Solar Energy Industry Workers

One of the best ways to learn more about the solar energy industry is to read solar-related publications. “Careers in Solar Power,” by James Hamilton (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2011, Report 2) is a great resource. It offers information on solar power, educational requirements, career options, and required credentials. It can be accessed at https://www.bls.gov/green/solar_power. Learn more about solar energy by reading magazines such as Solar Industry (https://solarindustrymag.com), and Solar Today (https://ases.org/solartoday). Visit Web sites like Build It Solar (https://www.builditsolar.com) to find all sorts of links to solar projects, designs, and experiments that you might even be interested in doing yourself. You can set up a small solar system at home and see firsthand how it works.

Industry associations and government agencies also hold many competitions designed to promote solar power. You can visit the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Web site (https://www2.nrel.gov/about/compete) for a list of student programs and competitions held throughout the United States. One such contest is the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon, which “challenges multidisciplinary student teams to design and build high-performance, low-carbon buildings via two tracks: an annual Design Challenge and a biennial Build Challenge."

You can also participate in an interview with a solar energy industry professional. Ask your science teacher to help set up an interview.