers · 17-2071.00 Compare →
- Wind Energy Development Managers · 11-9199.10 Compare →
- Energy Auditors · 47-4011.01 Compare →
- Mechanical Engineers · 17-2141.00 Compare →
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer · 17-2072.00 Compare →
- Solar Photovoltaic Installers · 47-2231.00 Compare →
- Wind Turbine Service Technicians · 49-9081.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Solar Energy Systems Engineers — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Bachelor's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Engineering · field of study
- Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 57th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Solar Energy Systems Engineers show 69th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 9,300 annual U.S. openings
- Solar Energy Systems Engineers rank in the 69th percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 9,300 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be about average (+2.1%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $117,750, across about 150,750 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Solar Energy Systems Engineers show 69th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 9,300 annual U.S. openings • Solar Energy Systems Engineers rank in the 69th percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 9,300 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be about average (+2.1%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $117,750, across about 150,750 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Solar Energy Systems Engineers". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2199-11 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Solar Energy Systems Engineers." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2199-11
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Solar Energy Systems Engineers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2199-11
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-17-2199-11,
title = {Solar Energy Systems Engineers},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2199-11}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.