Exploring Standardised Pathways for Solar Technicians at Intersolar Europe

• Members of the GWO team recently returned from Intersolar Europe 2026, where they connected with key industry players, including industry associations, developers, operators, and EPC contractors to analyse the workforce challenges in solar and present the Global Solar Training Standards.  

With global solar capacity expected to more than double to 6.6 TW by 2030, the need for a skilled workforce to match it cannot be understated. And this need was apparent at Intersolar Europe, the world’s leading exhibition and conference for the solar industry, which saw 100,000 + visitors, including 2,800 exhibitors and 2,600 conference delegates converge in Munich to discuss the future of solar and the workforce that will be required to match its rapid growth.  

During this three-day event, the GWO team participated in several sessions hosted by our partnering organisation – Global Solar Council (GSC), as well as in several conference sessions on topics such as automation systems in solar installations and market-focused forecasts. GWO also met with a range of national associations from across four continents, as well as member representatives from RES, all with the aim of exploring how standardised training can support the needs of a scaling industry.

Transforming Existing Solar Infrastructure to Support Grid Stability

This year’s Intersolar focused on the broad theme of practically integrating round-the-clock renewable energy into existing infrastructures, particularly to ensure stable grid connections and maximise storage capacity for the industry’s Construction & Installation (C&I) segment. This focus echoed the findings of the Global Solar Market Outlook 2026-2030, a report developed and presented by Solar Power Europe and GSC, which says the industry must tackle grid bottlenecks and curtailment if solar is to deliver the 60% of new renewable capacity needed to meet 2030 energy transition targets.

Standardised Training Key to Solving Workforce Need

In addition to grid-related challenges, fragmentation in the solar industry’s workforce, compared with its wind counterpart, means that many companies within installations depend on a complex network of subcontracted professionals. This was confirmed by conversations with Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) businesses, who shared that barriers to safe and efficient solar installations work emerge in an area where major developers tend not to have their own workforce. When varying qualifications of subcontracted personnel converge in a complex work environment, where safety and technical training throughout the value chain and contractor’s network lack a unified approach to competence management, raising the risk for safety-related events. The industry is therefore in strong need of standardisation, to make the shift towards a centralised model of planning, where solar technicians are trained within an industry-validated pathway of competence.  

‍Widespread Industry Support and Policy Backing Key to Workforce Skilling

A lack of standardisation across the solar industry, a shortage of skilled technical workers, and field installation labour, as well as extended project delivery timelines all play a role in creating bottlenecks to scaling the workforce. These challenges further reinforce the need for internationally recognised standardised workforce training. What the industry now needs is a greater dialogue between policymakers, national industry associations, and educational bodies to unify the solar industry.

Commenting on the role of cross-industry collaboration in workforce development, Jakob Lau Holst, CEO of GWO, said:

“Meeting with solar associations and employers at this year’s Intersolar event has been a reminder of the importance of a single, industry-validated pathway to ensure that the solar workforce can deliver the energy transition across countries and borders. Industry collaboration towards a shared, standardised training framework for the workforce will be a key enabler for scaling faster.”

Want To Learn More About the Global Solar Training Standards?  

Co-developed with GSC, the Global Solar Training Standards are recommended for technicians working in the construction, installation, operations, and maintenance phases of solar projects.  

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