Renewable Energy Trends Driving the Future of Electrical Engineering

With rising climate and sustainability concerns, the future of electrical engineering increasingly includes renewable energy sources. Advanced technologies such as smart grids, distributed energy systems (DES), and systems using the Internet of Things (IoT) and AI enable more efficient, low-emission solutions while ensuring grid reliability and resilience.

Renewable energy is not only an environmental priority but also a driving force behind innovation in electrical engineering—and engineers are central to this transformation. Read on to learn about the skills they need to succeed and the tasks their jobs might include in the modern renewable energy field.

Renewable Energy’s Role in Modern Electrical Engineering

The need for climate action and sustainable energy is driving accelerated growth in the renewable energy sector.¹ Since designing, installing, and maintaining solar and wind power technologies and energy storage systems requires specialized expertise, the shift to clean energy is increasing demand for electrical engineers. In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment of electrical engineers is projected to grow 9% from 2023 to 2033, outpacing the average across all occupations.²

Engineers play an integral role in solar, wind, and hybrid energy systems. Specifically, in solar-powered systems, they select inverters, panels, and battery storage for photovoltaic systems, design grid-tied and off-grid solutions, and integrate smart grid technologies. To harness wind energy, engineers design optimized wind turbine control systems, create power conversion solutions, and ensure safe, efficient wind power integration into the grid. Additionally, electrical engineers develop hybrid systems that combine solar and wind power with other energy sources and develop management strategies to ensure system stability and energy resilience.³

The health, safety, and economic stability of Americans depend on safe and reliable energy delivery. Public investment in grid modernization and clean tech significantly impacts access to sustainable energy. This helps utilities strengthen their security, lower operational costs, reduce peak loads, and integrate more eco-friendly energy solutions. Meanwhile, smart technology offers consumers greater visibility into energy use, allowing them to better manage their energy usage and costs.⁴

Core Technologies Behind the Energy Transition

Electrical engineers design, enhance, and integrate multiple technologies to safely and efficiently shift to renewable energy sources at scale. To start, smart grids and distributed energy systems (DES) are emerging technologies in electrical engineering that aim to modernize the traditional power grid, enhance its reliability, and improve energy efficiency. Smart grids combine digital technologies, sensors, and software to align the supply and demand of electricity efficiently and support grid stability.⁵ Meanwhile, a DES focuses on decentralizing energy generation and distribution using smaller-scale resources like solar panels or battery storage.⁶

Microgrids are localized power grids that use battery storage to provide backup power.⁷ Battery energy storage systems (BESS) help stabilize microgrids by storing surplus energy and discharging it when needed. Microgrids also manage fluctuations in renewable energy sources and balance load demands. Energy management systems, or EMS, control and optimize both microgrids and BESS units. An EMS controls energy flow, manages battery charging and discharging, and ensures overall resource usage efficiency.⁸

Finally, the Internet of Things (IoT) and AI-powered software play an essential role in optimizing renewable energy infrastructure. IoT refers to a network of physical devices that collect and exchange data through integrations with sensors and software.⁹ When using IoT and AI in engineering, real-time updates from IoT enable real-time diagnostics and automation, while AI uses the data to provide insight into ongoing optimization efforts and predict upcoming maintenance needs.

Skills Engineers Need for Renewable Energy Projects

Given the rapid advancement of technology in the field, professionals need working knowledge of how systems integration, real-time monitoring, and automation work in today’s sustainable energy systems. Electrical engineers will also benefit from adaptability and a lifelong learning mindset, allowing them to apply theoretical knowledge, experience, and inventive thinking to emerging challenges and innovations.

An electrical engineering bachelor’s program, such as the one offered by Bradley University, equips future engineers with robust knowledge of renewable energy trends and sustainability principles in power system design, including the following:

• Energy efficiency: Reducing the amount of energy consumed
• Rare material conservation: Replacing the need for nonrenewable or limited resources with renewable power sources such as wind and solar power
• Waste reduction: Evaluating the potential waste produced throughout a system’s entire life cycle—including during the processes of designing, installing, maintaining, upgrading, and disposing of all system components—and finding less wasteful solutions
• Operational enhancement: Leveraging advanced technology such as AI-powered predictive algorithms to continuously reduce energy usage and enhance grid stability over time¹⁰

On top of having a deep understanding of renewable energy uses in their own area of expertise, electrical engineers should also develop strong communication and collaboration skills. In many cases, on sustainable energy projects, engineers will participate in interdisciplinary collaboration with environmental and policy experts to ensure minimized negative environmental impact and full compliance with area-specific regulations.

Career Opportunities in the Renewable Energy Space

For electrical engineers, roles in utility companies, clean tech startups, and infrastructure firms abound. Engineers may work on projects including grid integration, where sustainable energy sources are incorporated into existing power grid systems. Alternatively, engineers may create or enhance EV charging stations and grids. They may also help develop decentralized energy systems that support community-scale or off-grid applications.

According to the Department of Energy, electrical engineers in the energy space can expect their daily jobs to include the following:

• Designing, developing, evaluating, and supervising the manufacturing of complex components included in solar- and wind-powered systems
• Using supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) to implement systems that support remote operation of wind turbines and data transfer
• Ensuring that power electronics and all controls for system elements work properly
• Connecting transmission system operators and design teams in research and development (R&D) efforts¹¹

If you are considering joining the field as an electrical engineer, its current growth rate means you can enjoy long-term job security in a growing, future-proof industry. The available work is diverse, interesting, and has meaningful environmental impact.

Renewable Energy Is Key in the Future of Electrical Engineering

It’s clear that renewable energy is a key force shaping the future of electrical engineering. The need to reduce carbon emissions, address climate change, and create more sustainable and reliable energy systems necessitates engineers’ aid, driving much of the rapid growth in the electrical engineering job market.

Engineers are crucial in the implementation of solar, wind, and hybrid energy systems, as well as the modernization of current power systems. Their work with renewable energy and cutting-edge technologies creates innovative and efficient systems that enhance sustainability. Ultimately, engineers who build sustainability into their skill set will lead tomorrow’s innovations.

Why Bradley University Should Be in Your Engineering Future

Are you looking to pursue an electrical engineering career and develop impactful energy innovations? Bradley University’s online Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering program will equip you with a deep understanding of the field and the skills you need to contribute to a brighter, more sustainable future. Through our curriculum, you will not only learn about today’s technology but also develop the theoretical knowledge you need to create the electrical systems of tomorrow.

If you are ready to take the next step in your electrical engineering journey, review our tuition and financial aid information and explore our admissions process today.