💡 Why it matters: Many places still lack reliable electricity, and the world needs more clean power. Engineers who design solar farms, mini-grids and small hydro plants help bring clean energy to towns and villages.
🌍 Around the world
- Nigeria: Millions of Nigerians still have unreliable electricity.
- United States: Jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦2M – ₦5M
- Mid-career
- ₦6M – ₦15M
- Senior
- ₦15M – ₦40M
≈ ₦500k – ₦1.3M a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Renewable energy engineer. Typical starter to experienced salary. National Careers Service, 2026
🇺🇸 United States
Closest US category: Electrical engineers. Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Closest Job Bank occupation: Electrical Engineer. Hourly wage low/median/high x 2,080 hours. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Design solar, wind or hydro power systems
- Calculate how much energy a place needs
- Oversee building and testing of plants and mini-grids
- Work with communities, regulators and investors
- Check performance and fix problems
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Maths
- Problem solving
- Design thinking
- Teamwork
- Project management
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- HND in Electrical Engineering, then work toward COREN registration
- Master's in renewable energy, locally or abroad
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Engineering apprenticeship, then higher or degree apprenticeship
- Graduate schemes with energy companies
🇺🇸 United States
- Co-op or internships with utilities and solar companies
- Master's degree in renewable energy (optional)
🇨🇦 Canada
- University co-op programs
- Engineering technologist diploma, then work toward engineer status
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Study Mathematics, Physics and Further Mathematics in school
- 2Build a small solar project or join a science club
- 3Earn an engineering degree
- 4Join a power or solar company as a graduate engineer
- 5Become professionally registered as an engineer and lead larger energy projects
⏰ A day in the life
You review a design for a village mini-grid, run numbers on how many panels and batteries it needs, then join a video call with the construction team and update the project schedule.