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Average Solar Engineer Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

A solar engineer in United Kingdom earns about 65,900 GBP a year. That's 5% roughly in line with the national average of 69,700 GBP.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in United Kingdom sit around 28,900 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 105,200 GBP. Everything on this page is in British pound (GBP, symbol £), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in United Kingdom, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

To turn a gross salary in United Kingdom into a take-home figure, use our United Kingdom salary after tax calculator, which works the latest tax brackets and contributions through the math for you.

How much does a solar engineer make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
65,900 GBP
5,491 GBP per month
Lowest reported
28,900 GBP
2,408 GBP per month
Highest reported
105,200 GBP
8,766 GBP per month

A typical solar engineer working in United Kingdom brings home around 5,491 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 28,900 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 105,200 GBP for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior solar engineer working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around. For a cross-country comparison, see the solar engineer salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How solar engineer pay ranges in United Kingdom

A good way to think about salary in United Kingdom is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all solar engineers in United Kingdom earn less than 72,400 GBP a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 45,200 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 94,500 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of solar engineers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 28,900 GBP. The highest stretch to 105,200 GBP, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

28,900
Low
72,400
Median
105,200
High
45,200
25th
94,500
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

Solar engineer pay by experience in United Kingdom

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a solar engineer in United Kingdom, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical solar engineer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    34,000 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +34% from previous
    45,600 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +45% from previous
    66,200 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +27% from previous
    83,800 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +9% from previous
    91,700 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    +6% from previous
    97,100 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 45%. That is the point at which a solar engineer typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Solar engineer pay by education in United Kingdom

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving solar engineer pay in United Kingdom. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average solar engineer salary in United Kingdom broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    38,000 GBP
  • Master's Degree
    +99% from previous
    75,800 GBP

Solar engineer gender pay gap in United Kingdom

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and United Kingdom is no exception. Male solar engineers in United Kingdom earn an average of 67,900 GBP a year, while female solar engineers earn around 63,800 GBP. That works out to a 6% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Solar Engineer gender pay gap

6%

Men earn this much more than women on average in United Kingdom.

Men 67,900 GBP
Women 63,800 GBP

Pay raises for a solar engineer in United Kingdom

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in United Kingdom sees a raise of about 12% every 15 months, which works out to roughly 10% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in United Kingdom, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in United Kingdom:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Solar engineer bonus rates in United Kingdom

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

36%

36% of solar engineers in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a solar engineer a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary. The remaining 64% of solar engineers reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in United Kingdom

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Solar engineer: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in United Kingdom is about 7% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in United Kingdom on average.

Public sector 72,700 GBP
Private sector 68,200 GBP

Solar engineer salary by city and region in United Kingdom

Solar engineer pay is not even across United Kingdom. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • England
  • Scotland
  • Leeds
  • Birmingham
  • London
  • Sheffield
  • Glasgow
  • Edinburgh
  • Derby
  • Brighton
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion130,500 GBP140,200 GBP60,100-210,600 GBP
ScotlandRegion92,300 GBP98,900 GBP41,500-147,900 GBP
LeedsCity80,200 GBP83,300 GBP35,600-123,800 GBP
BirminghamCity79,600 GBP83,900 GBP36,800-127,700 GBP
LondonCity79,600 GBP83,900 GBP36,800-127,700 GBP
SheffieldCity78,500 GBP84,500 GBP35,500-124,500 GBP
GlasgowCity76,000 GBP80,000 GBP33,000-118,900 GBP
EdinburghCity75,900 GBP82,200 GBP34,300-123,000 GBP
DerbyCity74,500 GBP78,700 GBP33,500-114,300 GBP
BrightonCity74,500 GBP78,700 GBP33,500-114,300 GBP
NottinghamCity73,700 GBP80,400 GBP34,000-118,900 GBP
NewcastleCity73,500 GBP78,700 GBP35,400-117,100 GBP
BelfastCity73,500 GBP78,700 GBP35,400-117,100 GBP
ManchesterCity73,300 GBP78,500 GBP34,000-115,600 GBP
SwanseaCity73,100 GBP78,500 GBP33,300-114,900 GBP
WolverhamptonCity72,700 GBP79,800 GBP34,000-116,400 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity72,400 GBP75,900 GBP32,900-114,600 GBP
BristolCity72,300 GBP78,700 GBP35,300-117,100 GBP
LiverpoolCity72,300 GBP78,700 GBP35,300-117,100 GBP
SomersetCity72,000 GBP80,200 GBP31,700-114,300 GBP
AberdeenCity71,800 GBP78,200 GBP32,300-114,600 GBP
CardiffCity71,400 GBP79,600 GBP35,100-116,400 GBP
LeicesterCity71,400 GBP79,600 GBP35,100-116,400 GBP
BradfordCity69,800 GBP76,900 GBP32,200-114,900 GBP
CoventryCity69,800 GBP76,900 GBP32,200-114,900 GBP
PlymouthCity69,800 GBP74,100 GBP30,200-108,200 GBP
SouthamptonCity69,700 GBP73,100 GBP32,200-109,700 GBP
PeterboroughCity69,600 GBP76,600 GBP30,700-112,700 GBP
PooleCity68,900 GBP73,500 GBP30,600-109,700 GBP
LincolnCity68,900 GBP73,500 GBP30,600-109,700 GBP
NewportCity68,500 GBP76,000 GBP32,200-108,200 GBP
ArmaghCity66,900 GBP69,800 GBP30,100-105,800 GBP
OxfordCity66,900 GBP69,800 GBP30,100-105,800 GBP
PortsmouthCity66,400 GBP74,100 GBP32,900-109,000 GBP
ExeterCity66,200 GBP71,400 GBP29,600-109,000 GBP
DundeeCity65,900 GBP72,400 GBP28,900-105,200 GBP
HartlepoolCity65,900 GBP72,400 GBP28,900-105,200 GBP
StirlingCity65,900 GBP72,400 GBP28,900-105,200 GBP
YorkCity65,800 GBP70,500 GBP30,000-107,300 GBP
CambridgeCity65,800 GBP72,700 GBP30,000-107,700 GBP
LisburnCity64,800 GBP68,800 GBP31,300-103,600 GBP
WalesRegion63,700 GBP66,200 GBP29,300-100,100 GBP
NewryCity63,500 GBP67,800 GBP27,400-99,700 GBP
DerryCity63,500 GBP67,800 GBP27,400-99,700 GBP
ChesterCity63,500 GBP71,700 GBP30,800-102,700 GBP
NorwichCity63,200 GBP68,200 GBP31,300-103,600 GBP
DurhamCity62,500 GBP65,800 GBP29,000-98,800 GBP
GloucesterCity62,300 GBP69,400 GBP30,100-100,700 GBP
AbingdonCity61,800 GBP67,900 GBP29,900-100,300 GBP
TruroCity61,800 GBP67,900 GBP29,900-100,300 GBP
RiponCity61,600 GBP66,900 GBP26,900-98,000 GBP
BangorCity61,600 GBP66,900 GBP26,900-98,000 GBP
InvernessCity61,400 GBP69,400 GBP27,700-99,700 GBP
CanterburyCity61,400 GBP64,600 GBP25,800-95,500 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion61,400 GBP69,400 GBP27,700-99,700 GBP
WakefieldCity60,800 GBP65,900 GBP27,200-99,600 GBP
WinchesterCity60,100 GBP67,000 GBP26,500-95,200 GBP
SalisburyCity60,100 GBP67,000 GBP26,500-95,200 GBP
WellsCity59,800 GBP65,900 GBP26,300-96,000 GBP
StrontianCity58,000 GBP66,000 GBP28,800-95,100 GBP
StromnessCity57,200 GBP60,800 GBP25,800-91,900 GBP
St DavidsCity57,200 GBP60,800 GBP25,800-91,900 GBP
KirkwallCity56,900 GBP63,700 GBP27,300-92,300 GBP

Solar Engineer in United Kingdom: FAQs

  • How much does a solar engineer make per month in United Kingdom?

    A solar engineer in United Kingdom earns about 5,491 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 65,900 GBP.

  • What's the salary range for a solar engineer in United Kingdom?

    Entry-level solar engineers in United Kingdom start near 28,900 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 105,200 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 45,200 and 94,500 GBP.

  • Is the median solar engineer salary in United Kingdom higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 72,400 GBP, higher than the average of 65,900 GBP. Half of solar engineers in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for solar engineers in United Kingdom?

    Men working as a solar engineer in United Kingdom earn around 6% more than women on average (67,900 vs 63,800 GBP a year).

  • Do solar engineers in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 36% of solar engineers in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.

  • Do solar engineers earn more in the public or private sector in United Kingdom?

    In United Kingdom, the public sector pays a solar engineer about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do solar engineers in United Kingdom get a pay raise?

    A solar engineer in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 12% every 15 months, equivalent to roughly 10% a year.