Renewable Energy Careers With Green Engineer Training

How do you fancy getting into a job in a growing and technologically advancing industry? If you get trained and qualified in green engineering you can do just that! Within months of getting started on a course, you could be ready to work here or overseas in a thriving new job or business.

The world can't continue to consume oil and gas at current levels. Everyone is aware of the need to reduce their carbon emissions. Members of the public are being urged to ease back on their consumption, and look to efficient renewable energy sources.

Grants are available in the UK to replace inefficient boilers and utilise more 'green' forms of energy. 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're already in the trade, you can tune-up your knowledge and add to your current offering.

What Is Green Technology?

Green technology uses the earth's natural resources and converts them into usable energy. The sun, the wind and the rain can all be utilised by green technology.

Wind and water power had commercial uses many years ago, but now we can use the power of the sun for domestic purposes as well. Trades people with green credentials can capitalise on this.

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Solar Energy

Solar thermal products gather free energy radiated by the sun and use it to heat domestic hot water. We have a plentiful range of systems to choose from today, as this technology has been developing for many years. Although in Britain we can't rely entirely on them for all of our hot water needs, a typical family could expect to get most of their requirement in the summertime. 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. Several leading manufacturers supply solar thermal products which are quite simple for professionals to install. The ideal position would be on a roof space that's angled in a southerly direction.

Another use for solar power is to create electricity. For this, we need photovoltaic or PV panels. PV panels can be installed on roofs or walls with good exposure to sunlight. A DC electric current is created which has to be converted to AC by an inverter which is usually placed in the loft.

The power distribution panel in the house will take the 'solar' electricity and use it in combination with that from the National Grid. Consumers will reduce their electricity bills significantly, as sunlight doesn't cost anything to run. Obviously savings will start to take effect once the initial cost of the system has been recovered. They also automatically sell electricity back to the National Grid if their system produces more than they use. To encourage more people to invest in solar PV systems, UK legislation has increased the amount energy companies have to pay for this fed-back electricity. Installation of Solar PV panels usually comes under 'permitted development' which doesn't require planning permission. A quick check with the local authority will confirm this.

Naturally Stored Heat

Geo-thermal energy is heat from the sun that's naturally stored in the earth. In order to extract the heat, 40mm geothermal pipe is installed into the ground, and fed with a fluid solution. The heat arrives at the connecting heat pump because the solution warms as it flows around. This heat can be used to warm the water for heating systems. Although heat pumps use electricity, they can still be considered 'green' because they produce four to five times more electricity than they consume.

Continually Developing

When you train to work in the green installations industry, you'll pick up a variety of worthwhile skills. Look for a course that will take you through all the domestic essentials, including health & safety, laws and regulations and if relevant guidance on starting your own business. You should acquire the right skills and accreditations to able to work with solar thermal and solar PV systems, and geothermal heat pumps.

Training programmes are moving with the times, and will evolve as time goes on. Most green courses will include optional training on installing and maintaining various types of Rainwater Harvesting Systems that are commonly used in the UK.

Work For Years To Come

By law, each house in Britain now needs an Energy Performance Certificate before it can be sold. This tells potential buyers how much energy is being consumed and where improvements could be made.

Savings in some cases can run into thousands of pounds a year. And in many cases funding is available from the British government to help pay for this, providing the installations are fitted by certified trades people. That just scratches the surface though.

Within the next six years, all new homes must generate at least 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources to be legally compliant. The future for skilled green technicians is very bright - as there is no other way for the world to move forward.