Table 1Transition record

solar energy engineertorenewable energy engineer

A solar energy engineer already meets 49% of what the renewable energy engineer role asks for. The move turns on 22 required skills not yet in the profile.

From solar energy engineer

49%

Overlap1

To renewable energy engineer

46 Skills carried over

22 Required, not held

66.6 Difficulty2

Career overlap Partial match

49%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

66.6/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 Share of the renewable energy engineer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the solar energy engineer profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A renewable energy engineer role treats 20 of its required skills as things a solar energy engineer already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

adjust engineering designs
approve engineering design
electrical engineering
energy micro-generation technologies
engineering processes
fluid mechanics

What stands in the way is 22 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 46 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 a solar energy engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held maintain photovoltaic systems working with machinery and specialised equipment
already held perform a feasibility study on solar absorption cooling information skills
already held design a solar absorption cooling system communication, collaboration and creativity
already held photovoltaic systems engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held energy micro-generation technologies engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held create CAD drawings working with computers

All 46 carried skills, including the 20 the renewable energy engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 47 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 engineering, manufacturing and construction 11 required, 7 supplementary

required, not held biogas energy required
required, not held geothermal energy required
required, not held green automotive technologies required
required, not held marine energy required
required, not held mechanical engineering required
required, not held mining, construction and civil engineering machinery products required
required, not held wind energy required
required, not held civil engineering required
required, not held energy conservation required
required, not held environmental engineering required
required, not held resource-efficient technologies required

optional, not held geothermal energy systems optional
optional, not held mini wind power generation optional
optional, not held electric generators optional
optional, not held electrical power safety regulations optional
optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
optional, not held power electronics optional
optional, not held sustainable manufacturing optional

02 communication, collaboration and creativity 4 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held design wind turbines required
required, not held provide information on geothermal heat pumps required
required, not held carry out energy management of facilities required
required, not held inform on government funding required

optional, not held coordinate electricity generation optional
optional, not held design geothermal energy systems optional
optional, not held manage contracts optional
optional, not held prepare scientific reports optional

03 information skills 2 required, 10 supplementary

required, not held make electrical calculations required
required, not held 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 identify energy needs optional
optional, not held perform a feasibility study on biogas energy optional
optional, not held perform a feasibility study on heat pumps optional
optional, not held perform energy simulations optional
optional, not held perform smart grid feasibility study optional
optional, not held analyse energy consumption optional
optional, not held develop material testing procedures optional
optional, not held report test findings optional

04 assisting and caring 2 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held provide information on wind turbines required
required, not held ensure compliance with safety legislation required

optional, not held oversee quality control optional

05 working with computers 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held use thermal management required

optional, not held use software tools for site modelling optional

06 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required

required, not held bioeconomy required

3 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

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.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 46 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held adjust engineering designs skill
already held approve engineering design skill
already held electrical engineering knowledge
already held energy micro-generation technologies knowledge
already held engineering processes knowledge
already held fluid mechanics knowledge
already held industrial heating systems knowledge
already held manage engineering project skill
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 solar panels skill
already held renewable energy knowledge
already held solar energy knowledge
already held state estimation knowledge
already held technical drawings knowledge
already held use CAD software skill
already held use technical drawing software skill
already held analyse big data 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 design a solar absorption cooling system skill
already held energy market knowledge
already held engineering principles knowledge
already held examine engineering principles skill
already held information extraction knowledge
already held information structure knowledge
already held inspect facility sites skill
already held maintain photovoltaic systems skill
already held perform a feasibility study on solar absorption cooling skill
already held perform data mining 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

Skill to acquire Tier

07 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required

required, not held adapt energy distribution schedules required

08 agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary 1 supplementary

optional, not held integrated food-energy systems optional

09 constructing 1 supplementary

optional, not held inspect wind turbines optional

25 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

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 geothermal energy systems optional
optional, not held geothermal energy systems optional
optional, not held identify energy needs optional
optional, not held mini wind power generation optional
optional, not held perform a feasibility study on biogas energy optional
optional, not held perform a feasibility study on heat pumps optional
optional, not held perform energy simulations optional
optional, not held perform smart grid feasibility study optional
optional, not held use software tools for site modelling optional
optional, not held analyse energy consumption optional
optional, not held develop material testing procedures optional
optional, not held electric generators optional
optional, not held electrical power safety regulations optional
optional, not held energy performance of buildings 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 oversee quality control 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

26 held skills the renewable energy engineer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role adjust voltage skill
not needed by the target role alternative energy knowledge
not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
not needed by the target role battery design knowledge
not needed by the target role calculate solar panel orientation skill
not needed by the target role conduct engineering site audits skill
not needed by the target role design a solar heating system skill
not needed by the target role design solar energy systems skill
not needed by the target role design thermal equipment skill
not needed by the target role draw blueprints skill
not needed by the target role electricity market knowledge
not needed by the target role energy knowledge
not needed by the target role maintain concentrated solar power systems skill
not needed by the target role maintain solar energy systems skill
not needed by the target role operate solar thermal energy systems for hot water and heating skill
not needed by the target role perform feasibility study on solar heating skill
not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
not needed by the target role read engineering drawings skill
not needed by the target role run simulations skill
not needed by the target role solar products knowledge
not needed by the target role sustainable technologies knowledge
not needed by the target role test procedures in electricity transmission skill
not needed by the target role thermodynamics knowledge
not needed by the target role types of photovoltaic panels knowledge
not needed by the target role use thermal analysis skill
not needed by the target role wear appropriate protective gear skill

20 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held biogas energy required
required, not held geothermal energy required
required, not held green automotive technologies required
required, not held marine energy required
required, not held mechanical engineering required
required, not held mining, construction and civil engineering machinery products required
required, not held wind energy required
required, not held bioeconomy required
required, not held civil engineering required
required, not held energy conservation required
required, not held environmental engineering required
required, not held resource-efficient technologies required
optional, not held geothermal energy systems optional
optional, not held mini wind power generation optional
optional, not held electric generators optional
optional, not held electrical power safety regulations optional
optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
optional, not held integrated food-energy systems optional
optional, not held power electronics optional
optional, not held sustainable manufacturing optional

Index

Other moves recorded from solar energy engineer

Full index of moves from solar energy engineer

Note

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.