Green Energy, Renewable Energy – these are all terms we are familiar with because, globally it is part of political and environmental agendas.
What does it mean though in terms of how we can help save the future of our planet through relevant career pathways? You may be at the start of your career, looking for a career change or simply looking for that next step in your career.
What the future of renewable energy looks like
Renewable energy capacity is set to expand 50% between 2019 and 2024, led by solar energy. This is according to The International Energy Agency (IEA)’s ‘Renewable 2020’ report, which indicates that wind, solar and hydropower projects are rolling out at their fastest rate in four years, which demonstrates that they future of renewable energy is here to stay!
From a climate change perspective, if we are to avoid and minimise the worst effects of climate change, global emissions must be reduced by half by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. This means there are plenty of roles and expertise required within renewable energy to help achieve this goal.
In short renewable energy growth is accelerating faster than ever worldwide. Renewable energy employment worldwide reached 12 million in 2021 providing an abundance of lucrative careers.
Top Renewable Energy Careers
1. Construction Project Manager
As more onshore and offshore projects begin to receive approval, professionals that are experienced and skilled in the ramp up and execution of large-scale projects will be sought after. Project management is increasingly becoming one of the most desirable careers in the renewable energy space.
Construction Project Manager’s responsibilities include managing site teams, supervising site activities, purchasing materials, liaising with design managers and ensuring site health and safety. As the world races to meet net zero targets, employment for Construction Managers in the field is predicted to increase 11.5% from 2020-2030.
The Construction Project Manager will often serve as the single point of responsibility for accomplishing project objectives. Ultimately, the wind energy project manager has three main goals:
- To keep the project within budget
- To keep the project on schedule
- To ensure quality and conformance to specifications
To achieve these goals, project managers need to be familiar with virtually all aspects of wind development, including:
- Site selection
- Environmental studies
- Permitting processes
- Transportation of turbine parts
- Construction of wind turbines
2. Project Planner
Project Planners are a high-value asset to the renewable energy industry. Responsibilities include working with key stakeholders inside and outside of the organisation right at the point of a sales opportunity and assist in providing quality construction schedules and planning to support our best offers to clients.
They work in close collaboration with Project Managers, Business Managers, Supply Chain, Site Management and Service departments throughout the entire lifecycle of a project. From managing budgets and timescales, recruiting for staff, and providing necessary resources, Project Planners are involved in construction projects from the very beginning to the final handover.
They are highly skilled and often use software such as Primavera P6 which is the most common critical path based planning software used in planning and executing large engineering projects.
3. Wind Farm Technician
Wind farm construction is moving very fast as more and more investment is given to help the construction of onshore and offshore wind farms. Therefore wind turbine technicians/engineers are in high demand.
Wind supplied over a quarter of Britain’s electricity for the first time ever in 2022 highlighting the rapid growth of the energy source.
New figures from National Grid show wind was the second largest source of electricity over 2022, supplying 26.8pc. It represents a gain of five percentage points compared to 2021.
During the windiest month, February, turbines generated 41.4pc of national supply. Meanwhile, a windy day on December 30 saw turbines’ output hit 20.918 gigawatts – the most Britain’s growing fleet has managed so far.
The skills of a Wind Turbine Technician involve maintaining wind turbine performance through testing and fault-finding, as well as performing necessary electrical and mechanical repairs.
Watch this video:
4. Wind Farm Site Manager
A Wind Farm Site Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of a wind farm. They ensure that the staff have the tools to perform their responsibilities effectively.
Wind Farm Site Managers also manage relationships with contractors and vendors to ensure that the farm operationally runs smoothly. Once the project is complete, they continuously monitor and evaluate the output to ensure the most effective levels of energy production. They will also manage various reports handle invoices and complete reports.
Find out more about a Wind Farm Site Manager:
5. Renewable Energy Engineer
Renewable Energy Engineers work on the production of energy through natural resources such as wind, hydro, solar or marine power. They look at ways of reducing the impact on the environment by researching and developing new technologies that will result in cleaner ways to supply energy.
A Renewable Energy Engineer may assume a variation of roles including a researcher or consultant. They may explore and examine ways to improve energy extraction projects to make them more efficient and environmentally friendly.
Alternatively, a Renewable Energy Engineer may work in the mechanical sector, designing machines and other devices to harness energy more efficiently. A good example of this kind of engineering, according to journalist Vivian Wagner, writing for the Houston Chronicle, can be found in the production of solar energy.
Engineers with a background in mechanical engineering are in demand to design and build solar energy systems, which include parts such as solar panels.
6. Software Developer
Technology is fast becoming the driving force behind everything, including the global energy transition. The development of software and technology accelerates the advancement of the renewable energy sector growth and also reduces fossil fuel consumption.
Bespoke software is essential in relation to the operation of energy power plants and how they are effectively monitored.
Whilst the job of a Software Developer is unrelated to generating power, they are transforming the way that energy is distributed, making it more cost-effective and helping accelerate the transition to a fossil fuel-free economy.
The renewable energy sector is becoming more dependent on the newest technological achievements and there is no better time to join the renewables ride.
Here is an interesting article to read about the importance of software development within the energy transition: https://codibly.com/news-insights/software-in-the-energy-transition
JL Executive Recruitment are an expert search consultancy, specialising in the global renewable energy industry.
We have consistently placed senior to board level talent, within the full life cycle of renewable energy projects.
