Green Energy: A Great Resource for New Jobs

As someone who works in the utilities industry, you've probably heard the term green energy. Also known as renewable energy, green energy comes from renewable resources like sunlight and wind. Over the past decade, the use of renewable energy has grown at a rapid pace, opening up an abundance of green jobs for workers in the utilities industry. The growth of renewable energy isn't expected to decrease any time soon, so transitioning your career goals to involve a job that revolves around green energy may be a good option for you.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), power generation from renewable resources will continue to grow, and it's expected to exceed natural gas usage globally by 2016. The massive amount of growth continues to present utilities workers with new career options. However, before you determine a new direction for your career, you need to decide what form of green energy you want to work with.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 3.1 million green jobs can be found in the United States. Solar power and wind energy are two types of green energy that are being used more and more each year, and you can find jobs in both fields.

Using solar power requires the use of solar panels to be installed on buildings so that solar energy can be used for power and heat. Roof-mounted solar water heaters have also proved to be viable additions to buildings, and solar towers are being constructed to help collect solar energy. Some of the utilities jobs that revolve around the use of solar power include:

• Installing solar panels on buildings
• Maintaining and repairing solar panels
• Selling solar panels to building owners
• Conducting home energy assessments on residential homes
• Educating others one the use of solar energy

Wind energy is also used to power and heat buildings, but wind energy is collected through wind turbines that are mounted to towers and connected to buildings or electricity grids. Some wind energy jobs include:

• Site prospecting
• Working on offshore wind farms
• Manufacturing wind farms
• Monitoring energy flow from wind turbines

If you want to transition from your current job in the utilities industry to a job working with green energy, it's important to have the proper education. Many colleges offer certification programs for people who want to transition into a green energy job.

The more the use of green energy grows, the more jobs will become available, making this a good opportunity for workers in the utilities industry to build a lucrative career. With the proper training and your current experience, it won't be difficult for you to make a successful transition in the growing green energy sector.

(Photo courtesy of dan / freedigitalphotos.net)