Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Solar power plant operator to geothermal power plant operator

A solar power plant operator already meets 56% of what the geothermal power plant operator role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From solar power plant operator
56 % overlap
Partial match
To geothermal power plant operator
22 You already bring
9 Still to learn
36 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

49.1/ 100

1 How much of what a geothermal power plant operator is expected to do is already part of a solar power plant operator’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 geothermal power plant operator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A geothermal power plant operator role treats 9 of its required skills as things a solar power plant operator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • apply health and safety standards
  • electric current
  • electric generators
  • electrical power safety regulations
  • electricity
  • maintain electrical equipment

What stands in the way is 9 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 22 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A geothermal power plant operator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a solar power plant operator background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held operate steam turbine working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held replace large components working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held monitor electric generators constructing
  • already held coordinate electricity generation communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held develop strategies for electricity contingencies management skills
  • already held ensure compliance with electricity distribution schedule information skills

All 22 carried skills, including the 9 the geothermal power plant operator role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 14 missing skills fall into 8 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 engineering, manufacturing and construction 4 required
  • still to learn geothermal power generation methods required
  • still to learn geothermal energy required
  • still to learn geothermal energy systems required
  • still to learn geothermal power plant operations required
02 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn control steam flows required
  • optional, not held operate forklift optional
  • optional, not held perform minor repairs to equipment optional
03 information skills 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn monitor valves required
  • optional, not held report on production results optional
04 assisting and caring 1 required
  • still to learn regulate steam pressure required
05 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required
  • still to learn troubleshoot required
06 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required
  • still to learn thermodynamics required

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a geothermal power plant operator 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 22 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held apply health and safety standards skill
  • already held electric current knowledge
  • already held electric generators knowledge
  • already held electrical power safety regulations knowledge
  • already held electricity knowledge
  • already held maintain electrical equipment skill
  • already held monitor electric generators skill
  • already held operate steam turbine skill
  • already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
  • already held arrange equipment repairs skill
  • already held coordinate electricity generation skill
  • already held develop strategies for electricity contingencies skill
  • already held electricity consumption knowledge
  • already held ensure compliance with electricity distribution schedule skill
  • already held ensure safety in electrical power operations skill
  • already held liaise with engineers skill
  • already held maintain records of maintenance interventions skill
  • already held read engineering drawings skill
  • already held renewable energy knowledge
  • already held replace large components skill
  • already held resolve equipment malfunctions skill
  • already held respond to electrical power contingencies skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 constructing 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held oversee power equipment operation optional
08 working with computers 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held operate climate control optional
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held operate climate control optional
  • optional, not held oversee power equipment operation optional
  • optional, not held operate forklift optional
  • optional, not held perform minor repairs to equipment optional
  • optional, not held report on production results optional
40 held skills the geothermal power plant operator role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role address problems critically skill
  • not needed by the target role automation technology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role battery chemistry knowledge
  • not needed by the target role battery components knowledge
  • not needed by the target role battery fluids knowledge
  • not needed by the target role chemical products knowledge
  • not needed by the target role control temperature skill
  • not needed by the target role cooperate with colleagues skill
  • not needed by the target role ensure equipment maintenance skill
  • not needed by the target role fuel gas knowledge
  • not needed by the target role gather data skill
  • not needed by the target role hydraulics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role hydroelectricity knowledge
  • not needed by the target role install concentrated solar power systems skill
  • not needed by the target role install electrical and electronic equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role install hydraulic systems skill
  • not needed by the target role install photovoltaic systems skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain concentrated solar power systems skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain hydraulic systems skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain photovoltaic systems skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain sensor equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role manage data skill
  • not needed by the target role maritime meteorology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role offshore constructions and facilities knowledge
  • not needed by the target role offshore renewable energy technologies knowledge
  • not needed by the target role operate battery test equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role operate hydraulic machinery controls skill
  • not needed by the target role operate hydraulic pumps skill
  • not needed by the target role operate hydrogen extraction equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role photovoltaic systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role prevent marine pollution skill
  • not needed by the target role provide information on solar panels skill
  • not needed by the target role repair battery components skill
  • not needed by the target role sensors knowledge
  • not needed by the target role set up machine controls skill
  • not needed by the target role smart grids systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role solar energy knowledge
  • not needed by the target role statistical analysis system software knowledge
  • not needed by the target role survive at sea in the event of ship abandonment skill
  • not needed by the target role use communication techniques skill
5 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 pick up Tier
  • still to learn geothermal power generation methods required
  • still to learn geothermal energy required
  • still to learn geothermal energy systems required
  • still to learn geothermal power plant operations required
  • still to learn thermodynamics required
Index
FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a solar power plant operator become a geothermal power plant operator?

Yes, and it is a moderate move. A solar power plant operator already covers 56% of what a geothermal power plant operator is expected to do: 22 skills carry over, 9 of which the geothermal power plant operator role treats as required.

What skills does a solar power plant operator need to become a geothermal power plant operator?

9 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is geothermal power generation methods.

How hard is the move from solar power plant operator to geothermal power plant operator?

Its learning distance is 49.1 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

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.