Searching for a “Renewable Energy Ausbildung” or “Solar Technician Ausbildung” in Germany turns up a lot of pages using those exact phrases — but neither is a standalone, federally recognised apprenticeship. Here’s what BIBB’s own research actually says exists, and the real trades that lead into solar and renewable-energy work.
The honest starting point: there’s no standalone “Solarteur” Ausbildung
BIBB (Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung, Germany’s federal vocational training institute) has looked directly at this question in its own research on whether sustainable development requires new training occupations, and the answer for solar specifically is no — Germany, unlike Austria, has no dedicated, state-recognised training occupation for “Solarteur.” BERUFENET, the Bundesagentur für Arbeit’s official occupation database, backs this up in a practical way: its “Solarteur/in” entry is archived, not a current, active occupation listing.
What “Solarteur” actually refers to in Germany is a further qualification (Zusatzqualifikation) — something you add on after completing one of a small number of related base trades, through courses run by chambers of commerce, trade guilds, or manufacturers, typically lasting days to weeks rather than years. BIBB’s own AusbildungPlus programme lists exactly this kind of add-on: “Installation, Inbetriebnahme und Wartung von Photovoltaikanlagen” (installation, commissioning, and maintenance of photovoltaic systems), offered as a supplementary qualification on top of a recognised base apprenticeship, not as a qualification in its own right.
So what should you actually train in?
Three existing, fully recognised dual apprenticeships lead directly into renewable-energy and solar work, each with real BIBB pay data behind it:
Elektroniker/-in für Energie- und Gebäudetechnik (Electronics Technician for Energy and Building Technology)
Covers electrical installation, building energy systems, and — increasingly — solar PV installation and grid connection work. Runs 42 months (3.5 years). Across all Handwerk (skilled-trades) specialisations of this Elektroniker family, BIBB’s 2025 tariff data shows average pay of €979/month in year one rising to €1,201 by year four — €1,077/month across the full training.
Anlagenmechaniker/-in für Sanitär-, Heizungs- und Klimatechnik (SHK — plumbing, heating, and climate technology)
Covers heat-pump and solar-thermal installation alongside traditional heating and sanitary work — the trade behind most residential solar-thermal and heat-pump retrofits. Also 42 months. BIBB’s 2025 data shows €927/month in year one rising to €1,140 by year four — €1,021/month on average.
Dachdecker/-in (Roofer)
Increasingly includes rooftop solar PV mounting as part of standard training content, alongside traditional roofing work. Runs 3 years (36 months), with BIBB 2025 pay averaging €1,002/month in year one rising to €1,403 in year three — €1,183/month across the training.
German language requirement
No occupation-specific rule for any of the three — the standard document route applies: a B1 certificate, employer/school confirmation your German has been checked, or enrolment in a preparatory language course.
Demand: the strongest, most honestly sourced part of this story
This is where the renewable-energy angle actually earns its place. The Bundesagentur für Arbeit’s Fachkräfteengpassanalyse names construction and skilled trades as one of its strongest shortage categories nationally, and SHK specifically — the trade behind solar-thermal and heat-pump installation — runs at roughly 46 unemployed people per 100 open positions, a clear, documented shortage ratio. Electricians and mechatronics trades, which overlap heavily with solar PV and grid work, are flagged separately with a projected shortfall of around 106,000 workers by 2026. In other words: the underlying demand for renewable-energy skills is real and well documented — it’s just delivered through named, existing trades rather than a single “renewable energy” apprenticeship.
Is it a good fit?
If you want to work in solar and renewable energy, the right move is to train in one of the three trades above — SHK or Elektroniker if you want to specialise in installation and system work, Dachdecker if you’re drawn to the construction side — and add the photovoltaic Zusatzqualifikation once you’re qualified or partway through. Don’t let a site advertising a standalone “Solar Ausbildung” be your only source; ask specifically which base trade the training leads to.
See our Skilled Trades Ausbildung programme page for more on these routes, and our piece on which Ausbildung trades are actually in shortage in Germany for the full shortage picture. To talk through which of these three trades fits your background, get in touch.
Where this comes from
BIBB, “Braucht nachhaltige Entwicklung neue Ausbildungsberufe?” (bibb.de/de/16645.php) · BIBB AusbildungPlus, Zusatzqualifikation “Installation, Inbetriebnahme und Wartung von Photovoltaikanlagen” (bibb.de/dienst/ausbildungplus) · BERUFENET archived entry for Solarteur/in, Bundesagentur für Arbeit · BIBB, 2025 Gesamtübersicht der tariflichen Ausbildungsvergütungen (bibb.de/dokumente/pdf/2025_Dav-Gesamtübersicht_Ausbildungsvergütungen_Bundesgebiet.pdf) · Bundesagentur für Arbeit press release on the 2025 Fachkräfteengpassanalyse (arbeitsagentur.de/presse/2025-25-qualifizierte-fachkraefte-weiterhin-gesucht).
