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Solar engineer vs electrical project engineer

The differences between solar engineers and electrical project 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 engineer and an electrical project engineer. Additionally, an electrical project engineer has an average salary of $84,342, which is higher than the $77,229 average annual salary of a solar engineer.

The top three skills for a solar engineer include renewable energy, system design and solar pv. The most important skills for an electrical project engineer are project management, autocad, and PLC.

Solar engineer vs electrical project engineer overview

Solar EngineerElectrical Project Engineer
Yearly salary$77,229$84,342
Hourly rate$37.13$40.55
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs40,95167,802
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Average age4545
Years of experience22

Solar engineer vs electrical project engineer salary

Solar engineers and electrical project engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Solar EngineerElectrical Project Engineer
Average salary$77,229$84,342
Salary rangeBetween $53,000 And $111,000Between $64,000 And $109,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CARichmond, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonAlaska
Best paying companyWEC Energy GroupAmazon
Best paying industryUtilitiesHospitality

Differences between solar engineer and electrical project engineer education

There are a few differences between a solar engineer and an electrical project engineer in terms of educational background:

Solar EngineerElectrical Project Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeCornell UniversityMichigan Technological University

Solar engineer vs electrical project engineer demographics

Here are the differences between solar engineers' and electrical project engineers' demographics:

Solar EngineerElectrical Project Engineer
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 89.9% Female, 10.1%Male, 92.9% Female, 7.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 15.3% White, 63.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.4% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between solar engineer and electrical project engineer duties and responsibilities

Solar engineer example responsibilities.

  • Install and test PLC in client own equipment on site - solve some logical and hardware issues to accomplish goal
  • Test, debugging and operation.
  • Can draw in any state with many different AHJ requirements.
  • Have extensive knowledge if NEC solar codes along with PGE or utility codes.
  • Utilize Google Sketchup and Solidworks to create 3D model of PV system design.
  • Design, fabricate and debug PC board test fixtures for production PC boards.
  • Show more

Electrical project engineer example responsibilities.

  • Lead and contribute to the creation of documentation to satisfy FDA and ISO requirements.
  • Manage load/unload operations for rail base raw material (HDPE and PPE feedstock) delivery.
  • Develop LabVIEW code to automate test procedures and to communicate with units for verification of functionality and accuracy.
  • Complete accurate and thorough documentation of qualification testing, field testing, technical specifications and NEC and IEEE standards compliance.
  • Design several leer certified projects.
  • Work on a plant start-up with client.
  • Show more

Solar engineer vs electrical project engineer skills

Common solar engineer skills
  • Renewable Energy, 41%
  • System Design, 9%
  • Solar PV, 8%
  • Solar Projects, 7%
  • Pvsyst, 7%
  • Solar Design, 4%
Common electrical project engineer skills
  • Project Management, 9%
  • Autocad, 8%
  • PLC, 6%
  • CAD, 4%
  • Engineering Design, 4%
  • Electrical Design, 4%

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