Solar Jobs

Spencer KrumJuly 15, 2009

Chem 410: Solar Tech and Ed.Dr. C. Wamser

Germany

1998 2007 2012(Projected)0

20000

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60000

80000

100000

120000

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25000

100000

Solar Industry Jobs Na-tionwide

Future Projections

European Photovoltaic Industry Association:

By year 2020 1 Billion Homes powered by solar PV 2.3 Million full-time solar jobs

Gregory McNamee, solar guru By year 2010

1.6 GW solar PV in USA 9.4 GW solar PV on Planet Earth

Spencer's Five Categories

Solar Sales Solar Installation Solar production Solar evangelism Solar research

Solar Sales

Role: Customer pays solar sales for PV or Solar thermal. Solar sales buys PV and/or solar thermal modules and panels from solar industry. Solar sales pays solar installers to place PV.

Subdivisions of Solar Sales

Marketing Door to Door, Mass mailing, Mass calling,

events, marketing to businesses and colleges, etc.

Customer relations Go to potential customer's home,

interview, share knowledge, look at the power bill, make the sale, move the sale forward, get on the roof and check the sun power. After install provide continuing support for customer.

Subdivisions of Solar Sales

Credit People Learn and understand energy credits

available through bodies such as the Energy Trust of Oregon as well as Federal and State tax credits. Master this information as it changes, predict where it is headed, educate customer relations/marketing team.

Administrative Business Majors, run things, make and

keep company profitable

Solar Sales Job Posting

Handout 1 – European Country Manager - Amsterdam

Solar Installation

Role: Get PV/Solar Thermal array installed and operational exactly as customer and sales team agreed.

Subdivision of Solar Installation

Unskilled manual labor. Loading/unloading truck. Driving truck.

Carrying panels. Installing panel mounts into roof, etc.

Skilled labor not related to PV/Solar thermal.

Heavy equipment → Crane. Solar installers could own their own crane or rent it, depends on scale. For atypical solar installations specialty skilled construction workers will be needed.

Subdivision of Solar Installation

Skilled labor related to PV/Solar Thermal. Must understand exactly how to set up

panel, correct angle and orientation, correct connection to transformer, correct circuits in array will keep voltage and current right at the 'sweet spot'. Need government permission and utility permission to hook up PV to main power grid. Provide instruction to customer on operation of PV → What the buttons on the transformer do, etc.

Solar Installation Job Posting

Handout 2 – Crew Lead

Solar Production

Role: Make what goes on the roof. Shorten as much as possible the distance between developments made by the solar researchers and the products being sold by solar sales.

Subdivision of Solar Production

Administration Managers, Business majors, keep the

company making money, IT crew, keeping track of the competition, marketing panels to solar sales, going to conferences, giving away samples, growing the company.

Assembly work (unskilled) Test panel with multimeter. Place panel

in artificial sunlight to test. Hit buttons.

Subdivision of Solar Production

Assembly workers (skilled) Check important things → thin film

thickness. Saw silicon wafers with diamond band saw. Grow huge silicon crystal from molten silicon. Compare and contrast differences in technique and gradually change and evolve the assembly line, aim for constant improvement in quality and efficiency.

Job Posting in Solar Production

Handout 3 – Facilities Chemical Engineer

Solar Evangelist

Role: Fill the public with the solar spirit.

Solar Researcher

Role: To increase the efficiency of solar systems and decrease their cost, while developing novel ways to harness the power of the sun.

Subdivision of SolarResearchers

Subdivision of Solar Research

Subdivision of Solar Research

University Based Research Professors, Pre/Post Docs, Undergrads School funded and grant funded Lab. “meeting of minds” Less pressure to produce results.

Corporation Based Research Research Scientists Funded by Loans and Capitalism Enormous pressure to produce results.

Job Posting Solar Research

Handout 4 – Global Technology Leader Handout 5 -

NABCEP

North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners

Trade association organized to oversee standards.

Minimum requirements: 18 years + Experience prerequisites 2-4 yrs. Sign code of ethics Fees Written exam

The Moral

Anyone can work in solar. BUT → Education gives much greater

job choice. Most of the jobs in solar require at least

a bachelors degree. BUT not all do and many of the jobs that require only a high school diploma can be used as experience in lieu of a bachelors, if enough time is put in.

Conclusion

At first I thought I would be able to get into solar installation easily, and now I know that isn't true.

I believe my place in solar is to study hard and go to graduate school so that I can do solar research.

Thanks!