Starting A New Green Engineer Career
Can you imagine yourself working in an exciting new industry that's pushing environmental boundaries? Qualifying as an installer with 'green' certifications will allow you to do that. By this time next year you could be up and running, advising people and installing energy efficient systems that will considerably reduce their household's carbon footprint.
Gas and oil consumption can't go on as it is. We're constantly being told to use less energy in our day to day lives. Political leaders are striving to guide people towards greater energy efficiency by promoting and incentivising replenishable alternatives. In the UK, householders with the oldest and lowest rated boilers can apply for grants to cover some of the costs of replacement.
This means there's an increasing amount of installation work for properly accredited professionals. It's therefore a good idea commercially that your electrical or plumbing training includes working with green energy systems. If you qualified as an electrician some time ago, you may want to update your knowledge of renewables.
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Maximising Our Natural Resources
Green technology uses the earth's natural resources and converts them into usable energy. Whether we get rain, wind or sun, we can harness the energy and put it to further use.
Previous generations created wind turbines and waterwheels. Now we can benefit from solar energy as well to provide us with heat and hot water. Consequently there's a growing demand for green engineering work.
Solar Energy Systems
Free energy from the sun can be absorbed by solar heating equipment and converted into domestic warm water. The technology has been around for over 30 years, and now many sophisticated systems are available. They can't provide for all the hot water needs for families in the UK, but in summer they can supply a significant amount of it.
Over the year as a whole, they should provide for approximately half their hot water needs. Collection equipment comes in the form of the more efficient evacuated tubes, or the perhaps more visually attractive solid flat plates. Installation is quite straightforward - in fact some of the tubular versions can be built whilst actually on the roof.
Solar electricity systems are used to gather the sun's energy via PV (photovoltaic) cells. When the panels are facing the light, they can generate energy all year round (though obviously the more sun that shines on them the better). PV panels are linked to an inverter that could be installed in the roof space. The inverter is then linked up to the power distribution point in the house to provide electricity for certain appliances and lighting.
Approximately forty percent of a household's electricity can be produced with a photovoltaic system. Users can therefore benefit financially over time as well as ecologically.
The Grid will also automatically be fed any unused PV electricity, so if householders go away for two weeks, their solar power won't be wasted. The going rate for PV electricity has been increased by the government in 2010, which makes for a better return on the original investment of the system. Some European governments have fixed 'feed-in tariffs' for many years, which has led to an increase in the number of systems purchased, and a reduction in the amount they cost.
Geothermal Heat
Solar energy is naturally stored in the ground - in the UK the ground source heat is constantly around 12 degrees centigrade. If land is plentiful the surface ground collector method is used to get the heat out. If it isn't, the borehole collector method is used. Either method requires burying a few hundred metres of plastic piping filled with an eco-friendly liquid. The fluid becomes warm as it circulates inside the pipes and thus heat is transported to the pump. Warm air or water is then pumped around a home to supplement existing heating systems. Ground source heat pumps will lower household fuel bills. They need a small amount of electricity to run them, but can produce four or five times as much as they consume.
Developing All The time
Typical training will give you a greater understanding of renewable energy and the careers you can pursue. You can expect to study and qualify in certain essential electrical and plumbing skills, and gain newer certifications that cover green energy. Make sure you come out with a good knowledge of ground and air source heat pumps, and domestic solar technology. That's where a lot of your future work is likely to be. Essentially, courses are there to equip you for work - so all parts of your training should lead to industry recognised qualifications. Your course may also offer options on how to install rainwater harvesting systems or grey water recycling systems for example.
Careers For The Twenty First Century
So that buyers can determine future energy costs, every UK homeowner must get an Energy Performance Certificate before putting their house on the market. This documentation includes advice on how to make the place more energy efficient. Many assessments show huge savings could be made over a period of time if improved systems were installed. The government is offering householders substantial grants to cover certain installation costs where work is undertaken by appropriately qualified Green Engineers.
That just scratches the surface though. The UK government is aiming for fifteen percent of the country's energy to come from renewable sources by 2020. We can no longer close our eyes to the need for safer, sustainable power. For that reason, those who become skilled and qualified now will find themselves in the right place at the right time.
