subject: Employment Opportunities In Wind Farm Development [print this page] The scope of employment opportunities in the wind energy sector is varied and this explains the demand for a sizable workforce. The current capacity of the wind plants in the UK stands at 3.3GW. The projects that are already in the pipeline have the capacity of 8.8 GW. The Government has already drawn up elaborate plans for delivering 28GW of wind energy by 2020. In order to accomplish this colossal task, the services of an equally large workforce is called for, the larger section of which comprises people making their entry into the industry. At the moment approximately 5000 people are involved in the sector that forms a part of the off-shore and on-shore wind industries.
The installation of a wind farm includes a variety of jobs and the recruits come from diverse backgrounds who are employed for sectors such as construction, consultation, operation and maintenance, retails services, finances, technical department and planning and development. People who wish to carry on with design and research work when it comes to devising new technologies for wind farm technologies can also expect to be well paid.
Wind farms jobs include exploration of various sites and determining the fact whether they are suitable for the construction of the farms. The assessment is made on the basis of various factors such as community support, local grid infrastructure, land ownership issues, presence of logistical support and meteorological modelling. Site engineers are employed for this purpose.
The Eastern Atlantic Coast is a favoured location for off-shore wind farms. These farms have been positioned offshore in line with the oilrigs that have existed for decades. For the larger wind farms that are been constructed, a greater emphasis is placed on logistical support required for transporting the heavy installations and components.
Securing finance options for the wind farms is also a challenging task and needs to be taken care off in the same vein as technological improvements. New financing options have been created that imply that you can payback the amount over a longer duration. Renewable Energy Certificate schemes are offered for generating the revenues. This forms an integral aspect of wind energy jobs
The services of scientists and ecologists are also required when it comes to the installation of RE or renewable energy installations. The local environment conditions need to be taken into consideration and therefore those engaged in the act of environmental impact assessment have to keep a tab of the Wildlife Conservation Acts and larger international environmental agreements before obtaining consents for the installation of the plants.
Another aspect of wind farm development jobs is to transform a planning application to a concrete project. The site needs to be realistically chosen and the requirements of the project effectively communicated to the team. Knowledge of the local governmental rules is as important as technical expertise in the project.
You can apply for jobs in the sector through recruitment agencies and also seek referrals from those employed in the sector.