Im fresh out of high school and am not sure what education i should be seeking next. I have heard that renewable energy is a fast growing field and would like to know what education a good job in that field would require. By a good job i mean anything from installing solar panels or repairing wind turbines. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
If you’re looking to become an installer, I would recommend taking some PV design and Installation classes. There are quite a few out there, but the ones that come to my head right away are….
AltE University
http://workshops.altestore.com/
Solar Energy International
http://solarenergy.org/
Midwest Renewable Energy Association
http://www.the-mrea.org/course_workshops…
If you do a web search for PV Installer classes or Solar Panel Installation classes it should pull up plenty more options.
-Dave
NABCEP offers certifications and certificate programs to renewable energy professionals throughout North America. Look at local community colleges as well as solar associations for classes that prepare you to take the NABCEP exam; if you pass this you really increase your chances for employment. There are also solar distribution companies that offer intense hands-on classes that also prepare you for a solar career. Finally, there are a number of solar manufacturers that offer hands-on training as well. This goes for solar hot water as well.
http://www.azsolarguys.com
http://www.azsolarhotwater.com
Sustainable Studies, Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, Environmental studies: Policy and Management
I hope you don’t take this the wrong way but you should aim higher than installing or repairing anything. Those jobs are important but if you have a very good understanding of math and science you can do so much more.
For example, we need solar energy to become less expensive and more efficient. That means we need advances in the science of solar panels themselves and the batteries that store the energy. So a chemist or a chemical engineer would be working to make more efficient and less expensive solar panels. An electrical engineer would be working on designing better batterys and power capture systems. Even someone like an astrophysicist would study the energy of the sun and work with the chemist to capture that energy in a more efficient manner.
I hope that helps you give some more ideas of what a good job might be and the education required to get it.
Look into electrical, electronic, and mechanical engineering. I would say the best thing that anyone could tell you is to stay versatile. Things are changing so fast in the green industry that by the time you learn one thing very well, it has become obsolete, or close to it.
If you are a self help type of person and are really interested in installing or consulting, check out a program ‘RETScreen’. This is a program that the Canadian government has put out to help consultants and estimaters plan for renewable energy conversions