Occupation
Solar photovoltaic installer
Solar photovoltaic installers mount panel arrays on roofs, frames, or ground structures and connect them through inverters into a building's electrical supply or the grid. The job combines roofing-style physical work with careful electrical and structural detail, since a poor penetration or a loose termination shows up years later. Final connection work is often reserved for a licensed electrician.
Also known as: Solar installer · PV installer · Solar panel installer · Solar PV technician
Occupation content
Part of Utilities, energy, mining and resources
What the work involves
- Survey roofs or sites for orientation, shading, structural condition, and access.
- Install mounting rails, flashings, and racking and set panels to the array layout.
- Run DC and AC conduit, terminate strings, and mount inverters, isolators, and combiner boxes.
- Test string voltage, polarity, insulation resistance, and earthing before energising.
- Commission monitoring equipment and demonstrate system operation to the customer.
- Complete installation records, test certificates, and handover documentation.
How people commonly enter
- A short solar installation course combined with supervised on-the-job experience.
- An electrical apprenticeship with a renewables specialisation for the connection and commissioning work.
- A college certificate in renewable energy or electrical technology.
- Transferring from roofing, construction, or general labouring into an installer crew and training up.
Typical training: Short course or on-the-job training
Licensing: Regulated in some jurisdictions — confirm the current requirement with the regulator in your province, state, or country.
Typical work context
Outdoors · Physically active · Client sites · Team based · Involves travel
Related interests
Realistic (hands-on) · Conventional (organizing)
Related aptitude preparation
These are preparation links only. They do not measure eligibility for this occupation and no score here qualifies or disqualifies anyone.
Skills to practise
Practice suites
Related learning
Family-level learning links for Utilities, energy, mining and resources.
Official sources
Labour-market facts such as pay and employment projections are not reproduced here. Open an official source below for figures, with its own geography and reference period.
- US BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Solar Photovoltaic Installers · United States
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- O*NET OnLine — occupation search: solar photovoltaic installer · United States
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- UK National Careers Service — Explore careers · United Kingdom
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Labour-market context (not part of exploration match)
This is broad family-level context for Utilities, energy, mining and resources in Canada, not a figure for Solar photovoltaic installer. It does not affect matching scores and is not an eligibility determination.
This is a broad Utilities, energy, mining and resources family. Explore the official profile for the chosen occupation; entry education and training can differ within the family.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Utilities, energy, mining and resources: education pathways
Some roles in Utilities, energy, mining and resources may be regulated. Confirm whether the specific role requires registration, certification, or a jurisdiction-specific licence.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Utilities, energy, mining and resources: licensing
Find jobs
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- Search Canada Job Bank · Canada
- Search USAJOBS · United States federal
- Search EURES · European Union / EEA
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