The shortage of engineers in the solar industry hampers growth, causing project delays and reduced efficiency. Manual design processes introduce errors, further complicating solar projects. Moreover, inadequate training platforms slow down onboarding for new engineers, affecting project quality and speed.

PVcase offers automation to reduce errors and comprehensive training tools for best practices and software proficiency.

The numbers

According to Solar Power Europe’s EU Solar Jobs Report published in September 2023, the solar industry will have over a million jobs in the next few years. By 2025, we could see 1 million new jobs, rising to 1.2 million by 2027, up from 648,000 in 2022. Design engineers are crucial for large-scale projects, but there’s stiff competition for them as STEM students and math skills decline.

Furthermore, IRENA (the International Renewable Energy Agency) report published in 2023 on gender equality in the solar industry, women are often employed in administrative roles (58%), but their presence in STEM positions (32%) and non-STEM technical positions (35%) is lower. Off-grid solar initiatives show better gender diversity. Women hold 38% of non-technical positions and 30% of managerial roles. However, they occupy only 17% of senior management positions.

The report emphasizes the need for actions to support women’s entry into the industry, improve career prospects, and promote gender awareness. National policies should create safer and more inclusive work environments.

PVcase training possibilities offer a great chance to address workforce shortage and increase gender balance in the solar industry.

The challenges of the solar industry’s growth

Training is vital in the evolving solar industry and essential for renewable energy advancement. Solar’s rapid growth demands professionals stay updated with technology, regulations, and design principles. The transition to renewables increases solar demand and the workforce.

However, there is already a shortage of engineers in the field, and their numbers are not growing sufficiently to meet the demand. Continuous training successfully addresses this issue and allows professionals to refine their design skills and create more efficient and aesthetically pleasing solar installations.

Educating customers about the benefits of solar energy and the design choices available to them is another essential aspect. Solar professionals need effective communication skills and the ability to explain technical concepts to non-experts.

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Diversity and inclusion

Promoting diversity is increasingly essential. IRENA claims that promoting a gender-inclusive and supportive working environment will enable the sector to secure a prosperous future and will address the potential shortage of qualified specialists. Moreover, it will open new possibilities for minority groups and can bring lots of new talents into the industry. Such organizations as the Clean Energy Leadership Institute, Solar Energy Industries Association, and Solar Energy International also actively discuss diversity and equality in the solar industry. Training programs may include elements focused on creating a more inclusive and diverse workforce.

PVcase learning resources

PVcase not only provides its users with multiple useful tools but is also keen to share knowledge and best practices in its internal and external platforms. PVcase also enables solar engineers to scale their work faster. PVcase Roof Mount customers claim that the tool has helped them to benefit from time savings of roughly 70% depending on the project, while you can increase your design capacity by 50% with PVcase Ground Mount tool.

Here are a few resources PVcase offers to extend your team and improve the skills of engineers:

– PVcase Academy. Readily available tutorials on how to efficiently use various features of PVcase tools.

– PVcase customer-exclusive content. Our users can also enjoy gated, highly technical content constantly produced by our experts from customer support.

– Release notes. The PVcase tools keep getting more and more features, so you can also find in-depth descriptions and instructions in our constantly updated release notes section.

– Blog. Our blog also constantly features articles on solar insights, PVcase’s newest updates, solar technology innovations, and related issues.

– Webinars. PVcase constantly organizes webinars with our engineers. It gives a chance for participants to get in-depth guidance, ask questions, and discuss the issues of their concern.

– SmartUp events. If you’re up for some live action, catch us at trade shows where we host our SmartUp events. They include various training sessions, seminars by our professionals, and informal gatherings afterward.

– Help Center. Our Help Center is a readily available database where you can find answers to all the basic questions.

Access our ebook with more info on training with PVcase here.