It’s becoming increasingly clear that a clean energy career offers the most potential across the wider industry.
As companies and governments across the globe pivot to policies around sustainability, demand for clean energy jobs is rising. If you’re operating in the energy space, what are the top renewable energy careers and what potential do they hold for you?
Below we lay out the sector’s top clean energy career paths and the renewable energy jobs that make up these career paths.
What is a Clean Energy Career Path?
Fundamentally, clean energy careers relate to jobs across the renewable energy space. While they often utilise a similar skill set, they’re the alternative to the traditional energy fields such as oil, coal and gas. The various sub-sectors you might come across in renewable energy include solar energy, wind energy, biogas, geothermal and hydroelectric.
While the field is very focused on sustainability and renewable energy production, the different roles within the field are incredibly varied. Any sector could include roles ranging from operations and engineering to planning, project management or data analysis.
With so many options available, professionals with existing skill sets related to energy are in a fantastic opportunity to forge a clean energy career and contribute to a wider renewable energy project.
Top Clean Energy Career Paths
Below is a breakdown of the various clean energy career paths across the wider energy industry and the multiple roles they’re comprised of:
1. Biomass and Biogas Production
Biogas production is rapidly growing in popularity due to the potential it offers – there’s a huge number of sites globally, it’s able to generate large amounts of renewable energy and it works in tandem with agriculture to the benefit of both parties.
Sustainable farming is a vital part of various government policies around the globe, meaning there’s lots of room for growth, progression and financial gain. Similarly, biomass and biogas has lots of potential usages, meaning it’s one of the top renewable energy careers for those transitioning out of traditional energy sectors.
The skills and compensation available depends on your own skillset, experience and the business you’re working for but there’s lots of demand for professionals in this industry.
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2. Environmental Scientist
An environmental scientist studies how different things impact the Earth’s environment, with a particular focus on pollution, hazardous emissions and other ecological factors. It’s the role of the scientist to identify the sources of these issues, understand how dangerous they are and come up with potential solutions.
Environmental scientists generally operate on a similar level to climatologists but typically place more focus on how humans impact the environment and vice versa.
We’ve included this career in this list because environmental scientists often look at how they can generate cleaner energy, push sustainability and encourage energy production that has less adverse effects on the public.
The responsibilities you can expect in this role include data research, analysis and interpretation. With your findings, you can then make suggestions to key stakeholders including business owners, senior peers or even policymakers. An environmental scientist may work with local authorities, environmental agencies, energy groups or even conservation groups.
3. Energy Engineer
While it’s a broad term, engineers are instrumental in the advancement and improvement of the renewable energy sector. Engineers typically work on the design, construction and optimisation of either plants or machinery involved in energy production.
One of the key demographics in the renewable energy sector right now is engineers that have experience in traditional fields. Those working in the oil and gas industries generally have transferable skills that can be utilised in the renewable sector.
This is a career with plenty of options in terms of where you work, how you work and the projects you work on, which makes it extremely popular. With this in mind, you may also experience a variety of work environments including offices, labs or even more remote energy plants.
4. Energy technician
Technician is a popular title in the renewable energy sector, particularly in the wind industry which requires plenty of high-tech machinery. Wind turbine technicians, for example, focus on the installation, maintenance and upkeep of wind turbines around the country.
As a technician you’ll be expected to test the machinery, fit and maintain various equipment, run safety checks and optimise based on technological advancements.
This role often means you’ll be working in remote areas and as you’d imagine, outdoors in various weather conditions. In the UK, for example, most of the wind farms are offshore meaning you may be working out at sea for long periods. Wherever you’re working, you’ll also be working at great heights.
5. Urban planner
If you’re not looking at working an engineering or technical role, you may want to consider a role as an urban planner. Sometimes referred to as a town planner or planning officer, urban planners often have to implement renewable energy considerations into their work.
This could include the addition of solar arrays, wind farms or biowaste sites into your plans, on top of integrating green spaces such as parks, waterways or trees. While this role requires specific qualifications, it’s a role that is always in-demand and potentially lucrative.