With renewable energy usage on the rise across the globe, a new industry has sprouted and continues to evolve as new needs and developments take place. As such, with such a wide variety of options of renewable energy, like wind power, solar power, and hydropower, among others, the industry needs people to maintain these energy sources, and has created a whole new job market in the process.
These job needs will only continue to require more workers as more people adapt renewable energy into their homes. No longer an uncommon niche, here are a few of the jobs that the renewable industry sector has created since its inception:
Solar Panel Installer
All of the solar (PV) panels on rooftops don’t just appear by themselves—someone needs to install them, and with the number of people who want solar panels at their homes continuing to grow, the demand is slated to soon outgrow the supply. Currently, this particular job is projected to grow at 105% in the next seven to eight years.
Solar Manufacturing Technician
Of course, in order to install solar panels, that requires people to make them, or at the very least, build the machinery that will in turn churn out the solar panels. Manufacturing technicians, rather than installing and maintaining units, work at the plant to set up, test, and adjust the machinery and equipment.
Wind Turbine Technician
Another type of renewable energy is wind power, which utilises wind turbines to harness power. Of course, to be able to harness wind power, you’ll need a turbine to do so, and that’s what a wind turbine technician does: install and service wind turbines. This is one of the fastest-growing jobs in the renewable energy sector, next to solar panel installers.
Wind Farm Site Manager
A wind turbine is typically placed on a wind farm with other wind turbines around it, which is why the places that operate multiple wind turbines are called “farms.” To ensure the wind farms are producing the right amount of energy and that all machinery is operating as planned, there are wind farm site managers who oversee all operations. Considering the expected increase in wind power usage, the need for wind farm site managers is projected to grow up to 9% through 2026.
Energy Efficiency Specialist
In other words, an energy efficiency specialist audits buildings and blueprints to figure out their overall energy efficiency. After the audit, they can make suggestions about how to make systems more efficient.