Architecture and Engineering

Battery Energy Storage Engineer Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

Designs and integrates grid-scale battery storage systems that store electricity from the grid, solar or wind and release it when needed.

Median pay
$120,630
Growth to 2035
+9.9%
Openings a year
11,400
Typical entry
Bachelor's

Designs and integrates grid-scale battery storage systems that store electricity from the grid, solar or wind and release it when needed. BLS does not publish separate figures for electrical engineers; it counts them within electrical engineer (SOC 17-2071), whose median pay is $120,630 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.

  • SOC 17-2071
  • Architecture and Engineering
  • Last updated October 9, 2026

At a glance

Battery Energy Storage Engineer in four numbers

Median pay
$120,630a year, or $58.00/hr
Lowest 10% $77KTop 10% $184K

US median, all jobs: $50,980

BLS OEWS, May 2025
Projected growth
+9.9%Much faster than average
This career
+9.9%
All jobs
+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035
ItemValue
This career+9.9%
All jobs+3.5%
BLS EP, 2025–2035
Openings a year
11,400199,700 jobs today
  • Jobs in 2025199.7K
  • Projected 2035219.5K
Employment, 2025–2035
ItemValue
Jobs in 2025199.7K
Projected 2035219.5K
BLS EP, 2025–2035
Typical education
Bachelor'sneeded to enter
  • Associate's11%
  • Bachelor's81.6%
  • Master's7.3%
Highest education held by electrical engineers
SegmentValue
Associate's11%
Bachelor's81.6%
Master's7.3%
BLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET

Also advertised as: BESS Engineer, Energy Storage Engineer, Energy Storage Systems Engineer, Grid-Scale Storage Engineer, Storage Integration Engineer.

Pay

How much do Electrical Engineers make?

Annual pay, lowest-paid to highest-paid

Every battery energy storage engineer in the US, by percentile of annual wage

Median

$120,630

Middle half earn $92,830 to $152,950

10th
$76,550
25th
$92,830
75th
$152,950
90th
$184,300

All US occupations: $50,980

Battery Energy Storage Engineer annual wages
PercentileValue
10th$76,550
25th$92,830
Median$120,630
75th$152,950
90th$184,300
All US occupations$50,980

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Median annual wage
$120,630
Median hourly wage
$58.00/hr
Mean annual wage
$125,100
People employed
198,750

Versus all US occupations

At $120,630, Electrical Engineers earn 137% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $69,650 a year.

Versus architecture and engineering occupations

Inside the Architecture and Engineering group, where the middle occupation pays $104,110, this is 16% above the group median.

Pay range

The top 10% earn $184,300 or more while the bottom 10% earn $76,550, a gap of 2.4×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.

Rank in the bank

This median pays more than 84% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.

Highest-paying state

New Mexico pays the most at $158,520, and still leads at $171,908 once local prices are taken into account.

Pay by state

Which states pay Electrical Engineers the most?

State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.

Top 10 states by median annual wage for Electrical Engineers
StateMedianCOL-adjustedEmployed
1New Mexico$158,520$171,9082,560
2California$144,040$130,09424,230
3District of Columbia$143,000$130,117330
4New Hampshire$135,710$130,2841,600
5Washington$132,710$124,0137,610
6Texas$129,450$133,37520,870
7Idaho$129,340$135,4431,000
8Massachusetts$127,720$120,7675,040
9Delaware$126,970$127,214660
10Alaska$125,970$123,067350
See all 51 states, sortable, with cost-of-living adjustments

Job outlook

Is Battery Energy Storage Engineer a growing career?

Projected change in jobs

Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation

Electrical Engineers
+9.9%
All US occupations
+3.5%

Much faster than average. +9.9% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.

Projected employment change, 2025–2035
ItemValue
Electrical Engineers+9.9%
All US occupations+3.5%

Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035

Much faster than average

BLS projects employment of Electrical Engineers to change 9.9% over 2025–2035, roughly 2.8× the 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 19,800 more jobs.

Annual openings

About 11,400 openings are projected each year, 5.7% of the 199,700 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.

Getting in

How to become a Battery Energy Storage Engineer

Most have a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, with some coming from mechanical or chemical engineering. Knowledge of power electronics, power systems and battery management systems is central. Engineers learn the fire safety standard NFPA 855 and the safety standards for energy storage equipment such as UL 9540.

Many enter from solar, utility or electrical consulting roles. Sandia National Laboratories and the Department of Energy publish energy storage guidance, and a professional engineering license helps for design roles at consultants and developers. Familiarity with interconnection processes and utility requirements is a strong advantage.

  1. 1

    Typical entry-level education

    Bachelor's degree

  2. 2

    Work experience in a related occupation

    None

  3. 3

    Typical on-the-job training

    None

  4. 4

    Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)

    Medium preparation

BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.

What education people in the job have

O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as electrical engineers.

  • Bachelor's Degree81.6%
  • Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree11%
  • Master's Degree7.3%
Highest education held by electrical engineers
ItemValue
Bachelor's Degree81.6%
Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree11%
Master's Degree7.3%

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

The work

What does a Battery Energy Storage Engineer do?

Battery energy storage engineers design the large systems of battery containers, inverters, transformers and controls that utilities and developers install at substations and solar farms. They size the system, choose equipment, and lay out the site to meet fire codes and interconnection requirements.

They also write control strategies for when the system charges and discharges, test performance during commissioning, and analyze data to track battery health. Unlike battery cell engineers who work on chemistry, they focus on the full system and its connection to the grid.

Day-to-day tasks

  1. Size battery storage systems for grid applications
  2. Select batteries, inverters and transformers
  3. Design site layouts that meet fire codes and spacing rules
  4. Develop charge and discharge control strategies
  5. Prepare interconnection studies and documentation
  6. Commission systems and verify performance
  7. Monitor battery health and degradation data

Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.

Working conditions and hours

Storage engineers work in offices at developers, utilities, integrators and consultants, with site visits during construction and commissioning. Commissioning trips can last weeks in remote areas. Hours are usually regular. Battery sites are often next to solar farms in rural areas, and site work requires electrical safety training and protective equipment. Developers and integrators may expect travel during busy construction seasons.

Where the work happens

  • Indoors, climate-controlled

    NeverEvery day

    Indoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.

  • Outdoors in all weather

    NeverEvery day

Physical demands

  • Sitting

    NeverAlmost all the time

    Seated for more than half the working day.

  • Standing

    NeverAlmost all the time
  • Bending or twisting

    NeverAlmost all the time

Working with people

  • Contact with other people

    NoneConstant
  • Face-to-face discussions

    NeverEvery day

    Face-to-face discussions every day.

  • Dealing with the public

    Not importantExtremely important

Pressure and stakes

  • Strict deadlines

    NeverEvery day
  • Conflict situations

    NeverEvery day
  • Cost of a mistake

    Not seriousExtremely serious

Autonomy

  • Freedom to decide

    NoneA lot

    A lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.

Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.

Core skills

O*NET importance, 1 to 5

  • Writing4.1
  • Reading Comprehension4.0
  • Critical Thinking4.0
  • Active Listening3.9
  • Speaking3.9
  • Active Learning3.9
  • Monitoring3.5
  • Mathematics3.4
Core skills for Electrical Engineers
ItemValue
Writing4.1
Reading Comprehension4.0
Critical Thinking4.0
Active Listening3.9
Speaking3.9
Active Learning3.9
Monitoring3.5
Mathematics3.4

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

Transferable skills

O*NET importance, 1 to 5

  • Complex Problem Solving3.9
  • Coordination3.3
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.3
  • Systems Analysis3.3
  • Systems Evaluation3.3
  • Operations Analysis3.1
  • Social Perceptiveness3.0
  • Instructing3.0
Transferable skills for Electrical Engineers
ItemValue
Complex Problem Solving3.9
Coordination3.3
Judgment and Decision Making3.3
Systems Analysis3.3
Systems Evaluation3.3
Operations Analysis3.1
Social Perceptiveness3.0
Instructing3.0

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

Tools and software

  • Analytical or scientific software · in demand
  • Computer aided design CAD software · in demand
  • Data base user interface and query software · in demand
  • Development environment software · in demand
  • Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
  • File versioning software · in demand
  • Geographic information system · in demand
  • Object or component oriented development software · in demand
  • Office suite software · in demand
  • Operating system software · in demand
  • Presentation software · in demand
  • Process mapping and design software · in demand

“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.

Personality fit

What personality type suits a Battery Energy Storage Engineer?

Interest profile

NueCareer estimate (Holland code IRC) built on O*NET's Electrical Engineer profile, scored 1 to 7

Battery Energy Storage Engineer · Realistic: 6Battery Energy Storage Engineer · Investigative: 6Battery Energy Storage Engineer · Artistic: 2Battery Energy Storage Engineer · Social: 2Battery Energy Storage Engineer · Enterprising: 2Battery Energy Storage Engineer · Conventional: 5
Battery Energy Storage Engineer interest profile
AxisBattery Energy Storage Engineer
Realistic6
Investigative6
Artistic2
Social2
Enterprising2
Conventional5

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

What the work is built around

Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data.

  • Realistic6.0
  • Investigative5.6
  • Conventional4.5
  • Enterprising2.4
  • Artistic2.1
  • Social1.7

Closest MBTI types

NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.

Questions

Battery Energy Storage Engineer: frequently asked questions

How much do Electrical Engineers make?

BLS does not publish a separate wage for electrical engineers. It counts them within electrical engineer, whose median pay is $120,630 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $92,830 and $152,950, and the top 10% earn $184,300 or more.

Do you need a degree to become a Battery Energy Storage Engineer?

Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Electrical Engineers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 81.6% hold bachelor's degree.

Is Battery Energy Storage Engineer a growing career?

Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 9.9% over 2025–2035, more than double the 3.5% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 11,400 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

What does a Battery Energy Storage Engineer do?

Battery energy storage engineers design the large systems of battery containers, inverters, transformers and controls that utilities and developers install at substations and solar farms. A typical task: size battery storage systems for grid applications. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Computer aided design CAD software, Data base user interface and query software.

Which states pay Electrical Engineers the most?

The highest state medians for Electrical Engineers are New Mexico ($158,520), California ($144,040), District of Columbia ($143,000) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

What personality type suits a Battery Energy Storage Engineer?

O*NET scores Electrical Engineers highest on the Realistic, Investigative and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTJ, ISTP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.

Research sources for this career