Clean Energy for Green Earth – Power Generation & Energy Sources

Chancellor Alistair Darling’s Pre-Budget Report (PBR) has been regarded as one of the most important packages of the government’s proposal for over a decade. Included in this package were some very positive steps for renewable energy, which may correspond to a large increase in ‘green collar’ jobs – particularly renewable energy jobs, nuclear jobs and other careers in the UK energy industries.

The government gave a significant boost to the wind turbine industry by promising to extend the Renewables Obligation in financial support until the 2037th The Renewables Obligation, which places a legal requirement on UK electricity suppliers to buy a larger percentage of their power from green energy sources, was initially limited until the 2027th Chancellor 10-year extension is intended to “ensure investors can plan with confidence for the future.” The British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) said the move was “really encouraging” and will encourage companies to look at plans to build expensive projects deep into the North Sea. These projects include tidal projects, and offshore wind farms and other renewable energy sources. This extension of the Renewables Obligation gives them an assurance that the government will invest in renewable energy, which translates into a greater confidence and business growth, which inevitably leads to more job opportunities.

With the government’s target for 10% of UK electricity from renewable supplies only two years away, is the renewable energy industry pump investment into new ways to meet these goals, again all good news for those looking for a career in the UK energy market. Nuclear power will be part of this package, so nuclear job seems to grow with new stations come online as part of the UK’s long term plans for meeting its energy needs. Despite a real commitment to the environment energy to be the key to Britain’s future energy needs, there is a lack of supply and demand. It is likely that this deficiency will be addressed by the nuclear industry if the government wants it or not. The alternative is a country that can not meet its own energy needs, so a compromise must be made.

But not only has Renewables Obligation got an extra 10 years of existence – The chancellor also announced that the government would bring forward capital expenditure to finance the environmental sector as a whole. Mr. Darling said that this could potentially create one million jobs in low carbon industries over the next 20 years, giving the British a new growth industry that has a long-term future. This naturally means a great increase in potential energy available jobs and a stable career platform for thousands of people. Philip Wolfe, director general of the Renewable Energy Association said that “energy projects are significant undertakings and companies require 15 to 20 years of a stable political framework stretching before them to give them confidence to invest.” It is this investment trust that there will not only benefit the environment but also on the labor market.

Although the industry is in surprisingly fine fettle and now meets most of our energy needs, renewable energy is the future of both supply and production activities not only in Britain but worldwide. The Environmental Industries Commission encourages the Government to go further, saying that the development and implementation of a long-term growth strategy that includes a clear environmental policy frameworks, incentives, research funding and skills development is needed urgently if the UK is not to be left behind in the race becoming a leading low carbon economy. All this again bodes well for those seeking a career in the energy industry and renewable energy jobs in particular.