Electrical Engineers in Increasing Demand in Renewable Sector

Nancy Anderson
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IEEE Spectrum, the IEEE’s professional publication, has an article up about renewable energy, and what it means for the future of the engineering profession. They make the case that with the energy industry in its current state, and the ever-increasing demand for energy worldwide, demand for electrical engineers can only increase as new technologies and new projects for renewable power come online.

"The renewable industry is on the cusp of doing something really great," [project manager Todd] Stewart says. "And you can put an [Electrical Engineer] on a lot more types of tasks. The way the industry is going, when you’re dealing with new companies and start-ups, you need people with a lot of different skills."

Research firm Clean Edge confirms the upward swing in EE employment. Dexter Gauntlett, business development and marketing manager, is quoted as saying, "In general the trend is that we have a shortage of EEs in the United States, and they’re invaluable for any clean-tech company.” Good news, indeed, for electrical engineers. It’s estimated that by 2012, the national Smart Grid, having received USD$11 Billion in stimulus money, will create over a quarter million jobs. This doesn’t include the massive spending in new solar technologies, or cutting-edge offshore generation.



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Mike Wrightly is mostly diesel fumes and duct tape; he grew up around heavy equipment, and holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering.
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