Solar Energy Systems Engineers
Perform site-specific engineering analysis or evaluation of energy efficiency and solar projects involving residential, commercial, or industrial customers. Design solar domestic hot water and space heating systems for new and existing structures, applying knowledge of structural energy requirements, local climates, solar technology, and thermodynamics.
$122,930 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).
of the working time. Estimate.
- 90%
- 0%
- 10%
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, 6%. Today's estimate: 13%.
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 . 13 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Create plans for solar energy system development, monitoring, and evaluation activities.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 19% | 1 work day3.3 h to 2.5 work days | 5%Half by Jul 2027 | |
| Design or coordinate design of photovoltaic (PV) or solar thermal systems, including system components, for residential and commercial buildings.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 19% | 2.1 work days5 h to 1.3 work weeks | 1%Half by Apr 2028 | |
| Perform computer simulation of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation system performance or energy production to optimize efficiency.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 10% | 4.2 h1.7 h to 1 work day | 30%Half by Dec 2026 | |
| Provide technical direction or support to installation teams during installation, start-up, testing, system commissioning, or performance monitoring.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 10% | 3.3 h50 min to 1 work day | 28%Half by Feb 2027 | |
| Develop standard operation procedures and quality or safety standards for solar installation work.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 8% | 1.3 work days3.3 h to 3.1 work days | 3%Half by Oct 2027 | |
| Develop design specifications and functional requirements for residential, commercial, or industrial solar energy systems or components.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 6.7 h2.5 h to 3.1 work days | 9%Half by Aug 2027 | |
| Conduct engineering site audits to collect structural, electrical, and related site information for use in the design of residential or commercial solar power systems.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 7% | 4.2 h1.7 h to 1.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Create electrical single-line diagrams, panel schedules, or connection diagrams for solar electric systems, using computer-aided design (CAD) software.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 7% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 1.3 work days | 32%Half by Jan 2027 | |
| Review specifications and recommend engineering or manufacturing changes to achieve solar design objectives.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 1.3 work days | 32%Half by Jan 2027 | |
| Perform thermal, stress, or cost reduction analyses for solar systems.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 6.7 h2.5 h to 2.5 work days | 9%Half by Jul 2027 | |
| Test or evaluate photovoltaic (PV) cells or modules.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 3% | 5 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | Stays with people | |
| Create checklists for review or inspection of completed solar installation projects.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 0.7% | 2.1 h50 min to 6.7 h | 55%Half by now |
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 Sales Representatives and Assessors57% now, 90% by 2028
- Solar Energy Installation Managers18% now, 61% by 2028
- Solar Thermal Installers and Technicians2% now, 17% by 2028
- Energy Engineers, Except Wind and Solar9% now, 53% by 2028
- Wind Energy Engineers3% now, 67% by 2028
- Electrical Engineers3% now, 46% 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.