Career shift to renewal energy

November 12, 2008 6:33 AM

Career-shifting to alternative/renewable energy field ... (Anon so work friend doesn't spot it). I'd really like to shift careers (from financial services and retails sales) to *something* that will take advantage of the wave of interest in alternative and renewable and sustainable energy. Help please in where to start.

I'm in New Jersey and in my late 30s. I'm interested to renewable energy for several reasons including the right ones (eg, it's good for the Earth) and because it suits my background (science geek) and because I believe it's a field that will grow rapidly in the next 5-15 years. I have worked in corporate America and as a small-business owner. I have a broad range of skills and experiences. So I'm great (!).

But I don't know how to break into a field that I know very little about. I think I've be great in sales or business development (in an alt. energy business). I don't know if the field requires people who are either hardcore engineering/science - and the career path is though that side. OR the business is full or evangelizing 'do gooders' (sorry labeling here!) and the business side comes second to the environmentalist part of them. I'm neither - although I'm good at the sciences and care about the world, I really I'm targeting this field because I think there's money there.

I would be very grateful for any thoughts and advice about
- what to research (people? places? technologies? movements?)
- places to be (websites? associations? conventions? academic institutions?)
- who to contact (are there headhunters who specialize in this field? )
Any others "ins" you could share with me please.

posted by anonymous to work & money (7 comments total)

If I were you I would start by researching various technologies that are environmentally friendly. This will lead you to people and businesses that are "green," etc. If you're thinking about taking on a job in sales or business, you might also think about researching things that companies are doing to be more green, or socially responsible. I think the field encompasses both people who are engineering-minded and also people who are adamant about saving the planet, but being engineering-minded would probably be a lot more beneficial. The field of environmental engineering is currently the fastest growing engineering field.
posted by nel at 8:07 AM on November 12, 2008

I work for a really small Midwestern renewable energy company - the kind that gets projects started and provides investment opportunities. I can only offer a little advice, as I am just a graphic designer and not an investor or business/science person. I've just been around it a long time. And I'd like to point out that our industry is probably different than how it is in New Jersey. I figure I'd take a shot at answering, though.

One thing to consider is that even this industry is not economy-proof. It has been a difficult year for new projects, although most established ones continue to be fairly successful. In our area, we've already had the renewable energy boom, because of early success in the ethanol industry. Ethanol companies naturally grew to include other forms of renewable energy and created an established industry that is already hard to get into.

Observations I've made in the industry when dealing with other folks is that everyone is all business. In my area, there is very little evangelizing unless it's along the lines of "You can make a lot of money on this project! And it will help the earth!" But then, those are the business development folks. There are people out there dealing with the politics, marketing, science and legalities of renewable energy who seem to be doing quite well and probably have a different view of it.
posted by bristolcat at 8:08 AM on November 12, 2008

What about a consulting company like Terrapin Bright Green?
posted by puffin at 8:56 AM on November 12, 2008

Solar Energy International has a class on Successful Solar Business that would be perfect for you (sort of self-link). We teach technical classes at Sandy Hook a couple times a year, as well. Message me if you have any questions about SEI or would like you to put in touch with someone in the industry.
posted by glibhamdreck at 9:16 AM on November 12, 2008

I went to work for a Green-empowering sustainable construction materials business in August 2007 to Dec 2007. It was such a short, disappointing time because the company owners turned out to be complete frauds. There is a real get-rich-quick mentality still generating a lot of electricity in the green business world. I really recommend that if you have executive experience you are interested in moving over that you ask to take a look at their books and examine their cashflow and growth priorities. If they balk, find out why not. It's better to save yourself some heartbreak and try to green your own industry than to climb out of something safe and find yourself back to square one a few months later.
posted by parmanparman at 9:28 AM on November 12, 2008

I help to produce RE undergraduates but this is rare and most of the people working will not have this specific a qualification, this is pretty much true everywhere as there are very few specialist courses globally. There are more specialist masters courses which have been around for a while to bolt on to generic disciplines. I think you are likely to find a lot of environmentally motivated people but that they will have specific skills appropriate to the sector. Ie, no-one is going to invest a million dollars in a piece of kit and let a buffoon try to get a wind turbine to a site where they've just dug a hole and then try to stack it up. They will be qualified engineers. The people who run the business better be pretty good or the customers will buy elsewhere, the same goes for sales. There is competition in most sectors, certainly in wind, PV, etc, some of the other technologies are less advanced so its less of an issue, some manufacturing bits are dominated by places outside the US (e.g. solar themral in China) but since RE needs to be used at sites close to demand there are lots of opportunities for sales, installation, maintenance, etc.

If the US is anything like the UK and most of Europe (and a lot of it will be), the biggest opportunity for work is likely to be in relation to wind energy because that is the most mature technology and the biggest sector. My experience is that the most jobs are in development (ie the companies that build turbines) and consultancy (who say whether its worth building the turbines), though there are also some manufacturing spots available, and some roles relating to utilities, though often this can overlap with the development and site assessment side of things.

There are plenty of research positions if that's what you fancy, on the back of all the interest in the technology globally, this can start with PhD funding (though you don't need to have one) and goes up through either universities or the private sector. Plenty of technology in the field still needs work (e.g. wave, tidal, tidal steam, PV, whatever comes along next).

So basically, engineering (Mech, Elec, project, civil at the least), finance, law, research in multiple fields inc. R&D and policy, consultancy, advocacy (and a tech background could be an advantage here), resource assessment. Some others for different niches and which aren't occurring to me off the top of my head.

As parmanparman points out some companies will be dodgy, more so at the smaller end I would say, putting in crappy systems which will never do what they claim, but not all of them.
posted by biffa at 9:54 AM on November 12, 2008

Hook up with your local SEIA Chapter.
posted by glibhamdreck at 5:09 PM on November 12, 2008