How To Become A Renewable Energy Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a renewable energy engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Robert Foster

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a renewable energy engineer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $46.77 an hour? That's $97,288 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 6,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a renewable energy engineer?

Robert Foster

Assistant Professor, New Mexico State University

Get connected with the professional organizations in your field to help build your network. Look for mentors that can help you launch your career. If you want to become a PE or certified technician, be sure to get on with an organization that has PEs and certified technicians already that can mentor you (e.g., NABCEP).

ScoreRenewable Energy EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.5

Avg. Salary $97,288

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.9

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.29%

Asian 22.02%

Black or African American 4.07%

Hispanic or Latino 10.11%

Unknown 4.67%

White 58.85%

Gender

female 19.64%

male 80.36%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

5.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a renewable energy engineer

Explore renewable energy engineer education requirements

Most common renewable energy engineer degrees

Bachelor's

72.0 %

Master's

20.0 %

Certificate

2.0 %

Start to develop specific renewable energy engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Renewable Energy	87.87%
Energy Efficiency	3.83%
CAD	3.50%
PV	3.47%
Solar Power	1.33%

Complete relevant renewable energy engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New renewable energy engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a renewable energy engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real renewable energy engineer resumes.

Research renewable energy engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage contractor RFP document preparation including technical write-up, minimum standards and specification, commissioning and testing procedures.
Expedite and simplify the quotation process for solar water heating systems by accurately representing solar water heating system performance through MATLAB models
Design both electrical and racking systems for PV systems in EPC projects.
Manage contractor RFP document preparation including technical write-up, minimum standards and specification, commissioning and testing procedures.

Apply for renewable energy engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a renewable energy engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams