New Energies and Emerging Markets
WIND ENERGY
Spain has become a wind-energy powerhouse ranked second in the world with both turbine manufacturers and wind-farm operators among the leaders in the global wind-power market. Companies throughout Andalucía have sprung up to develop technologies befitting the needs of the wind industry, in fields such as composites, steel, electrical components, and wind-data loggers.
With 30 percent annual growth in the sector, and a clear commitment from the Spanish government to encourage private investment, technological advances, and grid development, Spain is poised to continue this trend toward powering its economic and technological growth with the strong winds that sweep over the country's mountains and plains.
For today’s students, the wind industry will offer many career opportunities. Sectors of the wind industry include:.
• analyzing wind resources (environmental and consulting services),
• developing, constructing and operating wind energy plants (manufacturing and engineering), and
• selling wind energy output (marketing).
The majority of new jobs are expected to fall in the development, construction and operation sector. Positions in this sector include: Manufacturing Engineers, Plant Managers and Quality Assurance Personnel working on blade production, tower production, or gearbox production. Electrical Engineers design machine control systems. The wind industry also offers opportunities in the service sector, for Field Technicians, Installation Technicians, and Operational Maintenance Experts.
These jobs require a range of education and experience, ranging from 2-year degrees to bachelor's degrees in science or other fields. One area that requires scientific expertise is environmental assessment, in which the site that will house the turbines is studied to determine whether drinking water, plants, or animals will be affected by a new wind-power facility. These workers need a bachelor's degree in biology or environmental science. Some of these positions also require extensive professional experience. But probably the most important kind of assessment work is resource assessment.
Wind-Resource Assessors characterize the wind resource at a particular site, analyzing wind patterns, predicting how much electricity a wind farm on that location will be likely to produce, and providing technical information to support site-choice decisions. People in Meteorology and degrees in computer science, aerodynamics, atmospheric science, or mathematics are likely to find positions in wind energy.
SOLAR ENERGY
Since September, 2006, all new buildings in Spain have to have solar panels incorporated into their plans. This means new homes have to be equipped with solar panels to provide between 30 and 70 percent of their hot water, depending on where the building is located and on its expected water usage. New non-residential buildings, such as shopping centres and hospitals, now have to have photovoltaic panels to generate a proportion of their electricity.
Growth of the solar power industry creates high-wage, skilled jobs throughout the world for individuals with many different types of training. R&D groups at national laboratories, universities, and private companies develop and continually improve solar products to lower their costs and improve their reliability. Individuals employed in solar R&D generally have professional degrees in electrical, mechanical, and chemical engineering; materials science, and/or physics.
As each technology progresses from the R&D phase toward full-scale commercialization, an increasing number of both professional and skilled workers are needed to sell, manufacture, design, install, and maintain equipment. The PV and solar hot water industries currently employ the majority of these workers, including electricians, engineers, technicians, and technical managers. As utility-scale CSP technologies become commercially viable, the CSP industry will eventually require an increasing number of these workers, as well as engineers and construction workers to design, build and support of these power plants.
Andalucía Technology Recruitment is well placed to assist you , in your search for suitable employment , in this vast and expansive new job market . Not only are we working within the existing fields as above , but are also actively working with Companies who are involved in leading – edge research in the new and exciting technologies and processes , where Spain has become the market leader.