Renewable Energy Jobs – The Future Workforce

Renewable energy is energy that comes from natural resources that are renewable – solar, wind, rain, tidal energy and geothermal heat – as opposed to non-renewable energy sources – coal, gas and oil.

Renewable energy jobs are ‘green jobs’ and over these next few months and years will become an industry within its own right. Many believe that these green jobs will help the economy grow in a more sustainable manner; the number of green energy jobs is projected to reach 100 million globally over the next 20 years, with an estimated 2% of the global workforce being employed in a renewable energy job by around 2030.

The different types of renewable energy jobs – what are they?

There are multiple roles, from non-technical to highly skilled and senior management positions. If you currently have knowledge and skills within the renewable energy sector, then you will be extremely valuable and sought after. But the good news is,  if you are looking to break into this sector, then now is the times to do so:

• Non-technical – these roles include customer care, marketing, human resources, public relations, sales and financing etc. All these roles represent jobs that harness transferable skills and so specialist training is not be an immediate concern.
• Technical – people are entering in to the green energy sector from various engineering streams such as biomedical, civil, mechanical, chemical and electrical. These skills underpin the renewable energy sector in the production, development and installation of renewable energy applications.
• Senior management – people with in depth knowledge of the industry along with experience within other energy sectors, and good decision making powers etc. can be absorb into senior management roles such as ‘chief executive officers’ and such roles.
• Government jobs – government departments across the globe need expert advice for policy makers, planning and development roles and other career opportunities such as research in renewable energy sectors
• Trading market – again people with transferrable skills with some knowledge of the renewable energy industry can be absorbed within this exciting sector
• IT/software professionals – people with extensive IT skills are also finding that new opportunities are opening up within this industry for them to apply their skills and knowledge

The renewable energy sector is predicted to be an industry that will experience significant growth in the future and there is an existing market for renewable energy jobs. For example, wave, tidal and hydro power is currently taking shape as prevailing methods of generating renewable energy. America, for example, currently creates 7% of its power this way. It is estimated that 19% of global energy is now created with these three methods, with China being the largest producer of hydroelectricity.

Bio fuel is another renewable energy source within the road transportation industry. In use in the USA and Brazil, an estimated 2.7% of the world vehicles operate using bio fuel.

Wind power converts energy from the wind and is increasingly use in the UK, with large wind farm planned for the seascape and landscape. Apprenticeships and training courses are being offered by many colleges and training providers to harness the need for engineers to install and maintain the wind turbines.

Solar power is also on the increase as photovoltaic cells are becoming increasingly affordable; uptake of solar energy is high in countries such as Germany and Spain. It’s predicted that the solar energy sector will be the fastest growing renewable energy sector.

Geothermal energy is also on the increase in many countries such as America and the Philippines.

Renewable energy jobs and roles provide the opportunity for travel, as well as using a person’s current skill set and the opportunity to acquire a new set of skills. It is an exciting time to look into the possibilities of renewable jobs.