Solar Technician

Solar energy is a clean resource, producing very few emissions in its production and use. Since the sun is a constant element, it is a naturally renewable resource as well.

In recent years, solar power has become an area of focus within the energy community. More businesses are investing in it. And homeowners wishing to reduce their carbon footprint, or live in an area off the standard power grid, are increasingly turning to solar power as a solution.

This is all great news for the Solar Technician. That’s because Solar Technicians maintain solar power systems so they work at their highest capacity. This can mean working with a passive system, such as heat from a window, or an active system, such as solar panels on a roof that gather and direct sunlight into storage batteries. Maintaining these systems entails repairing solar panels, replacing pumps or fans, and exploring more effective designs.

For the design portion, you — the Solar Technician — work with trained Solar Engineers. Together, you evaluate the problem, observe the current process, and create solutions. Once you’ve designed a new product or process, you assist in its installation and maintenance.

Another responsibility of the job is research. It takes a lot of science to use the photovoltaic process (solar power) in the most effective ways. You take part in discovering new technologies. For example, you evaluate what materials retain the most energy from the sun, consider different storage options, and create lighter, more portable, and more economical products.