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Resources for Job Seekers in the Renewable Energy Sector

Careers in Renewable Energy

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photo credit: Jim Yost

Careers in the Renewable Energy Sector

Renewable Northwest Project is often approached by people seeking to make their career in the renewable energy sector. While we are not able to connect personally with the large number of people seeking individual interviews on this subject, this website provides resources to assist people in their search.

Below are some resources for understanding the growth in the renewable energy sector, the types of jobs being created, and where to find job postings.

Job Growth in the Region

Renewable Energy Career Job Titles

Websites with Job Postings

Job Growth in the Region

According to a 2008 report, strong regional growth in five clean energy job sectors is projected for Oregon and Washington by 2025. The demand for these jobs are in:

Solar PV Manufacturing, which is projected to provide up to 22,560 new jobs;
Wind Power Development, expected to reach up to 6,000 new jobs;
Green Building Design Services, creator of up to 16,834 new jobs;
Sustainable Bioenergy, which could account for 10,419 new jobs; and
Smart-Grid Technologies, an industry that could create up to 7,000 new jobs.

The report, entitled Carbon-Free Prosperity 2025 was produced by two leading clean-tech organizations — research and publishing firm Clean Edge and research and advocacy organization Climate Solutions. It provides a comprehensive look at emerging green industries that are projected to provide high-paying jobs and a vital new economic base for Oregon and Washington. It provides a grounded and realistic view of the region’s potential role in an increasingly competitive global clean-tech industry.

Research by the American Solar Energy Society (ASES), the renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) industries created a total of 8.5 million jobs (direct and indirect) in 2006; 450,000 jobs in RE and 8 million jobs in EE throughout the United States.

ASES predicts as many as 1 out of 4 workers in the United States will be working in RE or EE industries by 2030. The 40 million jobs are not just technical, as they include millions of new jobs in manufacturing, construction, accounting, and management.

RNP has prepared a presentation about the types of jobs in the wind industry for students and job seekers to review. It reviews the types of jobs in all stages of a wind project and offers some pictorial examples of the work that is done to prepare, construct and operate a wind turbine and farm.
Download our Workforce Initiative presentation for Job Seekers
(Large file! 5.9 MB PDF file)

Below are some resources to identifying the types of job openings in the renewable energy sector, as well as where to find job postings.

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Career Job Titles

The following partial list of job titles can assist you in understand what types of positions exist in the region and which part of the renewable sector hires for those positions.