J 4jobs.telegraph.co.ukTHURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2009THE DAILY TELEGRAPHCAREERS IN RENEWABLES GRADUATESThe Daily TelegraphGRADUATE INVENTORTHE FEELGOODEvery day there is a new sort of challenge. You can’t put a price on thatFACTOR GRADUATE SCHEMES TRAINING AND ON-THE-JOB EXPERIENCE IN RENEWABLES COULD WELL KICK-START YOUR CAREER. WE PROFILE THE GRADUATE TRAINEE SCHEMES WHERE RENEWABLE ENERGY IS A VITAL PART OF THE MIX. NPOWER RENEWABLES RWE npower is one of the UK’s largest electricity suppliers serving some 6.8 million customers. Its “green” sister company of RWE npower renewables focuses on generating electricity using sustainable, environmental resources. Green credentials: npower renewables operates 17 hydroelectric power projects and 22 wind farms in the UK, including the country’s first major offshore wind farm off the North Wales coast. It is also working with specialists to deliver new wave and tidal stream power projects. Training programme: Some 60 graduates are taken on each year across RWE npower from a range of disciplines. Training takes two to three years depending on specialism, with emphasis placed on chartered status. With four wind projects in construction and more in the pipeline, there is ample opportunity for trainee engineers and business analysts to be placed on renewable projects, including cutting-edge wave power. Starting salary: from £25,000, plus “golden hello” £2,000.renewables as the future. Chris Banks, 26, an offshore developer for RES, a UK based sustainable energy company, likes the fact he is helping create clean energy. “Regardless of climate change, oil and coal are going to run out,” says Banks, whose company,Website: www.npower-renewables.c or www.brightergraduates.cCONVERTEAM Converteam Group develops high-tech components for the conversion of electrical energy in marine, oil and gas and wind energy sectors around the world. Green credentials: Converteam is a vital part of some of the biggest renewable energy projects in wind, tidal and solar energy, working with brands such as Siemens Wind Power. Training programme: 24 graduates enter its 12-month graduate scheme that includes four industrial placements and core skills such as negotiation and leadership plus Institution ofEngineering and Technology accreditation. Starting salary: from £22,500 Website: www.converteam.com AIRTRICITY Now part of Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE), the UK’s largest generator of renewable energy, Airtricity develops and operates wind farms across Europe. SSE owns and operates some of the biggest hydropower projects and one of the largest operational wind farms in the UK. Green credentials: 26 operational wind farms in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland with a combined capacity of 650MW and a further 15 under construction. Training programme: Graduates in Electrical‘‘SOURCING RENEWABLEENERGY DOESN’T JUSTOFFER FINANCIALREWARDS. NATASHA MANN FINDS THERE’S ALSO GREAT SATISFACTION TO BE GAINED FROM WORKING AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE GREEN-POWER REVOLUTIONGraduates going into this industry are well-rewarded, not least in the “feelgood’ factor that comes from helping provide renewable sources of energy. Today, Tom Whiting, 27, a finance graduate, could have been watching the markets taking a pounding. But instead he’s more likely to be found taking an altogether different sort of pounding — from the elements out on an offshore wind farm. Whiting is project developer on E.ON’s £325 million Robin Rigg offshore wind farm in the Solway Firth, on the border of Cumbria, in England, and Dumfries and Galloway, in Scotland. The mega project will be one of the biggest offshore wind farms in the world, powering enough green energy for some 117,000 homes. Working in the renewable energy sector is one of the most rewarding professions there is, according to Whiting. “When a project’s finished, and you’re sitting on a beach lookingout on a wind farm it’s very satisfying knowing you played a big part in getting those turbines up and spinning,” says Whiting, based in Coventry. “You know it means green energy is going into the National Grid. That certainly makes you feel good.” For many graduates, much of the excitement comes from being involved in an industry that is in its infancy. Ross Halliday, 28, a marine resources engineer, who completed his thesis in marine energy in 2006, hopes one day to look out on a fully functional 20 megawatt wave or tidal farm. “There’s no existing handbook for this,” explains Halliday, who works for Natural Power, and is based in Castle Douglas, Scotland. Although no large-scale wave and tidal farms currently exist, things are now gathering pace, beyond prototype testing and into business development. And so far Halliday has conducted surveys for clients such as The Crown Estate working with the UK Met Office. “You’re basically doing things for the first time — and that means applying a whole bunch of engineering knowledge and‘‘making it work. You’re getting to build and shape the industry as you go. When you get work across your desk, you know it’s always going to be new and fresh. It’s challenging, but exciting.” Many graduates simply seeworking with Centrica, has been given the green light for the 250MW Lincs offshore wind farm off the Lincolnshire coast. “But people are still going to need energy. Going into renewables wasn’t so much a case of being green, or environmentally friendly, but it seemed the logical choice.” And the possibilities are opening up. With advances in technology, wind turbines can now be placed at greater depths in the sea, up to 62 miles from the shore. “Three years ago the largest renewable energy was wind,” says Banks, who is based in Hertfordshire. “But now all the other technologies are gaining momentum so there is a massive amount of opportunity for graduates or for people changing careers.” His payback is far more than just a healthy salary. “Every day there is a new sort of challenge. You can’t put a price on that.” JOBS ONLINE: jobs.telegraph.co.uk/ careers-insiderSTUDENT BEN STORAN, 26, FROM GALWAY, IN THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND, won the British Standards Institute sustainability award in 2007 for his innovative home wind turbine. Natasha Mann found out more about his project. Running your own domestic wind turbine has not, so far, been a particularly practical option. That’s why Storan’s home turbine design is so special. It uses vertical, rather than horizontal, rotation, capturing wind energy from turbulent urban conditions. At peak conditions, the turbine can produce 1.2kW of electricity at a wind speed of 12 miles an hour. That’s enough for half a house of domestic use, helping to power lights, kettles, fridges, televisions and radios. “I would love to see the turbine being used in homes across the country,” says Storan, an MA industrial design engineering graduate from the Royal College of Art. “Little has been done to develop the domestic wind turbine since the Fifties. There is lots of opportunity for innovation. It’s an emerging industry, but it’s not going to be a faddish thing.” Although the turbine is not yet available commercially, Storan is hoping to improve the design and make it more user-friendly and affordable, while also improving efficiency. He is currently studying for a PhD, with the turbine the focus of his work.@Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Control and Instrumentation can join SSE’s twoyear programme to gain experience in a range of business areas with placements on renewable projects, particularly wind. Paid summer placements for undergraduates also available. Starting salary: from £23,000. Website: www.scottish-southern.c FOR PROFESSIONALS IN THE RENEWABLES SECTOR London-based recruitment company, Acre, runs a job site that specialises in recruiting professionals to fill posts in the environment, sustainability and climate change sectors. Website: www.acre-resources.co.u
THE DAILY TELEGRAPHTaming the elements THE JOB SATISFACTION THAT COMES FROM WORKING IN A NEW INDUSTRY page J4Green credentials TIM SMIT OUTLINES HIS VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF THE EDEN PROJECT page J5NATURAL ASSETS WHILE BRITAIN’S WEATHER IS A CONSTANT SOURCE OF FRUSTRATION TO MOST OF US, IT DOES HAVE
J 4jobs.telegraph.co.ukTHURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2009THE DAILY TELEGRAPHCAREERS IN RENEWABLES GRADUATESThe Daily TelegraphGRADUATE INVENTORTHE FEELGOODEvery day there is a new sort of challenge. You can’t put a price on thatFACTOR GRADUATE SCHEMES TRAINING AND ON-THE-JOB EXPERIENCE IN RENEWABLES COULD WELL
THE DAILY TELEGRAPHTHURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2009jobs.telegraph.co.ukJ 5The Daily TelegraphTHE BIG INTERVIEW CAREERS IN RENEWABLESGONE WITH THEWIND THEEDEN PROJECT HAS DROPPEDCONTROVERSIAL TURBINE PLANS, BUT ITS GREEN CREDENTIALS ARE AS STRONG AS EVER. ESME MCAVOY REPORTSTen years ago, the Eden Project was
