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The Renewable Energy Industry

The renewable energy industry has a wide variety of geographical job locations, career options, salary ranges relative to educational level, and a promising future.

One in 10 renewable energy jobs worldwide is found in the United States, which employs over 850,000 renewable energy professionals. This includes roughly 250,000 solar photovoltaic positions—everything from designers to engineers, to installers. The U.S. also employs over 300,000 biofuel positions. Biofuels are produced from biomass, or materials derived from living organisms (or recently living organisms), such as plants, grains, plantbased oils, and animal-based oils. Most biofuels for transportation fall into two categories: ethanol and biodiesel. Many biofuel refineries are located in the Midwest and Great Lakes area. Some are located on the West Coast.

This variety of geographical hubs allows for great access to many Americans living across the country. Different occupations in biofuels include chemists and other scientists who research and develop new biofuels, agricultural professionals who grow and harvest the fuel source, the construction workers and engineers who build infrastructure and maintain it, workers who process the energy sources into biofuel, and even the sales staff who sell it to clients.

Another exciting career path lies within wind power generation. Onshore wind energy capacity is expected to expand by over 50 percent by 2024. The United States employs over 114,000 people in wind energy production. There is a greater concentration of wind energy production in the Midwest, Southwest, and Northeast. However, there are wind energy jobs in all 50 states in varying careers.

Many professionals work to make wind-generated electricity a possibility. One important area for job seekers and students to consider is in the manufacturing of wind turbines. Wind turbines are massive, complex machines that must be designed, built,

installed, maintained, and operated by different STEM professionals such as scientists, engineers, and technicians. Many types of engineers are employed in the wind power industry: aerospace engineers, civil engineers, computer engineers, electrical engineers, environmental engineers, health and safety engineers, industrial engineers, materials engineers, and mechanical engineers. How can college students, recent college graduates, and job seekers prepare themselves to enter the renewable energy industry? Any college student seeking a career in renewable energy should consider first what possible career paths interest them. They might wish to speak to local engineers or local companies. Many company websites and college websites have pages dedicated to describing the types of tasks each occupation engages in. Another great source of information is the website for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov. There you’ll find descriptions of virtually any occupation, along with ways to prepare yourself within a college program or beyond. Depending on the occupation you wish to pursue, you’ll most likely need an undergraduate degree. Most types of engineers can seek a variety of career paths, such as electrical, aerospace, mechanical, chemical, etc. Gaining a graduate degree, such as a master’s or doctoral degree, will possibly grant access to a number of jobs such as supervisory and seniorlevel positions. Computer science and information technology degrees will help prepare applicants for programming, implementing, and maintaining the technological side of renewable energy. Additional certifications may be required depending on the career path you choose, such as professional engineer licensure. Technicians and other bluecollar career paths may still require an associate’s degree or a certificate from a technical school.

No matter what level of employment you seek, studying as an intern and later as a junior team member will be essential preparation for the tasks required of entry-level positions in renewable energy. Learning the technical skills and soft skills, while building a network and reputation, will be foundational preparation for later career growth.

One in 10 renewable energy jobs worldwide is found in the United States.

How HBCUs Are Tackling the Climate Crisis

THE 2022 HBCU CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE

by Dru Hawkins

This past year, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have worked hard to come up with practical solutions to the climate change crisis. In April 2022, Texas Southern University hosted the 8th annual HBCU Climate Change Conference in New Orleans, LA, in collaboration with the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice’s HBCU Climate Change Consortium. The consortium was formed in 2015 to raise awareness about the disproportionate impact of climate change on marginalized communities and is made up of 30 colleges and universities throughout the Southeast U.S. The organization has a mission to develop HBCU students, leaders, scientists, and advocates on issues related to climate change. This was the conference’s first in-person event since the pandemic. Each year the conference is held to unite HBCU students, researchers, faculty, climate professionals, and coastal community residents that are affected by severe weather caused by or related to climate change. This year, the conference had a goal to work to eliminate the gap between theory and day-to-day realities of climate change, including issues such as