Switch to Renewable

Looking to Switch to a Career in Renewable Energy? Here’s What You Need to Know.

If you work in the traditional energy industry, you may have some anxiety about the push towards renewable energy. While the concept of large-scale clean energy maybe have seemed like a pipe dream just a decade or two ago, the White House has now set a goal of 80% renewable energy generation by 2030. Worldwide, organizations have set a goal of eliminating fossil fuel use by 2034.

The transition to sustainable energy has created very real fears among people who work in the fossil fuel industry.?If you currently work in oil and gas or coal, there is some good news. The skills and experience that you have gained over the course of your career are readily transferrable to the clean energy industry. If you are worried about the future of your job, read on to learn more about making the switch to renewable energy.

Energy Industry Skills Are Very Transferrable

Whether you have spent decades working in the fossil fuel industry or are just a few years into your career, one of your primary concerns might be that you can’t transfer your skills to the renewable energy industry. Fortunately, it is very possible to use the knowledge that you have gained in a traditional energy sector to break into the sustainable energy sector.

A recent study from the University of Michigan found that fossil fuel workers can successfully transition to jobs in the wind and solar energy fields. According to the study, approximately 80,000 people worked in 250 plants using coal-fired generators as of 2019.?The authors found that moving to the clean energy industry is very possible, although the new jobs may be located within a 50 mile radius of an existing coal plant. Most of these jobs will remain in operational and maintenance roles, with some construction jobs as well.

Many workers in the fossil fuel industry have already made the switch to solar, wind, geothermal, battery and other alternative-energy businesses due to lay-offs when oil prices collapsed in 2020.?When oil and gas companies laid off roughly 160,000 workers, renewable businesses were quick to hire geologists, engineers, and other workers. Employment in the oil, gas and coal sector has not recovered to its pre-pandemic levels. However, the number of available jobs in the renewable energy field continues to grow. For example, while the oil and gas industry had about 700,000 fewer workers in 2022 compared to 2016,?employment in wind industry grew by nearly 20% in the same time period.

Many of the skills learned in traditional energy jobs translate well to clean energy work.?According to petroleum engineer Miguel Febres, who left the oil industry to work in solar, “the basics are the same. We install foundations, we install turbines, we build roads, we lay cables.” Whether you work as an operator, an engineer, in construction, or as an executive, there is a strong likelihood that your job experience can help you land a position at a renewable energy company.

Clean Energy Jobs May Pay Less – But the Numbers Are Shifting

For many workers, one of the biggest concerns about transitioning to the renewable energy field is that the jobs tend to pay less compared to fossil fuels. This is generally true, as clean energy companies tend to have smaller profit margins and depend on government credits. But this reality is rapidly changing, as many sustainable energy companies can now sell their products, allowing for better margins. As a result, the pay gap between fossil fuel and renewables is closing.

There is also greater potential for job stability within the clean energy industry. Oil, gas, and coal are all volatile industries, affected by rising costs, geopolitics, and supply chain issues. By contrast, renewable energy jobs tend to be far more stable, as generating energy from sources like the sun, wind, or nuclear reactions isn’t affected by things like a war thousands of miles away. In other words, while you may experience a slight dip in pay when you switch to sustainable energy, you are less likely to be subjected to mass layoffs due to changing market conditions.

The other reality for many people currently working in the fossil fuel industry is that their jobs simply may not exist in another decade. By being proactive, you may be able to find a position that you love – and that allows you to avoid an extended time off work while you search for a new job. In some industries, operators may be offered higher pay to stay while a plant winds down its operations. In that situation, you may have to decide whether you want to get out early to find an optimal job or stay until the end.

There are plenty of good jobs available across the renewable energy industry. For example, if you’re willing to travel and to climb towers, then there are many opportunities in wind. There is also high demand for construction and operation of power grids across all clean energy sectors, including renewable natural gas, biogas, hydropower, thermal, and solar.

Do Your Due Diligence When It Comes to Start-Ups

Many companies operating in the renewable energy field are start-ups - which makes sense considering that clean energy wasn’t particularly profitable until more recently. For a job seeker, this can be challenging. How can you know if a company is a good place to work if it doesn’t have a lengthy history?

As an initial matter, you shouldn’t be afraid to ask plenty of questions during the interview process. You may ask about the company’s plan for bringing clean energy to the market, who their potential customer base is, what their plans are for future growth, and their funding structure. You can also do your own research on the company, looking on sites like LinkedIn to see where they previously worked. If the company has a number of employees who left well-regarded businesses to work there, then it is probably a good sign.

If you are working with a recruiter, then they can perform due diligence on your behalf. Recruiters who specialize in the energy industry – like Global Recruiters of Elizabeth City – have a good sense of which companies are doing well and which seem like risky bets. They work directly with companies to find workers, which means that they have insight into which companies are stable or growing, and which companies seem to have a lot of turnover.

Finally, it is important to remember that while a start-up may seem scary, staying in an unpredictable industry that may not have much of a future is also a risk. While it can be difficult to make a leap to the renewable energy industry, it may be the best way to protect your financial well-being, particularly as the U.S. government continues to incentivize clean energy.

Ready to Make a Change? We Can Help.

Sustainable energy is the wave of the future. What used to be a niche industry is growing at an incredible pace – and hiring plenty of new workers. If you have experience in the fossil fuel field and are looking to make a change, there has never been a better time to do so.

Global Recruiters Elizabeth City has recently found positions in the renewable energy field for general managers, site, facility and plant managers, directors of engineering and construction, instrumentation and control engineers, landfill GCGS operations managers, plant technicians and plant operators. Our placements occurred with companies across the country, from California to Texas to Michigan to New York.

If you are considering making the switch from a fossil fuels job to clean energy, reach out to Steve Wolff today at 252.331.2775 or [email protected].