Renewable Careers- Courses That Promise A Career Push

“Should you get a degree in renewable energy?” is the question of the week. With global warming reaching critical levels, governments across the world are scrambling to set up renewable energy sources, whether it be wind, hydro or solar farms. New jobs will be created, most of them being paying well. This is where an aspiring job-seeker would want to differentiate themselves from the crowd. Today, we’re going to be looking at courses that might be worth taking a look at for someone wanting to make a career in renewables. Keep in mind that existing disciplines like Chemical engineering, electrical engineering continue to be relevant, from a research or execution point of view, as the focus will be high on both aspects. But looking beyond, we have-

Energy Engineering

Offered by the likes of IIT Delhi, Manipal Institute of Technology and others, a B.Tech in Energy Engineering will provide an amazing foundation for anyone looking to get into the renewables sector. With the pedigree afforded by this degree, most students should look at a Master’s outside of India on a scholarship. As technologies like solar pick-up pace in the country, job opportunities are bound to increase both in quantity and quality.

Masters In Sustainable Energy Systems

Looking more so towards the post-graduation side of things, a Master’s in Sustainable Energy Systems should prove a valuable asset to people looking to create a successful career in the field. The course is offered in some of the best universities in Europe, with some notable examples being the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, ESADE business school and Instituto Superior Tècnico. The degree works on improving students’ soft skills along with bringing them hands-on experience with the industry.

Masters In Renewable Energy

A Master’s in Renewable energy is a jack-of-all trades degree which will likely go up in value in the coming years. Offered in a number of universities including but not limited to SRH Berlin University of Applied Sciences, ESCP Business School, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, IIT Delhi, Mumbai and Roorkee, the qualifications offered by the degree might just be what is needed to fast track your career in the renewable industry. While the degree doesn’t specialize in a specific sector, it opens up managerial roles that would otherwise be locked behind years of experience.

Short Term Courses

When it comes to value-addition courses that can be completed in a short amount of time, a certification in environmental and social governance can be procured by anyone who’s done their undergrad. Lasting 3 months, this course aims to bring applicants up to speed on the concepts of environmental protection and the social aspects of conserving the environment. The certificate makes for a good addition to one’s CV while being relatively low commitment, making it a solid option for freshly graduated working adults. Online certifications are offered by the likes of IGMPI, IIM Bangalore and IICA among others.

 

Govt. Sponsored Courses

The ministry of new & renewable energy (MNRE) has founded multiple institutes to further renewable energy research as well, those being the National Institutes of Solar, Wind and Bio energy. All institutes offer training in their respective fields for those interested. Being a government of India initiative, the institutes offer a plethora of research opportunities as well. While the training periods are short, ranging from 4-5 days per training course, the sheer volume should more than make up for it. For those willing to go through with it, the National Institute of Bio-Energy offers an M.Tech in Renewable energy in collaboration with the Dr B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology (NIT), Jalandhar since September 2020.

MNRE also offers 75 fellowships to pursue relevant courses. 

In addition, the Ministry supports National Renewable Energy Science Fellowship (NRESF) to provide a platform to young scientists to pursue advanced research in development of frontier RE technologies/systems. The targeted beneficiaries will be Ph.D degree holders in the field of science / engineering with specialization in RE/ and renewable energy sciences, with outstanding track record with experience of at least ten years. Under this programme, fellowship@ Rs. 1.2 lakh (including tax) per fellow / per month would be provided to five (5) fellows for a period of five years. In addition, they would be eligible for a research grant upto Rs. 15 lakh / annum and contingent grant of Rs. 5 lakh / annum to undertake research work in cutting edge areas of renewable energy. The fellows will pursue in advanced research areas as identified thrust areas for R&D by MNRE.