Photovoltaic Designer
Create solar photovoltaic designs and plans for rooftop/ground installations. Use CAD software to create electrical diagrams, panel schedules, and connection diagrams adhering to electric grid compliance and permitting requirements. Collaborate with the project origination and construction teams to create the design, budget, priorities and schedule.
Annual openings
62
BLS median wage
$79,300
Typical education
High school (GED)
10-year growth
+2%
Career requirements
What does this career require?
The education, credentials, and on-the-job competencies Colorado employers expect for this role.
Typical education
High school (GED)
Credential requirement
No specific credential listed yet
Credential detail
Training and certifications in CAD Software, such as AutoCAD is valued by many employers. A NABCEP certification is also valued for Photovoltaic Designers.
Work experience
Extensive on-the-job training and experience is expected.
Employer competency information
- Problem Solving/Critical Thinking — Independently solving more and more complex problems enables you to work on more complex installations.
- Business Fundamentals — Understanding the business fundamentals of renewables will help deliver more value to your employer.
- Customer Service — For the jobs dealing directly with a customer, developing good customer service skills is important for career advancement.
Is this work a fit?
What the work actually feels like
How people in this career tend to spend their time, the interests it draws on, and a look at a typical day.
Automation exposure
Low exposure
Tasks here lean on judgement and people skills that are hard to automate.
A typical day
- Confer with engineering staff and other personnel to resolve problems.
- Study work order requests to determine type of service, such as lighting or power, demanded by installation.
- Draft working drawings, wiring diagrams, wiring connection specifications, or cross-sections of underground cables, as required for instructions to installation crew.
- Measure factors that affect installation and arrangement of equipment, such as distances to be spanned by wire and cable.
- Design electrical systems, such as lighting systems.
- Assemble documentation packages and produce drawing sets to be checked by an engineer or an architect.