Energy systems engineer to renewable energy engineer
An energy systems engineer already meets 59% of what the renewable energy engineer role asks for. The move turns on 18 required skills not yet in the profile.
57.2/ 100
1 How much of what a renewable energy engineer is expected to do is already part of an energy systems engineer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the renewable energy engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A renewable energy engineer role treats 24 of its required skills as things an energy systems engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adapt energy distribution schedules
- adjust engineering designs
- approve engineering design
- biogas energy
- carry out energy management of facilities
- energy conservation
What stands in the way is 18 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 57 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A renewable energy engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an energy systems engineer background worth leading with.
- already held perform a feasibility study on biogas energy information skills
- already held geothermal energy engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held perform energy simulations information skills
- already held photovoltaic systems engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held perform a feasibility study on heat pumps information skills
- already held biogas energy engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 57 carried skills, including the 24 the renewable energy engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 36 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn green automotive technologies required
- still to learn marine energy required
- still to learn mining, construction and civil engineering machinery products required
- still to learn wind energy required
- still to learn civil engineering required
- still to learn electrical engineering required
- still to learn fluid mechanics required
- still to learn resource-efficient technologies required
- optional, not held mini wind power generation optional
- optional, not held electric generators optional
- optional, not held power electronics optional
- optional, not held sustainable manufacturing optional
- still to learn design wind turbines required
- still to learn provide information on geothermal heat pumps required
- still to learn inform on government funding required
- optional, not held coordinate electricity generation optional
- optional, not held design a solar absorption cooling system optional
- optional, not held design geothermal energy systems optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held prepare scientific reports optional
- still to learn make electrical calculations required
- still to learn research locations for wind farms required
- optional, not held assess heating and cooling systems optional
- optional, not held assess project resource needs optional
- optional, not held perform a feasibility study on solar absorption cooling optional
- optional, not held develop material testing procedures optional
- optional, not held report test findings optional
- still to learn use thermal management required
- still to learn use CAD software required
- optional, not held use software tools for site modelling optional
- still to learn ensure compliance with safety legislation required
- still to learn provide information on solar panels required
- still to learn bioeconomy required
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a renewable energy engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 design wind turbines practise this
- 02 green automotive technologies study this
- 03 make electrical calculations practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 57 skills that carry over
- already held adapt energy distribution schedules skill
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held biogas energy knowledge
- already held carry out energy management of facilities skill
- already held energy conservation knowledge
- already held energy micro-generation technologies knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held environmental engineering knowledge
- already held geothermal energy knowledge
- already held industrial heating systems knowledge
- already held manage engineering project skill
- already held mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held perform project management skill
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held photovoltaic systems knowledge
- already held power engineering knowledge
- already held promote sustainable energy skill
- already held provide information on wind turbines skill
- already held renewable energy knowledge
- already held solar energy knowledge
- already held state estimation knowledge
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held analyse big data skill
- already held analyse energy consumption skill
- already held analyse test data skill
- already held business intelligence knowledge
- already held cloud technologies knowledge
- already held create CAD drawings skill
- already held data analytics knowledge
- already held data mining knowledge
- already held data storage knowledge
- already held electrical power safety regulations knowledge
- already held energy market knowledge
- already held energy performance of buildings knowledge
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held examine engineering principles skill
- already held geothermal energy systems knowledge
- already held identify energy needs skill
- already held information extraction knowledge
- already held information structure knowledge
- already held inspect facility sites skill
- already held oversee quality control skill
- already held perform a feasibility study on biogas energy skill
- already held perform a feasibility study on heat pumps skill
- already held perform data mining skill
- already held perform energy simulations skill
- already held perform smart grid feasibility study skill
- already held smart grids systems knowledge
- already held statistical analysis system software knowledge
- already held troubleshoot skill
- already held unstructured data knowledge
- already held use specific data analysis software skill
- already held utilise decision support system skill
- already held utilise machine learning skill
- already held visual presentation techniques knowledge
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held integrated food-energy systems optional
- optional, not held inspect wind turbines optional
- optional, not held maintain photovoltaic systems optional
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assess heating and cooling systems optional
- optional, not held assess project resource needs optional
- optional, not held coordinate electricity generation optional
- optional, not held design a solar absorption cooling system optional
- optional, not held design geothermal energy systems optional
- optional, not held maintain photovoltaic systems optional
- optional, not held mini wind power generation optional
- optional, not held perform a feasibility study on solar absorption cooling optional
- optional, not held use software tools for site modelling optional
- optional, not held develop material testing procedures optional
- optional, not held electric generators optional
- optional, not held inspect wind turbines optional
- optional, not held integrated food-energy systems optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held power electronics optional
- optional, not held prepare scientific reports optional
- optional, not held report test findings optional
- optional, not held sustainable manufacturing optional
35 held skills the renewable energy engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on heating systems energy efficiency skill
- not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
- not needed by the target role building automation knowledge
- not needed by the target role combined heat and power generation knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct engineering site audits skill
- not needed by the target role define energy profiles skill
- not needed by the target role design a building management system skill
- not needed by the target role design a domotic system in buildings skill
- not needed by the target role design district heating and cooling energy systems skill
- not needed by the target role design electric power systems skill
- not needed by the target role design heat pump installations skill
- not needed by the target role design passive energy measures skill
- not needed by the target role design solar energy systems skill
- not needed by the target role determine appropriate heating and cooling system skill
- not needed by the target role determine internal air quality parameters skill
- not needed by the target role district heating and cooling knowledge
- not needed by the target role draw blueprints skill
- not needed by the target role electricity consumption knowledge
- not needed by the target role energy knowledge
- not needed by the target role fuel distribution systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role heat transfer processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration parts knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify fitted source for heat pumps skill
- not needed by the target role inspect building systems skill
- not needed by the target role instruct on energy saving technologies skill
- not needed by the target role integrate biogas energy in buildings skill
- not needed by the target role perform a feasibility study for building management systems skill
- not needed by the target role perform a feasibility study on district heating and cooling skill
- not needed by the target role perform risk analysis skill
- not needed by the target role promote environmental awareness skill
- not needed by the target role promote innovative infrastructure design skill
- not needed by the target role thermodynamics knowledge
- not needed by the target role types of heat pumps knowledge
- not needed by the target role types of wind turbines knowledge
- not needed by the target role wear appropriate protective gear skill
14 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn green automotive technologies required
- still to learn marine energy required
- still to learn mining, construction and civil engineering machinery products required
- still to learn wind energy required
- still to learn bioeconomy required
- still to learn civil engineering required
- still to learn electrical engineering required
- still to learn fluid mechanics required
- still to learn resource-efficient technologies required
- optional, not held mini wind power generation optional
- optional, not held electric generators optional
- optional, not held integrated food-energy systems optional
- optional, not held power electronics optional
- optional, not held sustainable manufacturing optional
Common questions about this move
Can an energy systems engineer become a renewable energy engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An energy systems engineer already covers 59% of what a renewable energy engineer is expected to do: 57 skills carry over, 24 of which the renewable energy engineer role treats as required.
What skills does an energy systems engineer need to become a renewable energy engineer?
18 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is design wind turbines.
How hard is the move from energy systems engineer to renewable energy engineer?
Its learning distance is 57.2 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.