On Top of the World: Become a Solar Roof Installer

Going to solar school to become a specialized solar roof installer is a smart career move. Solar Roof Installation is another job that is high demanded, undersupplied, pays wells, and will provide job security for a long time to come.

Why, you may ask? The answer is simple. Being a solar roof installer requires an unusual mixture of trade skill sets that are, at least for now, relatively rare. To be a solar roof installer, in addition to having to construction skills and knowledge of a roofer, one must also have at least a base knowledge level of solar electronics. People who posses both skills sets are rare, but in high demand.

The field of solar roof installation is changing quickly, and a solar roofer needs to have the necessary training to be ready for it, or be left behind.

The traditional form of installing solar panels was to mount solar panels on an existing roof, or integrate solar panels into a new roof as it was being built. The wires from the solar panels were simply fed through a hole in the roof down to the battery banks, where the certified electricians took care of the rest.

One of the reasons some homeowners have hesitated to install a residential solar power system in their house is because solar panels mounted on the roof were a bit of an eyesore, both bulky and obvious. Even solar panels integrated into the roof were still noticeable and made the house stand out, in addition to requiring a more complex and expensive installation. All of this may be changing soon, however, due to the invention of Solar Shingles.

Solar shingles, an emerging new product, are roofing shingles that resemble to same shape, color, and texture as traditional asphalt roofing shingles, but are in fact photovoltaic solar cells that convert sunlight into electricity. Subtler, less obtrusive and much more aesthetically pleasing, solar shingles are almost certainly the wave of the future in solar roofing.

For a solar roofer, the problem with this new technology is that absence of solar panels, an array of solar cells. Previously, solar roofers installing solar panels merely had to mount or integrate completed solar panels onto roofs. The solar cells comprising the solar panels were already wired together. Solar shingles, in contrast, do not come in prearranges and wired solar panels. Instead, the individual solar cells in the shingles need to be wired together into an electrical array as the roof is being built. This will require being a certified electrician as well as a roofer—and consequently, the number of people qualified to install such solar power systems will be much smaller.

Roofers, whether solar or traditional, should prepare for this. Attending solar school for a certification or an Associate's Degree in Solar Electronics is a wise move. From the other direction, a qualified solar engineer may want to attend a vocational or trade school to learn roofing skills. Another route for qualified solar electricians would be to apply for a roofer's apprenticeship trade program. An apprenticeship program includes on-the-job training in roofing, which will provide you with relevant work experience when you finally hit the job market.

For either roofers or solar electricians, attending a solar school to increase the range of your solar power training and job skills is a smart move. As prices for solar technology drops and fossil fuels energy rises, the demand for residential solar power roofs will only increase—providing excellent pay for anyone qualified to install them.