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Job Prospects With Solar Panel Courses

How would you like to get into an industry that is both cutting-edge and future-proof? Train to become a Green Engineer, and you can. Within months of getting started on a course, you could be ready to work here or overseas in a thriving new job or business.

Current global fuel supplies have a limited lifespan. We're constantly being told to use less energy in our day to day lives. Consumers are becoming more educated on alternative methods and resources for powering their homes. British householders can get government grants for certain energy efficient improvements. As well as being good for the planet, this is also very good news for domestic installers with the right certifications and expertise. So be sure to get details of the 'green' elements in any plumber or electrician training course you're considering.

And if you are currently working in a domestic trade, you can take additional green courses to increase your skill-set.

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Naturally Replenishable Resources

The term 'green technology' refers to anything that creates exploitable energy from our planet's natural resources. The sun, the wind and the rain can all be utilised by green technology. We've used wind and water for many years, but it's the sun that provides energy for many newer replenishable systems. Consequently there's a growing demand for green engineering work.

Solar Energy Systems

Energy radiated from the sun can be converted into hot water through solar thermal systems. The technology has been around for over 30 years, and now many sophisticated systems are available. A UK family could expect to get most of their hot water from a modern solar system from June to September. Year round, something in the region of 50 per cent of the hot water could be met by solar energy. Solar collectors come as either flat plates or evacuated tubes. Installation is quite straightforward - in fact some of the tubular versions can be built whilst actually on the roof.

To generate electricity, photovoltaic solar panels are used to capture the sun's energy. When the panels are facing the light, they can generate energy all year round (though obviously the more sun that shines on them the better). PV panels are linked to an inverter that could be installed in the roof space. The power distribution panel in the house will take the 'solar' electricity and use it in combination with that from the National Grid. Approximately forty percent of a household's electricity can be produced with a photovoltaic system. Users can therefore benefit financially over time as well as ecologically. Any solar electricity that isn't used up can either be stored in batteries for a cloudy day, or sold back to the National Grid. The amount energy suppliers pay for solar electricity has been increased two and three fold in the UK due to government legislation in early 2010. Some European governments have fixed 'feed-in tariffs' for many years, which has led to an increase in the number of systems purchased, and a reduction in the amount they cost.

Geothermal Heat

Geo-thermal energy is heat from the sun that's naturally stored in the earth. In order to extract the heat, 40mm geothermal pipe is installed into the ground, and fed with a fluid solution. It absorbs the warmth as it circulates around the piping, and delivers it's heat to the connecting pump. This heat can be used to warm the water for heating systems. Householders will experience lower fuel bills if they install a ground source heat pump. Also, if they're replacing an oil boiler, they could produce 540kg of CO2 less a year.

Constantly Evolving

Training courses in 'green collar work' will teach in-depth skills in all the important areas. In addition to key electrical certifications (like Part P) and plumbing requirements, your course should deal with certain legal obligations, government funding of green installations and health and safety. Make sure you come out with a good knowledge of ground and air source heat pumps, and domestic solar technology. That's where a lot of your future work is likely to be. Training programmes are moving with the times, and will evolve as time goes on. The green market is growing fast, and opportunities are increasing in existing domestic properties, new builds and social housing.

A Step In The Right Direction

Every home being sold in the UK must now have an Energy Performance Certificate which states it's current consumption and advises on ways to become more efficient. Sometimes suggested changes can reduce bills by many hundreds of pounds per annum. The government will give out grants when certain systems are installed by properly qualified installers. That just scratches the surface though. Today renewable energy provides less than two percent of all domestic energy.

But by twenty sixteen the law states that for every new property built that figure must be fifteen percent. We can no longer close our eyes to the need for safer, sustainable power. For that reason, those who become skilled and qualified now will find themselves in the right place at the right time.