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Renewable energy engineer

Alternative titles for this job include Sustainable energy engineer, green energy engineer

Renewable energy engineers research and develop ways to generate sustainable power from wind, solar, hydrogen and biomass resources.

Average salary (a year)

£31,000 Starter

to

£61,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

37 to 42 a week

You could work

evenings / weekends away from home

How to become

Explore the different ways to get into this role.

How to become

You can get into this job by studying for a degree qualification.

University

You can do a degree in an engineering or a scientific subject. Some employers might expect you to have a postgraduate qualification.

Relevant subjects include:

  • energy engineering
  • Earth sciences
  • environmental engineering
  • geophysics
  • renewable or sustainable energy

Getting work experience during your studies through a summer internship or year placement scheme can give you an advantage when you start looking for work.

Your university careers service can help you find opportunities.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 or 3 A levels, or equivalent, including maths and a science for a degree
  • a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

More Information

More Information

Professional and industry bodies

You can join the Energy Institute for training and professional development opportunities. You can also apply for chartered engineer status, for recognition of your skills and expertise in the industry.

Further information

You can find out more about working in renewable energy from:

What it takes

Find out what skills you’ll use in this role.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • knowledge of engineering science and technology
  • maths knowledge
  • analytical thinking skills
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • thinking and reasoning skills
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

What you’ll do

Discover the day to day tasks you’ll do in this role.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

As a renewable energy engineer, you could:

  • research ways to harness renewable sources of energy
  • work on increasing energy production trials to a larger scale
  • do studies to see if a location can be used as a potential generation site
  • help to design and build power plants, instruments and equipment
  • advise companies on how to move from fossil fuels to renewable energy
  • find ways to make current technology like solar panels and batteries more efficient
  • collect, analyse and present data on energy production
  • manage maintenance and service schedules, fix problems and co-ordinate staff

We've identified this as a green job

As a renewable energy engineer, you'll develop news ways to generate power using sustainable resources. This can have a positive impact on the environment.

Find out more about green careers

Working environment

You could work in an office, in a laboratory, at a power station or on a rig.

Career path and progression

Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could become a senior engineer or asset manager. You could be responsible for a number of power generation sites across a particular area, for example a wind farm.

You could also move into:

  • energy planning
  • policy development
  • contracts, bids and tenders for renewable energy technology
  • freelance consultancy

Current opportunities

Find apprenticeships, courses and jobs available near you.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for a renewable energy engineer right now.

The Find an apprenticeship service can help you with your search, send alerts when new apprenticeships become available and has advice on how to apply.

Courses In England

EDEXCEL L3 BTEC Cert in Adv Manufacturing Engineering (Renewable & Subsea Engineering) (540)

  • Provider: NCG
  • Start date: 01 September 2025
  • Location: Newcastle upon Tyne

EDEXCEL L3 BTEC Ext Dip in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (Renewable & Subsea Engineering) (FCFJ) (Top Up)

  • Provider: NCG
  • Start date: 01 September 2025
  • Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
Find courses near you

Jobs In the United Kingdom

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