A raft of new skills will be required to ensure we successfully make the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. That’s good news for people, the planet and the economy.
“The energy market is changing rapidly. This is being driven by concerns around energy security, increases in demand for energy from both accessible and affordable sources, and the increasing limitations associated with fossil-based energy, primarily restricted supply and costly environmental impacts,” says Derarca Dennis, EY Ireland assurance partner and sustainability services lead.
“The energy market needs to transition quickly to deliver equitable sources for all, while avoiding any majorly harmful outages.”
Right now there is a multitude of alternative energy sources to be explored, she points out, some of which are immature, costly to establish or reliant on multiple variables, including specialised skills.
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“These alternative energy technologies are predominantly split between renewable energy – wind, solar, wave, geothermal – and low-carbon fuels such as hydrogen, biomass and synthetic fuels,” she explains.
“Low-carbon fuels can present their own environmental challenges but are more commonly being investigated for existing fossil intensive sectors where energy demands tend to be higher.”
Companies, governments and industries are turning to these new and emerging technologies for security and supply.
“Many are focusing on mass storage opportunities, existing infrastructure upgrades and advanced efficiency solutions. While this transition presents disruption challenges for existing and traditional energy users, it presents huge opportunity for new technologies, new business models, employment and enhanced future resilience,” she points out.
For the energy transition to be facilitated effectively, these new energy technologies require specific skills and expertise. “For example, renewable energy sources can require technical skills in system installation, renewable energy system management and maintenance, renewable energy efficiency, and energy storage technology,” says Dennis.
“Low-carbon fuels can require advanced chemical engineering, infrastructure transformations, mass project management, specialised health and safety assessments, and technical analytics. Many of these skills are transferable, however some can be quite specific and advanced compared to historic skills requirements.”
This does not mean existing skillsets aren’t important too. “Historic skills are the foundation to this transition, creating increased demands in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skillsets. It is also driving increased demand for innovation and technology expertise. Existing skillsets must be leveraged, harnessed and elevated to support the transition surge,” says Dennis.
“Additionally, as the demand for specialised skills in new energy technologies, energy efficiency, and emerging specialities rises, it is important to also elevate the value of soft skills, such as communication, adaptability, leadership, initiative, flexibility, problem-solving and resilience. These soft skills should not be overlooked and will be hugely important to support society transition to these new technologies.”
The education sector is deeply important but it cannot support the energy transformation alone.
“A collaborative approach from Government agencies, industry leaders, educational institutions, and energy sector affiliates would best support developing the skills needed, identifying specific skills gaps and developing targeted upskilling programmes that leverage traditional skillsets and combined learning to create increased opportunity and skills advancement,” she says.
“Cross sector collaboration between programmes could create increased access to combined, theoretical and practical, learning. Cross border and shared learning in renewable energy technologies, energy efficiency, and emerging energy solutions could also enable further skills development and support the education sector.”
Active engagement from employers to provide access to identified training needs and programmes will also be crucial, and something which Skillnet Ireland, the national talent development agency, is working to support, both through its Green Tech Skillnet and a new initiative called the Skillnet Offshore Wind Academy.
“We don’t have maritime workers in Ireland that can deal with offshore wind, so we have to build from scratch,” explains Mark Ruane, head of renewable energy skills at Wind Energy Ireland and network manager for the Green Tech Skillnet.
A whole range of new skills is already required as a result of the green transition. Currently a lot of these are in relation to planning, including project managers, data analysts and the geophysics and technical people who undertake environmental surveys and impact assessments.
To help, Skillnet has developed a new programme that enables Ireland’s fishers to transfer over to the commercial sector, crewing transfer vessels and survey boats. It’s work that is particularly appealing to those who fish on a seasonal basis, he points out.
On top of all that is the technical training for the various renewable energy technologies being built out, as well as sustainability training, to upskill people within companies to ensure they can map out sustainability strategies. As part of that work, Skillnet has launched GoingGreen.ie, to support small- and medium-sized businesses that don’t have sustainability teams in-house.
“What lots of people don’t realise is that a lot of the cost saving and lean practices they already have within their organisations are sustainability practices,” he points out.
This is why, increasingly, sustainability is part of every role. If we are to make the transition successfully, “it’s going to take everyone,” he says.
