Solar Photovoltaic Installers

I. JOB SUMMARY

Main Topic: Environment and Society
Secondary Topic: Physical Geography

Overview:  Solar photovoltaic (PV) installers, also known as PV installers, assemble, set up, and maintain rooftop or other systems that convert sunlight into energy.  Installation work is done outdoors but can involve small spaces to connect panels to the electric grid. Installers can be employed by private companies or contract with government agencies. Solar photovoltaic installers typically plan configurations based on customer need and the site, maintain building codes, activate, and test systems, along with performing routine maintenance. They also need experience with power tools in to install panels. Due to the increase interests in solar energy and renewable resources, this is a growing field of work especially in the next decade as technology improves.

At the jobsite, PV installers verify the measurements and design of the structure on which the PV system is being set up. For PV systems on flat roofs, PV installers must first add a structure that allows the PV system to be mounted at an angle. PV installers set up new systems on support structures and place PV panels or PV shingles on top of them. Once the panels are in place, they sometimes connect the panels to electrical components. After the system is in place, PV installers must test the system and its components. PV installers use a variety of handtools and power tools, including drills, wrenches, saws, and screwdrivers, to set up PV panels and connect them to frames, wires, and support structures. Depending on the job and state laws, PV installers may connect the solar panels to the electrical grid, although electricians sometimes do this task.

Geographic skills are important for solar PV installers.  If performing residential or commercial work, installers need to be able to read a map to get to the job sites.  More significantly, however, installers need to understand terrain, orientation, directionality, and weather, and how those factors will all affect the efficiency of the solar equipment in converting sunlight to energy.  Global positioning system (GPS) data and digital maps are also important, and geographic information systems could be integrated at a high level in siting of solar panels.

As solar energy becomes more and more important, there will be jobs for geographers at several levels. First, one must understand climate, weather, and the nature of solar energy, who gets it and how much. Then there is the question of installation, both at the residential and industrial levels. Local, state, and federal agencies will be concerned, and, for the most part, supportive offering tax credits as citizens move away from fossil fuels that appear to be aggravating recent climate change. We will need mapping specialists and technicians. Jobs will be available in private businesses and in the government where permits and guidelines will need to be applied. We know how to develop solar energy; we just need geographers and others to tell us where and how.  

Geographers at work:  Environmental geographers, physical geographers, Climatologist 

Recommended College Courses: Physical Geography, Environmental Management, Human Geography, Regional Geography, World Geography, Climatology, Weather and Climate, Energy Resource Management, Cities and Urban Design

Skills:  Map reading, spatial skills, understanding of physical terrain, weather, and solar intensity, geographic information systems, Understanding of the nature and extent of climatic and weather factors. Geospatial mapping and analysis. Municipal, state, and federal guidelines on alternative energy source and methods. Climate and weather forecasting, human resource management, Environmental mapping and modeling, location analysis

Occupation Group: Construction and Extraction

Learn more about Solar Photovoltaic Installers and Technicians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Department of Labor:  https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/solar-photovoltaic-installers.htm#tab-2