A Bright Financial Future for Solar Industry Careers

A recent survey by CleanEdge Inc. looked at the growth jobs in what is shaping up to be a growth business sector - green industries. There are job opportunities in every area, with a range of educational requirements. The number one sector for near term growth is in Solar PV, or photovoltaic cells. Photovoltaic cells are the silicon pieces in a solar panel that convert sunlight to electricity. Those panels will put a significant dent in the need for fossil fuel electrical plants, hopefully; the analysts in the industry also feel that the #1 market for solar energy is going to be the United States.

For purposes of brevity, we isolated on this one industry and looked at the educational requirements that are anticipated for the new jobs that will stem from solar development along with median salaries.

Solar installers for residential or business solar energy systems are the laborers of this industry, but they need some skills with basic construction tools and the ability to read a construction plan. Some post-high school training in electronics will be a plus. The estimated salary is $40,000 per year.

Solar Systems Designers are the people that draw up those construction plans; according to the survey median pay for this position is $42,000. In some states, the designer or on-site supervisor for a system installation will need to be a licensed electrician.

Solar Integration Engineer is the fellow who figures out how to integrate all of the residences and businesses that may be channeling excess electricity into the public grid. The configuration for a power system that has to receive at multiple points as well as give is going to be very different from the systems that provide power today. This job will probably go to an electrical engineer, with a median salary at $75,100.

Journeyman Lineman for a "smart grid" system of the future will probably hold a certificate or associate's degree in electronics, but receive much of the training on the job as today's linemen do. Once they reach journeyman status though, the median salary will be $67,900. That's an achievement for someone who has no bachelor's degree.

Construction Foreman for a large solar system installation will average about $53,000 per year. Most of the construction foremen today have risen through the ranks of one of the building trades - so while there's no college degree involved, a multi-year apprenticeship program may still be part of the picture.

Network Operations Center Technician will be the trained fix-it expert at the operations center for an electrical grid. This is another job that may require electrician status along with a certificate program or a diploma in the technology required for a smart grid. Median pay is estimated to be $46.400 per year.