Profession solar energy engineer

Solar energy engineers design systems which generate electrical energy from sunlight, such as photovoltaic systems. They design and construct systems which optimise the energy output from solar power, and the sustainability of the production process of solar systems.

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Personality Type

• Investigative / Realistic
• Realistic / Investigative

Knowledge

• Types of photovoltaic panels

  Different types of photovoltaic cells and panels, with different efficiencies in different types of weather, costs, durability and lifespan ratings, and mounting possibilities.

• Energy market

  The trends and major driving factors in the energy trading market, energy trades methodologies and practice, and the identification of the major stakeholders in the energy sector.

• Engineering processes

  The systematic approach to the development and maintenance of engineering systems.

• Thermodynamics

  The branch of physics that deals with the relationships between heat and other forms of energy..

• Engineering principles

  The engineering elements like functionality, replicability, and costs in relation to the design and how they are applied in the completion of engineering projects.

• Technical drawings

  Drawing software and the various symbols, perspectives, units of measurement, notation systems, visual styles and page layouts used in technical drawings.

• Power engineering

  Subdiscipline of energy and electrical engineering which specialises in the generation, transmission, distribution, and usage of electrical power through the connection of electrical devices to motors, generators, and transformers, such as an AC-DC power adapter.

• Solar energy

  The energy which originates from light and heat from the sun, and which can be harnessed and used as a renewable source of energy using different technologies, such as photovoltaics (PV) for electricity production and solar thermal energy (STE) for thermal energy generation.

• Electrical engineering

  Understand electrical engineering, a field of engineering that deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism.

• Energy

  Power capacity in the form of mechanical, electrical, heat, potential, or other energy from chemical or physical resources, which can be used to drive a physical system.

Skills

• Provide information on solar panels

  Provide organisations and individuals searching for alternative methods to provide facilities and residences with energy on the costs, benefits, and negative aspects of the installation and use of solar panels, and what one must take into account when considering the purchase and installation of solar systems.

• Manage engineering project

  Manage engineering project resources, budget, deadlines, and human resources, and plan schedules as well as any technical activities pertinent to the project.

• Conduct engineering site audits

  Collect structural, electrical and related site information by conducting engineering site audits. These audits are used for the design of engineering solution such as solar power systems.

• Design solar energy systems

  Develop design specifications for solar energy systems and their components. Create checklists for the inspection and monitoring of completed solar installation projects.

• Adjust voltage

  Adjust voltage in electrical equipment.

• Use technical drawing software

  Create technical designs and technical drawings using specialised software.

• Promote sustainable energy

  Promote the use of renewable electricity and heat generation sources to organisations and individuals, in order to work towards a sustainable future and encourage sales of renewable energy equipment, such as solar power equipment.

• Examine engineering principles

  Analyse the principles that need to be considered for engineering designs and projects such as functionality, replicability, costs and other principles.

• Maintain concentrated solar power systems

  Perform routine maintenance as well as repairs on systems which use reflective materials, such as lenses and mirrors, and tracking systems to concentrate sunlight into a beam, which powers an electrical power plant through its heat generation.

• Perform scientific research

  Gain, correct or improve knowledge about phenomena by using scientific methods and techniques, based on empirical or measurable observations.

• Use thermal analysis

  Use software tools such as Icepak, Fluens and FloTHERM as a means to develop and optimize thermal control designs in order to cope with a wide range of difficult problems regarding thermal products and properties of thermal materials.

• Adjust engineering designs

  Adjust designs of products or parts of products so that they meet requirements.

• Maintain solar energy systems

  Test the performance of the solar panels, read the measuring meters to check electricity indicators, identify and remedy malfunctions, and clean the panels if necessary.

• Approve engineering design

  Give consent to the finished engineering design to go over to the actual manufacturing and assembly of the product.

• Create AutoCAD drawings

  Create As-Built municipal drawings using AutoCAD.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB