How To Become A Solar Panel Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a solar panel technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a solar panel technician. For example, did you know that they make an average of $25.16 an hour? That's $52,329 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 27% and produce 4,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreSolar Panel TechnicianUS Average

Salary

4.1

Avg. Salary $52,329

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.8

Growth rate 27%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

0.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.53%

Asian 5.79%

Black or African American 15.79%

Hispanic or Latino 36.32%

Unknown 6.32%

White 35.26%

Gender

female 10.98%

male 89.02%

Age - 27

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 - 27

Stress level

6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a solar panel technician

Explore solar panel technician education requirements

Most common solar panel technician degrees

Associate

31.3 %

High School Diploma

29.8 %

Bachelor's

26.0 %

Start to develop specific solar panel technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Hand Tools	27.15%
Control Panels	15.48%
Ladders	10.48%
AC	8.76%
PLC	4.98%

Complete relevant solar panel technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New solar panel technicians 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 solar panel technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real solar panel technician resumes.

Research solar panel technician duties and responsibilities

Configure, install, and maintain solar PV systems for customers.
Build, wire, and QC tetrapaks and other types of panels.
Install various solar PV systems and require electrical systems for home and large commercial areas.
Purchase commercial and industrial HVAC equipment

Prepare your solar panel technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your solar panel technician resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a solar panel technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable solar panel technician resume templates

Build a professional solar panel technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your solar panel technician resume.