Spotlight on solar

Australia is one of the sunniest countries on Earth, so solar energy has huge potential here. Over the last decade, the price of solar has come down by nearly 90%, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement! Here are some of the ways clean energy scientists are contributing to the development of solar technology.

Pay day

Here’s what you might earn in a clean energy gig: Postdoctoral research associate: $75K-$103K

Electrical engineer: $58K-$119K

Energy analyst: $51K-$125K

Energy consultant: $52K-$90K

*Salaries payscale.comfrom

Physicists

Physicists are working to improve the efficiency of solar panels and finding new materials with which to build them.

Chemists

Solar panels traditionally use silicon to convert sunlight into electricity. Chemists are working to improve how efficient that process is and researching other materials that could offer better solutions.

Engineers

Solar and electrical engineers have a role to play in all stages of the solar supply chain – from the manufacturing of equipment, to the design and maintenance of solar systems and their connection to the grid.