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Solar designer vs field engineer

The differences between solar designers and field engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a solar designer and a field engineer. Additionally, a field engineer has an average salary of $71,874, 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 field engineer are customer service, customer satisfaction, and project management.

Solar designer vs field engineer overview

Solar DesignerField Engineer
Yearly salary$58,292$71,874
Hourly rate$28.02$34.55
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs46,16086,015
Job satisfaction-3
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4545
Years of experience22

Solar designer vs field engineer salary

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

Solar DesignerField Engineer
Average salary$58,292$71,874
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $94,000Between $51,000 And $99,000
Highest paying CityPetaluma, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaWashington
Best paying companySmith & AssociatesMeta
Best paying industryProfessionalEnergy

Differences between solar designer and field engineer education

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

Solar DesignerField Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorMechanical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeCarnegie Mellon UniversityMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Solar designer vs field engineer demographics

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

Solar DesignerField Engineer
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 88.1% Female, 11.9%Male, 92.7% Female, 7.3%
Race ratioBlack 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, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between solar designer and field engineer 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.
  • Show more

Field engineer example responsibilities.

  • Promote from original position as a staff engineer managing a variety of geotechnical engineering activities to a field engineer inspector position.
  • Assign IP addresses to the correct users.
  • Install VMware servers and configure to customer needs.
  • Recommend improvements to HSE tools, processes, and policies.
  • Operate, troubleshoot and maintain million-dollar MX-20HD camera surveillance systems.
  • Install boards and drives, as well as windows operating system.
  • Show more

Solar designer vs field engineer skills

Common solar designer skills
  • CAD, 36%
  • System Design, 24%
  • Solar Power, 13%
  • Solar PV, 8%
  • Solar Panels, 6%
  • Line Diagrams, 4%
Common field engineer skills
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 8%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Azure, 6%
  • Technical Support, 5%
  • Test Equipment, 4%

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