How to become a solar engineer
Official title: Solar engineer
Also called: Solar project engineer, Solar systems engineer
Solar engineers design, oversee and evaluate solar energy projects for residential, commercial or industrial clients.
Main tasks
- Design solar energy projects
- Set design criteria
- Create computer models of designs
- Plan steps for installations
- Collect site data
- Review solar projects for environmental impacts
- Guide staff on projects
How to become one
You need a qualification and experience to become a solar engineer. You need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Required: a relevant tertiary qualification in electrical and electronic engineering and technology, civil engineering or similar area; experience in similar work. Other requirements: a postgraduate certificate or diploma in electrical engineering or similar area; a master's degree in enviromental engineering or similar area; membership with Engineering New Zealand; an Electrical Workers Registration Board (EWRB) licence; a driver licence.
Ways in
- University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 5 universities in New Zealand
Pay · Past change · AI and this job
- Most common pay: $90,933 to $107,733 a year (median $99,333), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $60,000 a year · Upper: $120,000 a year
- TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
- People employed in the group Electrical Engineers: 3,576 at the 2018 Census and 4,161 at the 2023 Census (+16.4%). Past change, not a forecast.
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Who does this work
- In the group Electrical Engineers, 12% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
- Where people in the group Electrical Engineers work (2023 Census): Auckland 39.4%, Canterbury 16%, and Wellington 10.6%.
Related jobs
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Questions people ask
How do I become a solar engineer?
You need a qualification and experience to become a solar engineer. You need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Required: a relevant tertiary qualification in electrical and electronic engineering and technology, civil engineering or similar area; experience in similar work. Other requirements: a postgraduate certificate or diploma in electrical engineering or similar area; a master's degree in enviromental engineering or similar area; membership with Engineering New Zealand; an Electrical Workers Registration Board (EWRB) licence; a driver licence.
How much does a solar engineer earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $99,333 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $90,933 to $107,733 a year.
Will AI change the work of a solar engineer?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
- Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.
Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.
These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Updated 4 October 2026