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Solar engineer vs instrumentation & control engineer

The differences between solar engineers and instrumentation & control 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 instrumentation & control engineer. Additionally, an instrumentation & control engineer has an average salary of $92,464, 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 instrumentation & control engineer are PLC, HMI, and SCADA.

Solar engineer vs instrumentation & control engineer overview

Solar EngineerInstrumentation & Control Engineer
Yearly salary$77,229$92,464
Hourly rate$37.13$44.45
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs40,95151,065
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Average age4545
Years of experience22

Solar engineer vs instrumentation & control engineer salary

Solar engineers and instrumentation & control engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Solar EngineerInstrumentation & Control Engineer
Average salary$77,229$92,464
Salary rangeBetween $53,000 And $111,000Between $70,000 And $121,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASeattle, WA
Highest paying stateWashingtonWashington
Best paying companyWEC Energy GroupMarathon Petroleum
Best paying industryUtilitiesEnergy

Differences between solar engineer and instrumentation & control engineer education

There are a few differences between a solar engineer and an instrumentation & control engineer in terms of educational background:

Solar EngineerInstrumentation & Control 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 instrumentation & control engineer demographics

Here are the differences between solar engineers' and instrumentation & control engineers' demographics:

Solar EngineerInstrumentation & Control Engineer
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 89.9% Female, 10.1%Male, 90.2% Female, 9.8%
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, 11.0% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between solar engineer and instrumentation & control 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

Instrumentation & control engineer example responsibilities.

  • Write and track purchase requisitions for parts and contract work then manage all contractors for electrical and HVAC work to completion.
  • Lead the development of smarter controls utilizing DeviceNet and Profibus architecture.
  • Develop control logic flow sheets, control loops, functional descriptions of control strategy, PLC programming and HMI configurations etc.
  • Land navigation with GPS, compass and maps.
  • Test HMI and ladder logic programming for functional approval.
  • Insure instruments meet or exceed the SIL rating of use.
  • Show more

Solar engineer vs instrumentation & control engineer skills

Common solar engineer skills
  • Renewable Energy, 41%
  • System Design, 9%
  • Solar PV, 8%
  • Solar Projects, 7%
  • Pvsyst, 7%
  • Solar Design, 4%
Common instrumentation & control engineer skills
  • PLC, 13%
  • HMI, 8%
  • SCADA, 5%
  • Process Control, 5%
  • Autocad, 4%
  • Engineering Design, 4%

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