Careers in renewables

The massive levels of growth that are about to hit the UK renewables industry could be just what the country needs to help solve its environmental and financial problems. But what remains uncertain is whether the UK has the right engineering skills to underpin this change.

According to Daniel Borisewitz, policy manager at industry body Scottish Renewables, the answer is a resounding yes. ’There is a great level of similarity between the necessary skills for many renewables and traditional energy sectors,’ he said. ’Some are more obvious than others, such as the link between offshore wind and oil and gas.’

But while there are clear parallels between the skills required in renewables and other engineering sectors, many believe that far more needs to be done to develop a renewable energy engineering workforce. The 2011 UK Renewable Energy Roadmap sets out plans to increase development of renewables technology to deliver 234TWh, or 15 per cent of projected energy consumption, by 2020.