Working With Renewable Energy & Solar Courses

Do you see yourself working in a role that will help to look after the planet? Get trained for work in the renewables industry and you'll have the skills to do it. Whether you want to work in the UK or overseas, you could be installing equipment that saves CO2 consumption and cuts energy bills within months of starting a course.

Oil and gas supplies are running out, and energy prices are prohibitive. We're constantly being told to use less energy in our day to day lives. Consumers are becoming more educated on alternative methods and resources for powering their homes.

People in Britain can often get substantial government subsidies to cover such things as wall or loft insulation and solar generated hot water. So domestic engineers with the correct skill-sets can find themselves in high demand.

And so it makes a lot of sense to add some training on renewable energy to any regular electrical or plumbing course you do. Any experienced electricians or plumbers can take short courses in renewable energy solutions.

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'Green' Energy Solutions

Modern technology is considered green when it utilises resources that are naturally replenishable. Whether we get rain, wind or sun, we can harness the energy and put it to further use. Today's technology now allows us to benefit from solar energy in our homes if the right equipment is installed. That's why there's a need for skilled workers with green certifications.

Solar Power

Solar thermal systems can utilise free heat from the sun to warm up household water. As the technology has been available for a while, we now have a large number of systems to choose from.

They can't provide for all the hot water needs for families in the UK, but in summer they can supply a significant amount of it. The average domestic solar heating system should reduce CO2 emissions by 0.4 - 0.75 tonnes per annum.

Solar collectors come as either flat plates or evacuated tubes. 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. These panels are again fixed onto (preferably) south facing roofs (or walls). The more sunlight they absorb, the more electricity they generate. As this is DC electricity, an inverter in the loft is required to convert it to AC. This solar PV electricity can be used for lighting and for various appliances. Householders can expect a photovoltaic system to provide around 40 per cent of their annual electricity, and so reduce both their bills and carbon footprint significantly. The Grid will also automatically be fed any unused PV electricity, so if householders go away for two weeks, their solar power won't be wasted. The amount energy suppliers pay for solar electricity has been increased two and three fold in the UK due to government legislation in early 2010. Clearly the latitude of the property will impact how much energy is generated. So will the direction the panels are facing, the overall size of the PV array and any obstructions which block the light.

Geothermal Heat

Ground source heat (which in Britain remains fairly constant at twelve degrees centigrade) can be used to create electricity and warm water. To retrieve that heat, several hundred metres of geothermal plastic piping is buried underground, and filled with an eco-friendly non-freezing 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.

Heat pumps do need some power to operate, but for every one unit of energy they use, they generate four units of energy in return.

Constantly Evolving

A good training course will prepare you for a rewarding career as a competent green engineer. As well as basic certification in domestic plumbing and electrical work, you'll cover legal requirements, health & safety plus how and where government funding can be applied. As more and more householders are becoming interested in solar energy systems in particular, you should concentrate first on the skills that will bring in the most work.

Green engineering training courses are developing all the time, as this exciting technology progresses. Additional options on certain courses could cover biomass, or grey and rainwater harvesting.

Work For Years To Come

So that buyers can determine future energy costs, every UK homeowner must get an Energy Performance Certificate before putting their house on the market. This documentation includes advice on how to make the place more energy efficient. These reports frequently demonstrate how 000's can be saved over a few years.

The government is offering householders substantial grants to cover certain installation costs where work is undertaken by appropriately qualified Green Engineers. And that's not all. World leaders state that carbon emissions must be reduced, and consumers must turn to more renewable energy solutions.

The time is quickly coming when everyone will be looking for alternative energy solutions for their homes. Demand for skilled installers is about to soar!