Careers and Employment Opportunities in Renewable, Alternative and Sustainable Energy
Gone are the days when a career in the renewable energy sector looked bleak. Today job opportunities in the renewable energy industry have grown. Countries such as Spain, Germany and the US are all set to provide more employment opportunities in the renewable energy segment.
In a climate of surging fuel prices, environmental and health concerns, the growth of the renewable energy sector worldwide is poised for tremendous growth. Be it for white collar, blue collar, experienced or newcomers, the current trend of 'capping carbon' with renewable energy sources will blitz ahead to propel improved job opportunities.
The US is poised to usher in an energy revolution that will reap rich dividends for almost one-tenth of its workforce in the renewable energy sector. This conclusion is adapted from the new report released by the University of Amherst-Massachusetts titled 'Job Opportunities for the Green Economy.'
This in-depth report tracks the extent of growing job opportunities in the US for more than 35 categories of professionals, such as train operators, software engineers, truck drivers, roofers, civil engineers, machinists and sheet metal workers.
Germany provides about 25,000 direct as well as indirect jobs in the wind energy segment. Spain has expanded its renewable energy sector rapidly in recent years. Currently, Spain employs nearly 89,000 persons in its wind power and solar PV sectors, while around 99,000 employees are hired indirectly. Another growing leader in the renewable energy segment is Denmark, although job opportunities have been dwindling in recent times.
A significant study titled 'Impact of renewables on employment and economic growth' took place in 1998-99 for the European Commission. This study estimates that labor intensive employment opportunities will grow and more than 900,000 new jobs will come up by the year 2020. For the agricultural and manufacturing sectors, job gains will be optimum. This will also mean a loss of 2% workforce for the conventional energy supply industry. The employment opportunities for countries such as Germany, France, Spain, Greece and Italy will grow tremendously.
In 2001, an international study on solar generation was carried out by the European Photovoltaic Industry Association and Greenpeace International. This study estimated that more than 2 million jobs will be generated across the globe and nearly 78,000 jobs will be generated in Australia alone by 2020.
The 2008 report on the 'Preparatory Conference for the Foundation of the IRENA' clearly stated that 2.4 million jobs were created in the global renewable energy sector in 2007. The segments comprising plant construction and maintenance, financial services, industrial production and agriculture were specifically marked as the potential arenas for employment opportunities in the renewable sector.
To conclude, as the global renewable energy industry continues to grow and transform into a world-class sector, job opportunities will be brighter and more rewarding than ever.
No comments:
Post a Comment