Summer has only just started in Scotland (we hope!) but elsewhere this year has already been chalked up as the hottest on record. Spain has sizzled, India is baking and in California there is no let-up to the on-going drought.
Of course, here at home it has mostly been cold, as we would expect of a Scottish summer. But while we may not have had to endure temperatures of 40C and in some cases 50C that are scorching places as far afield as Alicante and Mumbai, we could still be in for strange days ahead thanks to the El Nino event that’s boiling up in the Pacific and looks set to disrupt weather patterns everywhere.
It’s against such looming threats of climate catastrophe that Scotland is leading to grow its renewables sector.
From offshore windfarms to miniature hydro programmes and solar schemes, the sorts of energy-generating schemes that were once considered whacky and, well, a bit suspect are fast becoming part of the mainstream solution to keeping the lights on.
Last October, windfarms generated sufficient electricity to meet the demand from every home in Scotland and just last month it was announced that solar panels are to be installed in 25 council buildings in Edinburgh, in what is is believed to be the largest community-owned urban renewable energy project in the UK.
The rapid expansion of this sector has led to an urgent skills shortage, which means that there are real opportunities out there for anyone looking to take their career into green energy.
Just one quick glance on s1jobs today will reveal an array of vacancies for project managers, civil engineers, sales staff, electrical engineers, marine project directors, business analysts, surveyors and plumbers, each of whom who can play their part in transforming Scotland’s abundance of wind and water into energy.
Meanwhile training schemes have been established to provide new entrants into the industry and existing power workers with the relevant skills.
What’s the hurry to make electricity from the elements?
Well apart from saving the planet there’s also the lure of the Saltire Prize, launched in 2008 by the Scottish Government, which promises £10 million to the individual, team or company that finds a way of making wave and tidal power pay off.
You could call this a tidal race with a difference and its focus lies in the Pentland Firth, the narrow strip of sea between the tip of mainland Scotland and the Orkney Islands.
This has some of the fastest tidal currents in the UK and which could power almost half of Scotland’s homes, if only its potential was realised.
Whether you’re involved in business development, project management or want to be hands-on in the engineering front line, isn’t it time you signed up to join the green revolution?
Search the latest jobs in the growing Scottish Renewable sector.