"This is a very viable career to get into. It's not going to fall through anytime soon. It's a big market, and I'd like to see more diversity in the market as well."
-Leon “Tron” Mallett, Crew Leader with IPS Solar
"This is a very viable career to get into. It's not going to fall through anytime soon. It's a big market, and I'd like to see more diversity in the market as well."
-Leon “Tron” Mallett, Crew Leader with IPS Solar
What are your career interests?
Install or repair heating, central air conditioning, or refrigeration systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating stoves.
Line and cover structures with insulating materials. May work with batt, roll, or blown insulation materials.
Perform tasks involving physical labor at construction sites. May operate hand and power tools of all types. May clean and prepare sites, dig trenches, set braces to support the sides of excavations, erect scaffolding, and clean up rubble, debris and other waste materials. May assist other craft workers.
Conduct energy audits of buildings, building systems, or process systems. May also conduct investment grade audits of buildings or systems.
Perform a variety of activities to weatherize homes and make them more energy efficient. Duties include repairing windows, insulating ducts, and performing heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) work. May perform energy audits and advise clients on energy conservation measures.
Perform site-specific engineering analysis or evaluation of energy efficiency and solar projects involving residential, commercial, or industrial customers. Design solar domestic hot water and space heating systems for new and existing structures, applying knowledge of structural energy requirements, local climates, solar technology, and thermodynamics.
Direct work crews installing residential or commercial solar photovoltaic or thermal systems.
Design underground or overhead wind farm collector systems and prepare and develop site specifications.
Inspect, diagnose, adjust, or repair wind turbines. Perform maintenance on wind turbine equipment including resolving electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic malfunctions.
Project Managers lead or manage the development and evaluation of potential wind energy business opportunities, including environmental studies, permitting, and proposals. Operations Managers manage wind field operations, including personnel, maintenance activities, financial activities, and planning.
Assemble or modify electrical or electronic equipment, such as solar panels, inverters, HVAC controls, and more.
Install or repair cables or wires used in electrical power or distribution systems. May erect poles and light or heavy duty transmission towers.
Operate trucks to transport wind energy and other renewable energy parts.
Design, integrate, or improve manufacturing systems or related processes. May work with commercial or industrial designers to refine product designs to increase producibility and decrease costs.
Making any variety of products in a manufacturing facility, like vehicles and HVAC equipment.
Calculate, measure, load, mix, and process refined feedstock with additives in fermentation or reaction process vessels and monitor production process. Perform, and keep records of, plant maintenance, repairs, and safety inspections.
Manage biofuels production and plant operations. Collect and process information on plant production and performance, diagnose problems, and design corrective procedures.
Control and monitor biomass plant activities and perform maintenance as needed.
Control, operate, or maintain machinery to generate electric power. Includes auxiliary equipment operators.
Advanced transportation is Minnesota’s third-largest clean energy sector with 3,345 jobs. The manufacture, sale, and maintenance of hybrid electric vehicles, battery electric vehicles, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles dominate the category, and other sub-sectors include alternative fuels vehicles and fuel cell vehicles.
Advanced grid is the fourth-largest clean energy employer in the state. The sector includes jobs in energy storage, smart grid, microgrid, and other grid modernization work.
Learn more about Faces of Clean Energy.
"We can’t get enough students in for the job prospects out there. Chances are, they will climb the ladder and get to a top pay scale in a short amount of time."
-Gary Olsen, Wind Instructor with Minnesota West Community & Technical College
Program | Credits | Training Provider | Locations |
---|---|---|---|
Clean Energy Technician, Certificate | 20 | Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College | Cloquet |
Energy Technical Specialist, Associate in Applied Science | 60 | Century College | White Bear Lake |
Advanced Photovoltaic Energy Systems, Certificate | 30 | Century College | White Bear Lake |
Solar Assessor, Certificate | 16 | Century College | White Bear Lake |
Solar Sales and Marketing, Certificate | 16 | Century College | White Bear Lake |
Construction Technology, AAS | 60 | Minnesota State College Southeast | Winona |
Construction Technology, DIP | 37 | Minnesota State College Southeast | Winona |
Solar PV Technician, Certificate | 25 | Minnesota West Community and Technical College | Canby & Jackson |
Wind Energy Technology, Associate of Applied Science | 60 | Minnesota West Community and Technical College | Canby |
Wind Energy Mechanic, Diploma | 34 | Minnesota West Community and Technical College | Canby |
Windsmith, Certificate | 16 | Minnesota West Community and Technical College | Canby & Online |
Energy Technical Specialist, Associate in Applied Science | 60 | Minnesota West Community and Technical College | Canby, Granite Falls & Online |
Biodiesel Technology, Certificate | 18 | Minnesota West Community and Technical College | Granite Falls & Online |
Ethanol Technology, Certificate | 18 | Minnesota West Community and Technical College | Granite Falls & Online |
Energy Technical Specialist, Associate in Applied Science | 60 | St. Cloud Technical & Community College | St. Cloud |
Energy Technical Specialist, Associate in Applied Science | 60 | South Central College | North Mankato |
Solar Training Academy | NA | Midwest Renewable Energy Association | Minneapolis & Online |
Electrical Apprenticeship | NA | Minneapolis Electrical JATC | St. Michael |
Learn more about The Power of Minnesota.