Solar Technician
A Comprehensive Guide to the Job of a Solar Technician
Like residential technicians, commercial or utility technicians require a thorough understanding of how the entire PV system works as they are responsible for monitoring the system and fixing any issues. As commercial and utility projects are at a much larger scale than residential projects, it becomes more critical that any problems are addressed quickly and accurately. This implies that the role is heavier on the operational than maintenance, as commercial and utility projects have built robust monitoring in place to catch any deviations early.
Overview of the Solar Technician Job
Commercial and Utility Solar Service Technicians ensure that large PV systems that power many homes and businesses are functioning properly.
Solar Technician Salary
Nationally, engineering technicians earn an average annual salary of $66,390 across all industries. The top 10% of earners make more than $101,480 while the bottom 10% earn $43,930 per the BLS 2022 data. Salary is strongly correlated with skills/expertise required, location, and experience on the job. While this is for all engineering technicians, commercial/utility technicians can typically be expected to receive more than the average given the experience required for the role.
Common Solar Technician Job Descriptions
The key responsibilities of a Service / Maintenance Technician include:
Ensuring very high system uptimes and minimizing downtimes
Performing preventative maintenance, catching any issues and coordinating the appropriate resolution before they impact the grid
Maintain equipment ranging from panels, inverters, trackers, transformers, electrical cables, substations, logic controllers, circuit breakers, relays, and more
Coordinating and training field personnel to resolve issues that you have identified
Ensuring clear communication across all parties involved in any maintenance of the system
Documenting work in detail for electronic records
Solar Technician Job and Skill Requirements
Almost all commercial or utility technician roles will require experience in solar as you will need to have a thorough understanding of the full end-to-end systems to identify and resolve any issues in the residential solar system. While you may be able to bridge into commercial from residential, you will want to demonstrate knowledge of the complexity and scale from managing larger projects than a residential installation.
The following are the key requirements you’ll see as you apply to jobs:
A high school diploma or equivalent
Bachelor’s degree or technical schooling often preferred
Generally, a minimum of 3 years working in solar with preferred experience working in commercial or utility projects (varies by experience needed) within operations and maintenance
Experience with commercial or utility solar software and monitoring tools
Knowledge of electrical codes, standards, and safety procedures at the local, state, and federal levels and how those are different for commercial and utility-scale projects
NABCEP certification preferred by larger organizations
OSHA certification sometimes required or at least desired
Physical dexterity, ability to lift 50+ pounds, and comfortable working at heights
Good communication and customer service skills to inform customers of any issues and timelines for which they’ll be addressed
Generally require a state driver’s license with travel
What's the day-to-day of a Solar Technician?
Commercial service technicians may frequently travel to customer sites, while utility technicians will typically be stationed at a power plant for an extended period of time. Common tasks include:
Travel to and from commercial sites
Ensuring operations is running smoothly through robust monitoring and performing routine maintenance
Checking end-to-end systems for all components in the system to ensure
Receiving training and reading documentation on the latest technology updates from any partners / software that is leveraged
Addressing any fire drills (i.e. outages) by coordinating needed stakeholders, and jumping into the field
Perform thorough QA on system after fix is implemented and how to mitigate any chances of the same event occurring in the future
Maintaining logs and inventory control of equipment
Job Outlook for Solar Technicians
Commercial and utility-grade solar projects are continuing to rise dramatically in the United States. Just as the job of PV installers are expected to rise much faster than the overall job market in the United States, solar maintenance will be growing field. The complexity and size of these projects will likely continue to grow as we advance, bringing about more opportunities to advance within the career.
Career Opportunities for Solar Technicians
Technicians will play a critical role in the maintenance and operations of large-scale solar systems. As noted above, these challenges will grow as projects expand in scope complexity, bringing about career opportunities as you are the defined expert in maintaining the field.
How to Become a Solar Technicians
The best way to find a job as a technician is to network across your existing solar contacts given you’ve been in the industry.
If you are looking to bridge into utility, then research the projects in your area or where you would like to move to. The SEIA provides a detailed map of all major solar systems in the US. Check to see if employers are hiring for service roles in your area.
You can also search online job boards like Indeed and niche job board like WorkInSolar that will have only the latest solar jobs in the market.
Make sure to have a resume and cover letter that highlight your experience, qualifications, certifications, and/or licenses for the role. List how many projects you’ve completed or troubleshooted and the tools/systems for which you have expertise.
How to keep learning more
Service Technicians across the board are already and will continue to be in high demand as we transition our energy grid and need to maintain the projects producing hundreds into the thousands of gigawatts needed to power the country. . Subscribe to our blog to stay on top of the latest news in working in solar.