Solar Energy Installation Managers
Direct work crews installing residential or commercial solar photovoltaic or thermal systems.
$79,920 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).
of the working time. Estimate.
- 61%
- 0%
- 39%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 11%. Today's estimate: 18%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 15 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supervise solar installers, technicians, and subcontractors for solar installation projects to ensure compliance with safety standards.Done daily by most who do it. | 23% | 3.3 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Plan and coordinate installations of photovoltaic (PV) solar and solar thermal systems to ensure conformance to codes.Done daily by most who do it. | 15% | 5 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | 15%Half by Jun 2027 | |
| Estimate materials, equipment, and personnel needed for residential or commercial solar installation projects.Done daily by most who do it. | 12% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 6.7 h | 41%Half by Nov 2026 | |
| Develop and maintain system architecture, including all piping, instrumentation, or process flow diagrams.Done daily by most who do it. | 10% | 6.7 h3.3 h to 1.7 work days | 10%Half by Apr 2027 | |
| Identify means to reduce costs, minimize risks, or increase efficiency of solar installation projects.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.3 work days | 25%Half by Mar 2027 | |
| Prepare solar installation project proposals, quotes, budgets, or schedules.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 8% | 4.2 h1.7 h to 1 work day | 30%Half by Dec 2026 | |
| Provide technical assistance to installers, technicians, or other solar professionals in areas such as solar electric systems, solar thermal systems, electrical systems, or mechanical systems.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 6% | 1.3 h17 min to 3.3 h | 64%Half by now | |
| Perform start-up of systems for testing or customer implementation.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Monitor work of contractors and subcontractors to ensure projects conform to plans, specifications, schedules, or budgets.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 h38 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Assess system performance or functionality at the system, subsystem, and component levels.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 2.5 h1.3 h to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Assess potential solar installation sites to determine feasibility and design requirements.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Visit customer sites to determine solar system needs, requirements, or specifications.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 1% | 2.5 h50 min to 5 h | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Solar Photovoltaic Installers19% now, 27% by 2028
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers42% now, 48% by 2028
- Solar Sales Representatives and Assessors57% now, 90% by 2028
- Solar Thermal Installers and Technicians2% now, 17% by 2028
- Construction Managers11% now, 53% by 2028
- Project Management Specialists45% now, 85% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.