Solar designer vs designer

The differences between solar designers and designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a solar designer, becoming a designer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a designer has an average salary of $66,347, which is higher than the $58,292 average annual salary of a solar designer.

The top three skills for a solar designer include CAD, system design and solar power. The most important skills for a designer are sketch, customer service, and graphic design.

Solar designer vs designer overview

	Solar Designer	Designer
Yearly salary	$58,292	$66,347
Hourly rate	$28.02	$31.90
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	46,160	52,433
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	45	38
Years of experience	2	12

Solar designer vs designer salary

Solar designers and designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Solar Designer	Designer
Average salary	$58,292	$66,347
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $94,000	Between $45,000 And $97,000
Highest paying City	Petaluma, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Smith & Associates	Meta
Best paying industry	Professional	Technology

Differences between solar designer and designer education

There are a few differences between a solar designer and a designer in terms of educational background:

	Solar Designer	Designer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Mechanical Engineering	Graphic Design
Most common college	Carnegie Mellon University	University of Pennsylvania

Solar designer vs designer demographics

Here are the differences between solar designers' and designers' demographics:

	Solar Designer	Designer
Average age	45	38
Gender ratio	Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9%	Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 10.4% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	6%	13%

Differences between solar designer and designer duties and responsibilities

Solar designer example responsibilities.

Modify SRV-1 source code using JavaScript software to attain tracking at any instantaneous time.
Use of SalesForce, SketchUp, Pictometry & SunCalc to complete design to local AHJ requirements.
Base on previous data, optimize the amount of cushioning material for balancing battery protection and weight.
Design electrical and structural plans for permitting and commissioning at multiple AHJ's and utility companies in AZ.
Determine roof pitch, azimuth, obstructions, BOM & conduit routing for optimum lifetime performance & cost.
Provide AutoCAD drawings and support electrical engineers in construction and renovation of custom homes.

Designer example responsibilities.

Lead & design all creative content stemming from apparel design to web identity.
Manage various PCB designs utilizing state of the art DFM techniques and comply with company standards.
Utilize CSS, DHTML, HTML, and JavaScript for cross browser, cross platform compatibility and consistency.
Develop different kinds of functions globally, locally for the development of forms using JavaScript, CSS.
Transform customer specifications into usable SolidWorks 3D models and assemblies from which all manufacturing are derived.
Process ECR's and ECO's using Windchill.

Solar designer vs designer skills

Common solar designer skills

CAD, 36%
System Design, 24%
Solar Power, 13%
Solar PV, 8%
Solar Panels, 6%
Line Diagrams, 4%

Common designer skills

Sketch, 10%
Customer Service, 7%
Graphic Design, 6%
CSS, 5%
HTML, 4%
PowerPoint, 4%