The Hot Renewable Energy Job Market

   You don’t need to look far these days to see the effects that the renewable energy industry is having on the job market. In a recently released report from Management Information Services Inc, it was found that nearly a half a million jobs already exist in the industry and by various other reports the growth is expected to double by next year.

   Through a study conducted by AE Media Holdings it was found that a majority of the current jobs (approx. 60%) within the renewable industry are directly or indirectly related to the biofuels segment. This segment also lays claim to the fastest growth area, but this in no way diminishes the focus of the other categories.

   Fuel Cell development is still in the very early stages, but this technology is dominating in terms of overall exposure. The automotive industry is by no means the only one concentrating extensive R&D dollars for development of fuel cell technology; the appeal goes much deeper than that. The applications for this technology are so vast that every major player from electronics to food processors are preparing for its mass commercialization, which by many accounts will be in the next three to six years.

   So what about the other forms of renewable energy and their growth prospects? Solar power production and installation grew by more than 25% in 2006 and is expected to continue this rate for more than a decade. But, if you want to talk about growth and job creation you needn’t look past the wind industry. The major suppliers of turbine systems in the US can’t keep pace with the current growth that’s expected to push past 30% in 2007.

  The renewable energy job market is hot and will stay hot for at least the next two decades. University degree programs focused on renewable energy are starting to see the same growth that computer science programs did in the early eighties and that means the new Energy Age is here.