Community Sentiment
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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Solar Photovoltaic Installers?
Task-level automation exposure for Solar Photovoltaic Installers: 26 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
29%
weighted task index
26 of 26 tasks scored
Median Salary
$53,140 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Medium
31,350 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+36.5%
employment change
4,200 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 33 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$26,860 – $78,950
Highest medians
New Jersey $78,950
Hawaii $70,370
Nevada $67,810
Oregon $66,320
Ohio $62,400
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $26,860
South Dakota $42,380
North Carolina $43,860
Arkansas $44,820
Maryland $45,430
State figures come from the 47-2231 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 29%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 34%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 31%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 3%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 53/100
High
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
26 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 7%
2 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 31%
8 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 61%
16 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Constituent Tasks
#17742 · Core · 8% automatable
Install photovoltaic (PV) systems in accordance with codes and standards, using drawings, schematics, and instructions.
physical manipulation — Rooftop solar installation is physical field work
Install solar energy systems.
#17746 · Core · 20% automatable
Check electrical installation for proper wiring, polarity, grounding, or integrity of terminations.
visual inspection — Defect detection in electrical systems needs presence
Inspect electrical or electronic systems for defects.
#17753 · Core · 8% automatable
Identify electrical, environmental, and safety hazards associated with photovoltaic (PV) installations.
physical manipulation — Rooftop solar installation is physical field work
Install solar energy systems.
#17754 · Core · 45% automatable
Identify installation locations with proper orientation, area, solar access, or structural integrity for photovoltaic (PV) arrays.
decision support — Location decisions need site and regulatory judgment
Determine appropriate locations for operations or installations.
#17740 · Core · 8% automatable
Assemble solar modules, panels, or support structures, as specified.
physical manipulation — Rooftop solar installation is physical field work
Install solar energy systems.
#17745 · Core · 10% automatable
Apply weather sealing to array, building, or support mechanisms.
physical manipulation — Applying sealants requires hands-on coating
Apply sealants or other protective coatings.
#17756 · Core · 8% automatable
Install module array interconnect wiring, implementing measures to disable arrays during installation.
physical manipulation — Electrical installation is hands-on licensed trade work
Install electrical components, equipment, or systems.
#17757 · Core · 12% automatable
Install required labels on solar system components and hardware.
physical manipulation — Physically applying labels requires hands
Apply identification labels or tags.
#17750 · Core · 50% automatable
Diagram layouts and locations for photovoltaic (PV) arrays and equipment, including existing building or site features.
text generation — Installation diagrams drafted; field accuracy human-owned
Create construction or installation diagrams.
#17765 · Core · 53% automatable
Determine materials, equipment, and installation sequences necessary to maximize installation efficiency.
decision support — Construction material selection needs code and site judgment
Select construction materials. Select construction equipment.
#17761 · Core · 28% automatable
Test operating voltages to ensure operation within acceptable limits for power conditioning equipment, such as inverters and controllers.
data analysis — Electrical testing requires hands-on instrument use
Test electrical equipment or systems to ensure proper functioning.
#17747 · Core · 50% automatable
Determine appropriate sizes, ratings, and locations for all system overcurrent devices, disconnect devices, grounding equipment, and surge suppression equipment.
decision support — Construction material selection needs code and site judgment
Determine appropriate locations for operations or installations. Select construction materials.
#17744 · Core · 28% automatable
Activate photovoltaic (PV) systems to verify system functionality and conformity to performance expectations.
physical manipulation — Verifying installation performance is on-site physical work
Test green technology installations to verify performance.
#17752 · Core · 8% automatable
Identify and resolve any deficiencies in photovoltaic (PV) system installation or materials.
physical manipulation — Rooftop solar installation is physical field work
Install solar energy systems.
#17762 · Core · 24% automatable
Visually inspect and test photovoltaic (PV) modules or systems.
physical manipulation — Verifying installation performance is on-site physical work
Test green technology installations to verify performance. Inspect electrical or electronic systems for defects.
#17751 · Core · 70% automatable
Examine designs to determine current requirements for all parts of the photovoltaic (PV) system electrical circuit.
visual inspection — Specs reading aided, human validates requirements
Review blueprints or specifications to determine work requirements.
#17764 · Core · 28% automatable
Demonstrate system functionality and performance, including start-up, shut-down, normal operation, and emergency or bypass operations.
physical manipulation — Verifying installation performance is on-site physical work
Test green technology installations to verify performance.
#17755 · Core · 40% automatable
Identify methods for laying out, orienting, and mounting modules or arrays to ensure efficient installation, electrical configuration, or system maintenance.
decision support — Layouts need site survey and engineering sign-off
Determine construction project layouts.
#17758 · Core · 28% automatable
Measure and analyze system performance and operating parameters to assess operating condition of systems or equipment.
physical manipulation — Verifying installation performance is on-site physical work
Test green technology installations to verify performance.
#17759 · Core · 8% automatable
Program, adjust, or configure inverters and controls for desired set points and operating modes.
physical manipulation — Rooftop solar installation is physical field work
Install solar energy systems.
#17748 · Core · 40% automatable
Determine connection interfaces for additional subpanels or for connecting photovoltaic (PV) systems with utility services or other power generation sources.
decision support — Layouts need site survey and engineering sign-off
Determine construction project layouts.
#17749 · Core · 40% automatable
Determine photovoltaic (PV) system designs or configurations based on factors such as customer needs, expectations, and site conditions.
decision support — Layouts need site survey and engineering sign-off
Determine construction project layouts.
#17760 · Core · 40% automatable
Select mechanical designs, installation equipment, or installation plans that conform to environmental, architectural, structural, site, and code requirements.
decision support — Layouts need site survey and engineering sign-off
Determine construction project layouts.
#17743 · Core · 10% automatable
Perform routine photovoltaic (PV) system maintenance on modules, arrays, batteries, power conditioning equipment, safety systems, structural systems, weather sealing, or balance of systems equipment.
physical manipulation — Physical maintenance of mechanical equipment
Maintain mechanical equipment.
#17763 · Core · 80% automatable
Compile or maintain records of system operation, performance, and maintenance.
data analysis — Record operational or environmental data into logs
Record operational or environmental data.
#17741 · Supplemental · 8% automatable
Install active solar systems, including solar collectors, concentrators, pumps, or fans.
physical manipulation — Rooftop solar installation is physical field work
Install solar energy systems.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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