You may have been wondering: Are solar engineers in demand in Canada? Let’s find out! A continuous demand for electricity throughout the private and public sectors—though essential in our day-to-day activities—keeps causing a substantial strain on both producers and consumers.
Suppliers face the endless challenge of meeting users’ demands without failure or interruption. Meanwhile, users must deal with rising costs in terms of consumption levels and service fees. One alternative to this rising cost and constant demand is solar energy! This brings us to ask: Are solar engineers in demand in Canada?
In Canada, the number of jobs in this industry has recently risen by about 124%. This isn’t just great news for individuals who want to become Solar Engineers; it also means that people are gradually exploring solar energy as a power source on a larger scale. The rate of job opportunities could increase to about 200% in the next few years. If you want to determine if solar engineers are in demand in Canada, let’s dive in!
What is Solar Energy?
Solar Energy means energy from the sun. Engineers convert the sun’s radiation into electricity, making solar energy possible. Many people are beginning to use Solar Energy as an alternative to lighting up their homes. Some even use it to operate complex machines and power their tools.
Who is a Solar Engineer?
Solar engineers are skilled professionals who build solar cells as containers for sun rays. They often help clients to plan, design, and install solar energy kits in houses, organizations, and communities.
Roles of Solar Engineers
Solar Engineers help design and manage solar projects, from rooftop projects to citywide installations. Your roles will most likely be in phases, starting from the client consultation phase. However, your tasks may be cyclical (in cases of maintenance). In the end, the initial engagement phase between you and your clients will end at the implementation phase.
Client Consultation in Solar Engineering: At this stage, you will be able to communicate with clients about their solar energy needs, expectations, budgets, and project limitations.
Site Assessment: You will need to check the proposed location for the installation, which is essential since it will allow you to plan appropriately. Once you’ve assessed the site, you can prepare the size of the solar kits, their capacities, and the tools you need for installation.
Many other requirements will help you achieve an error-free installation process. Site Assessment will also help you make good decisions about spending within your client’s budget.
The Design Phase: During the design phase, you can create panels and energy-converting engines. Your success here is measured by considering your client’s needs and what you’ve already designed. There’s more to the designing phase than the functionality of your kits.
Meanwhile, solar energy kits are usually mostly in open places. Your design must also consider aesthetics. You will want the kits to look neat.
Implementation Phase: Once you have perfected your designs, you’ll move back to the site and install the kits that you created. This is often the most demanding phase in terms of physical energy. Sometimes, you may have to climb as high as rooftops to install solar kits or tell others if you are working in a group.
In addition, this stage is where you will have to test your solar kits for efficiency, errors, or mistakes and know whether they meet the expectations of your clients.
Maintenance Phase: After you have wrapped up the initial engagements with your clients, the maintenance stage follows. Even though it’s not part of your original arrangements, maintenance of solar kits is essential for any solar engineer.
You must constantly check up on the engines, panels, and machines. This will help prevent sudden failures and hazards in areas where solar systems have been installed. Furthermore, the maintenance phase may include writing reports on the state of the kits and suggesting ways to improve the installations you made earlier.
Essential Skills for Solar Engineers
Auditing skills: As a solar engineer, you must have knowledge of auditing, as you will need to engage in site audits. These will gather electrical and structural information from the site you will be working on. Additionally, auditing will help you prepare adequate design models during the design stage.
Designing Skills: One of the essential skills that makes a solar engineer different from other engineers is the ability to create photovoltaic systems, which are also known as solar thermal systems. You must ensure that your designs always take different dimensions, depending on the type of project you are handling. Besides, you must be able to create vacuum tube collector engines needed for your solar systems.
Drawing/ Construction skills: As a solar engineer, some of your significant activities include creating single-line diagrams, connection diagrams, and panel schedules on the Computer-aided Design program. You must have in-depth knowledge of how to illustrate your designs.
Organizational skills: To become successful in the solar engineering career, look out for the development of your clients’ solar energy systems, evaluate the kits on time, and preempt possible malfunctioning. Your organizational skills should also go as far as providing technical support for the installation team while they are installing.
Communication Skills: As a Solar Engineer, you must be able to communicate fluently and effectively to increase your success rates. You’ll keep discussing with clients to understand their needs. In the case of bidding for contracts, barring other requirements, your ability to convince prospective clients using compelling words and illustrations is critical.
How to Become a Solar Engineer
Although some universities already offer solar engineering as a standalone course, both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels below, Solar Engineering is scarcely taught as an independent discipline. Many practicing Solar Engineers are Mechanical and Electrical Engineering graduates.
You can study a 4-year course in Renewable Energy in a good number of universities. Renewable Energy studies such as Biogas are closely related to Solar Energy. So, you can quickly adapt what you have learned in renewable energy when you switch to a Solar Engineering career.
Note that professional certifications are often required for advanced job descriptions in the Solar sector. Experience is equally crucial. Hence, engaging in volunteer projects will give you the necessary skills to kickstart your solar engineering career.
What can you learn from this? It is simple.
Enrolling for a Bachelor’s and/or Master’s Degree in Solar Engineering will give you an edge in the fast-moving field, as many employers will be looking for those with relevant skill sets on their team.
Workplace for Solar Engineers
As you progress in your Solar Engineering career, you will likely work from an office. However, you will travel from time to time to assess sites. Some projects may also take you away from your city of residence, as Solar Engineers are in high demand around the world.
Conclusion
Based on the constant demand for electricity across various sectors, there will always be a demand for solar engineers in Canada. So, brace up and move towards achieving success in this field. Good luck!