Renewable Energy Jobs - Why the Need?

By Gio C

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy  

Over the last few years, we are hearing many terms like "Renewable Energy Jobs - Waste Management Jobs" etc appearing on the scene, but when someone says "I work in the renewable energy sector", what exactly does this mean?

Put simply, renewable energy is energy that is generated from natural resources, resources like, rain, tides, sunlight, wind, solar etc. Or to put it another way, it is energy that can be replenished at the same rate that it is used. So somebody that works within the renewable energy field is basically working within one (or more) of these sectors.

Why the need for Renewable Energy Jobs?

It does seem like a bit of a fad and that everybody is jumping on the bandwagon, bandying around all this new terminology but the thing is that there is a more serious side to all of this.

Over the past few hundred years and up to today, we have been powering our lives using fuels such as coal, oil, gas, electricity and these we would class as 'dirty fuels' due to the pollution they create within the environment. Yes, even electricity as in the United States alone in 2009, 44.9% of electricity was generated by coal, 23.4% by natural gas, 20.3% nuclear fission, 1% petroleum and the remaining %'s in renewable energy.

As we keep hearing almost daily, we are slowly using up the energy resources within the planet and at the same time, we are warming up the environment and causing damage to the planet. This is where Renewable Energy comes in.

Today, we notice that more and solar farms are appearing and also wind turbines as we try to find ways of meeting mans needs for energy and also cleaning up the atmosphere with new cleaner fuels.

With the above in mind, one can see the answer to the question, Why the need for renewable energy jobs? Basically, they are needed so that we can keep living as we do, be it watching television, visiting family/friends via transport, working with any electrical devices, and, even going to the gym and using some of the Cardio Vascular machines that require power, but, doing it with clean energy and also energy that does not cost us the earth.

In their simplest form, renewable energy is:

- Solar Energy
- Wind Energy
- Geothermal Energy
- Bioenergy
- Hydropower

How does one get to work within these fields and what is required?

Most people that work within these fields are University Graduates that have spent years studying a specific area, or, some are people that have been in the industry for many years and just evolved along with the jobs and fallen into it.

If you would like to find out more, or are considering working within one of these areas, it is strongly recommended that you research your field and then contact your local careers centre to gain an understanding of what training you will require.

If you are already fully trained within your chosen field, then obviously your next step will be to find work, either within your country or work abroad.