Solar Jobs Spencer Krum July 15, 2009 Chem 410: Solar Tech and Ed. Dr. C. Wamser

Germany

Future Projections European Photovoltaic Industry Association:  By year Billion Homes powered by solar PV 2.3 Million full-time solar jobs Gregory McNamee, solar guru  By year GW solar PV in USA 9.4 GW solar PV on Planet Earth

Spencer's Five Categories Solar Sales Solar Installation Solar production Solar evangelism Solar research

Solar Sales Role: Customer pays solar sales for PV or Solar thermal. Solar sales buys PV and/or solar thermal modules and panels from solar industry. Solar sales pays solar installers to place PV.

Subdivisions of Solar Sales Marketing  Door to Door, Mass mailing, Mass calling, events, marketing to businesses and colleges, etc. Customer relations  Go to potential customer's home, interview, share knowledge, look at the power bill, make the sale, move the sale forward, get on the roof and check the sun power. After install provide continuing support for customer.

Subdivisions of Solar Sales Credit People  Learn and understand energy credits available through bodies such as the Energy Trust of Oregon as well as Federal and State tax credits. Master this information as it changes, predict where it is headed, educate customer relations/marketing team. Administrative  Business Majors, run things, make and keep company profitable

Solar Sales Job Posting Handout 1 – European Country Manager - Amsterdam

Solar Installation Role: Get PV/Solar Thermal array installed and operational exactly as customer and sales team agreed.

Subdivision of Solar Installation Unskilled manual labor.  Loading/unloading truck. Driving truck. Carrying panels. Installing panel mounts into roof, etc. Skilled labor not related to PV/Solar thermal.  Heavy equipment → Crane. Solar installers could own their own crane or rent it, depends on scale. For atypical solar installations specialty skilled construction workers will be needed.

Subdivision of Solar Installation Skilled labor related to PV/Solar Thermal.  Must understand exactly how to set up panel, correct angle and orientation, correct connection to transformer, correct circuits in array will keep voltage and current right at the 'sweet spot'. Need government permission and utility permission to hook up PV to main power grid. Provide instruction to customer on operation of PV → What the buttons on the transformer do, etc.

Solar Installation Job Posting Handout 2 – Crew Lead

Solar Production Role: Make what goes on the roof. Shorten as much as possible the distance between developments made by the solar researchers and the products being sold by solar sales.

Subdivision of Solar Production Administration  Managers, Business majors, keep the company making money, IT crew, keeping track of the competition, marketing panels to solar sales, going to conferences, giving away samples, growing the company. Assembly work (unskilled)  Test panel with multimeter. Place panel in artificial sunlight to test. Hit buttons.

Subdivision of Solar Production Assembly workers (skilled)  Check important things → thin film thickness. Saw silicon wafers with diamond band saw. Grow huge silicon crystal from molten silicon. Compare and contrast differences in technique and gradually change and evolve the assembly line, aim for constant improvement in quality and efficiency.

Job Posting in Solar Production Handout 3 – Facilities Chemical Engineer

Solar Evangelist Role: Fill the public with the solar spirit.

Solar Researcher Role: To increase the efficiency of solar systems and decrease their cost, while developing novel ways to harness the power of the sun.

Subdivision of SolarResearchers

Subdivision of Solar Research

University Based Research  Professors, Pre/Post Docs, Undergrads  School funded and grant funded Lab.  “meeting of minds”  Less pressure to produce results. Corporation Based Research  Research Scientists  Funded by Loans and Capitalism  Enormous pressure to produce results.

Job Posting Solar Research Handout 4 – Global Technology Leader Handout 5 -

NABCEP North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners  Trade association organized to oversee standards. Minimum requirements:  18 years +  Experience prerequisites 2-4 yrs.  Sign code of ethics  Fees  Written exam

The Moral Anyone can work in solar. BUT → Education gives much greater job choice. Most of the jobs in solar require at least a bachelors degree. BUT not all do and many of the jobs that require only a high school diploma can be used as experience in lieu of a bachelors, if enough time is put in.

Conclusion At first I thought I would be able to get into solar installation easily, and now I know that isn't true. I believe my place in solar is to study hard and go to graduate school so that I can do solar research. Thanks!