Renewable Energy Jobs: Careers, Salaries and How to Get Started

Renewable energy has become one of the larger employers in the global economy, and in the US two of its trades rank among the fastest-growing jobs. This guide covers the careers involved, what they pay, where the jobs are, and how to get hired, using data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the IRENA and ILO jobs review and the US Energy and Employment Report.

What are renewable energy jobs?

Renewable energy jobs are any paid roles that make, build, install, operate, maintain, finance or sell energy from renewable sources. That covers wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal and bioenergy, and increasingly the batteries and grid equipment that let those sources supply power around the clock.

Most of these jobs are ordinary occupations doing clean-energy work. An electrician wiring a rooftop array, a civil engineer siting a wind farm and an accountant at a solar developer all hold renewable energy jobs. A few occupations exist mainly because of renewables; the BLS tracks two of them separately: wind turbine technicians and solar photovoltaic installers.

The term “green jobs” is broader still. It usually includes energy efficiency, recycling, conservation and pollution control as well as clean power. “Clean energy jobs” sits in between and often counts nuclear, grid and efficiency work. If you are new to the vocabulary, our clean energy guide explains how clean, green and renewable differ.

What types of renewable energy careers are there?

Careers fall into five broad groups: skilled trades, engineering, operations, business roles, and manufacturing.

Career group	Example roles	Typical entry route
Skilled trades	Solar PV installer, wind turbine technician, electrician	High school, certificate or apprenticeship
Engineering and science	Electrical, mechanical, civil and power systems engineers; resource analysts	Bachelor’s degree
Operations	Plant operators, dispatchers, asset and site managers	Experience plus on-the-job training
Business and project roles	Project developers, sales consultants, permitting specialists, finance and policy analysts	Degree or industry experience
Manufacturing and supply chain	Panel, blade, inverter and battery production workers, logistics	Varies

Each renewable source has its own mix. Solar is installation-heavy, so trades dominate. Wind needs technicians who climb towers, plus offshore crews for projects like those in our offshore wind guide. Hydropower and geothermal lean on plant operators and engineers. Bioenergy includes agricultural and feedstock work. Our renewable energy sources guide explains how each technology works.

How much do renewable energy jobs pay?

Median US pay ranges from about $53,000 for solar installers to over $120,000 for electrical engineers, based on BLS May 2025 data.

Occupation (BLS)	Median pay, May 2025	Projected growth 2025–35	Typical entry education
Solar photovoltaic installers	$53,140 ($25.55/hr)	+37%	High school diploma
Wind turbine technicians	$64,120 ($30.83/hr)	+30%	Postsecondary nondegree award
Electricians	$63,190	+9%	Apprenticeship
Power plant operators, distributors and dispatchers	$105,080	−4%	High school plus long training
Electrical and electronics engineers	$120,630	+10%	Bachelor’s degree

The electrician, operator and engineer figures cover every industry, not just renewables, so treat them as a guide to the pay band rather than a clean-energy-specific wage. Across the whole US energy sector, the 2025 USEER reported a median wage of $58,810.

Wind turbine technician salary

Wind techs earned a median $64,120 in May 2025; the lowest 10% earned under $49,230 and the highest 10% over $92,460 (BLS). There were 11,800 such jobs in 2025, with about 1,500 openings expected each year over the decade. The work involves climbing towers to inspect, maintain and repair turbines, often in remote locations and in all weather.

Solar panel installer salary

Solar PV installers earned a median $53,140; the lowest 10% earned under $41,600 and the highest 10% over $79,970 (BLS). At 31,100 jobs and about 4,200 openings a year, it is the larger of the two trades. Installers assemble racking, mount panels and connect systems, then often progress to crew lead, system design or electrician roles.

Are renewable energy jobs growing?

Yes, but more slowly than before. Global renewable employment grew only 2.3% in 2024 even though new installations hit a record (IRENA and ILO, 2025).

The IRENA and ILO Annual Review 2025 put the world total at about 16.6 million jobs in 2024. It attributed the slowdown to automation, economies of scale, excess manufacturing capacity and grid bottlenecks. In other words, each new gigawatt now needs fewer workers to build, especially in factories.

In the US, the long-run picture for the two core trades is strong. The BLS projects 37% growth for solar installers and 30% for wind technicians from 2025 to 2035, both described as “much faster than the average for all occupations.” Near-term hiring, though, depends heavily on tax credits, trade policy and interest rates, so project pipelines can stall or accelerate quickly. Anyone entering the field should expect cycles.

Solar installer vs wind technician: the numbers side by side

Both trades pay a similar spread from bottom to top, but solar offers more openings while wind pays about $11,000 more at the median (BLS, May 2025).

Measure (BLS)	Solar PV installers	Wind turbine technicians
Median pay	$53,140	$64,120
Hourly median × 2,080 hours	$53,144	$64,126
Top 10% ÷ bottom 10% pay	1.9 ×	1.9 ×
Jobs in 2025	31,100	11,800
Openings a year	about 4,200	about 1,500
Openings per 100 existing jobs	about 13.5	about 12.7

The last three rows are our arithmetic from the BLS figures. The ratios show that both occupations turn over quickly, partly from growth and partly from people moving into other trades. For a newcomer, that means steady hiring but also a reason to keep building skills, such as an electrical licence, that carry over if one market slows.

Where are the most renewable energy jobs?

Most renewable energy jobs are in Asia, led by China, with the EU, Brazil, India and the US the other large employers.

Region or country	Renewable energy jobs, 2024
China	about 7.3 million
European Union	about 1.8 million
Brazil	about 1.4 million
India	about 1.3 million
United States	about 1.15 million
World total	about 16.6 million

Source: IRENA and ILO, Renewable Energy and Jobs: Annual Review 2025 (full report PDF), country sections 2.1 to 2.5. China’s figure (7.29 million) is the China Renewable Energy Society estimate used in the report.

China’s share, about 44% of the world total, is much larger than any other country’s because it manufactures most of the world’s solar panels and a large share of its wind turbines and batteries. Within the US, jobs cluster where projects are built: wind in the Great Plains and Texas, utility solar in the Sun Belt, and rooftop solar in states with strong incentives. Searching “renewable energy jobs near me” on major job boards, plus the career pages of local utilities and installers, is the quickest way to see openings in your area.

How do you get a job in renewable energy?

Pick a target role, get the matching credential, then gain hands-on experience, often through an entry-level installer, apprentice or technician job.

1. Choose a lane. Trades suit people who like physical, outdoor work. Engineering and analysis suit those with maths and science training. Sales, permitting and project management suit people with business or customer experience.
2. Get the baseline credential. For solar installation, a high school diploma is the typical start and training happens on the job (BLS). For wind, most employers want a certificate or associate degree from a technical school or community college (BLS). For engineering, a bachelor’s degree is standard.
3. Add safety and industry certification. Solar professionals often pursue certification from NABCEP, the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners. Wind employers commonly train technicians in working safely at height.
4. Consider an electrical apprenticeship. A licence as an electrician opens solar, storage, EV charging and grid work, not just installation.
5. Build practical knowledge. Understanding how a system is sized and permitted helps in interviews. Try our solar panel calculator, read how solar panels work, and see what a solar panel installation permit involves.

Entry-level renewable energy jobs

The most common entry points are solar installer helper, wind technician trainee, apprentice electrician, warehouse and logistics roles, and solar sales or customer service. These rarely require a degree, and many employers pay for training and certification once you are hired.

Do you need a degree?

Not for the trades. A degree matters for engineering, research, finance and policy. Common choices are electrical or mechanical engineering, environmental science, and dedicated renewable energy programmes offered by some universities and community colleges.

History of renewable energy employment

Renewable energy jobs more than doubled from 7.3 million in 2012 to 16.6 million in 2024, according to IRENA and the ILO (Annual Review 2025).

Early modern wind and solar work in the 1970s and 1980s was small-scale and often research-led, prompted by the oil shocks. Large-scale employment arrived in the 2000s and 2010s as countries introduced feed-in tariffs, renewable portfolio standards and tax credits, and as Chinese manufacturing drove panel prices down. Economists began measuring the jobs effect directly: Wei, Patadia and Kammen (2010) found that renewable energy and efficiency created more jobs per unit of energy than fossil fuels in their analysis of US studies. IRENA and the ILO now publish an annual jobs review; the 2025 edition is the twelfth in the series (IRENA and ILO). In the US, the Department of Energy’s USEER tracks energy employment across all fuels each year.

Looking ahead, modelling by Ram, Aghahosseini and Breyer (2020) projected that a global transition to 100% renewable power by 2050 would create more jobs in the power sector than it eliminated, with solar a major source of new jobs.

What are the pros and cons of working in renewable energy?

The main advantages are strong long-run growth and degree-free entry routes; the main drawbacks are policy-driven volatility and demanding field conditions.

Pros

• Fast projected growth in the core trades (BLS).
• Transferable skills: electrical, construction and engineering experience is valued across industries.
• Clear progression from installer to lead, designer or project manager.
• Work tied to cutting emissions, which many people find motivating. See the advantages of renewable energy.

Cons

• Hiring swings with subsidies, trade rules and interest rates.
• Physical risk: work at height, electrical hazards and heat exposure.
• Travel and remote sites, especially for wind and utility-scale projects.
• Entry-level installer pay sits below some other skilled trades (BLS).

Questions to ask before you accept a renewable energy job

A job offer in a growing industry still deserves the same checks as any other. These questions help you compare offers:

• Who pays for training and certification? Many installers and wind operators cover safety training and NABCEP or equivalent courses; ask whether you must repay them if you leave early.
• How is pay structured? Field roles may add per-diem, travel or overtime pay. Sales roles often rely on commission, so ask for the typical first-year total, not just the base.
• How much travel is involved? Utility-scale wind and solar crews can spend weeks away from home. Rooftop installers usually work locally.
• What does the pipeline look like? Ask how much work is contracted for the next year. Hiring in this sector follows policy and interest rates, as described above.
• What is the safety record? Work at height and on live electrical systems is routine, so ask about fall-protection training and incident rates.
• Where can the role lead? Good employers can describe a path from helper to lead installer, designer or site manager.

Scientific references

1. Wei, M., Patadia, S., & Kammen, D. M. (2010). “Putting renewables and energy efficiency to work: How many jobs can the clean energy industry generate in the US?” Energy Policy, 38(2), 919–931. doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2009.10.044
2. Ram, M., Aghahosseini, A., & Breyer, C. (2020). “Job creation during the global energy transition towards 100% renewable power system by 2050.” Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 151, 119682. doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2019.06.008
3. IRENA & ILO (2025). Renewable Energy and Jobs: Annual Review 2025. International Renewable Energy Agency and International Labour Organization. ILO publication page; full report PDF

Bottom line

Renewable energy employs about 16.6 million people worldwide, and in the US solar installers and wind technicians are among the fastest-growing occupations, with median pay of $53,140 and $64,120. You can enter without a degree through on-the-job training, a technical certificate or an electrical apprenticeship, while engineering and operations roles pay more. Expect the long-run trend to be up and the short run to be shaped by policy. To learn the technologies you would be working on, start with our wind energy and solar energy guides.