Is the Renewable Energy sector the next big thing??

the renewable sector is nothing compared to the fossil fuel titan but since they are substitutes as the price of one rises the demand for the other rises. The big money is there for good ideas, have one and your rich. Atm you can probably find a much more comfortable career in a fossil fuel or hydro utility especially if you arent a risk taker.

although there is probably a spot for you, with your background, in a solar panel firm...speaking without any proof though

Interesting thought! But out of curiosity which of the disciplines is renewable energy, you think, as to go back to study?

EditorGBAnalysts

I don't intend to go back and study. Well, I think all engineering disciplines can contribute to renewable energy but electrical, mechanical and civil engineering would be the bones.

Based on your response I take it that you are Pravna.

My question was actually rhetorical, in that I was trying to explain that there is no one discipline that houses the renewable energy industry.

That noted, the renewable energy as I have come to appreciate its complexities fall into the following groups:

• power generation for alcohol fuels fall into the disciplines of Chemical/Biochemical engineering and Biochemistry;
• power generation for bio-diesel fuels fall into the disciplines of Chemical/Biochemical engineering and Biochemistry;
• power generation for solar energy fall into the disciplines of advanced physics and mechanical & civil engineering;
• power generation for wind and water energy fall into the disciplines of electrical & mechanical engineering;

Then you have the steam generators, and the electrical power storage needs, and of course, the power distribution systems.

Effectively, you still have a place in the world my friend; now about your question "is the industry going to be as big as the IT?" Personally, I think so and I even think bigger; right now ethanol production is stymied somewhat by food issues, but as soon as that is resolved, then methanol is the next hurdle and then all our chemicals need will be solved by biotechnology and there lies the scope of the renewable energy industry.

EditorGBAnalysts

Ethanol makes no sense. Firstly it's not a food issue but a political expedience based on a simple fix.........it's the amount of energy required to distill it. Secondly are the emissions which by and large are greater than those produced by burning conventional fuels. Thirdly.....very few seals in a combustion engine can withstand the corrosive effects of ethanol. That includes certain metals also (eg valve seats).

Germany used ethanol the evidence of which can be found in any oil coated driveway/road. Leaking seals are the cause.

Please note the point of emphasis of my words as chemicals production (excerpt):

"right now ethanol production is stymied somewhat by food issues, but as soon as that is resolved, then methanol is the next hurdle and then all our chemicals need will be solved by biotechnology"

EditorGBAnalysts

Quoth you.........."all our chemical needs solved by biotechnology"????

In the US ethanol is not stymied by food issues. It is stymied by the rising price of the futures market.

As to above quotation.........What are you talking about?

If you do not understand it then it does not apply to you, so let us move on. Thank you.

EditorGBAnalysts

Really now?........... what knowledgeable authority makes you think I don't understand............

Methinks tis you doesn't understand...........and yes, I agree, you should move on.

come now boys, keep it civil...

Yeah......but then we'd be civil engineers.....where's the fun in that?

Here's a couple of links which may help you out:

http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/07/11/renewable-energy-jobs-growing

http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/jobseeker/tools/ept/printallept.html?post=449&eptTemplete=careerarticles

WindGenMan

A temporary panacea with eventual high maintenance costs. Great if you can build and accomodate your own immediate environment. Compare that to projected global energy needs and.... you're the engineer, you do the math.

Dude renewable energy still needs to be generated and distributed "and stuff" The technology you already studied is still needed regardless of the prime mover in power plants of the future. Quit working at being a professional student and get out there and get a job.

I worked in the hydro and the cogen industry back in the 1980's when tax breaks were driving development as they are now.

There is always feast and famine in energy manufacturers, who gets tax incentives grows, the other sectors do replacement and repair.

There has also been buzz that there are 35 new nuclear plants to be built in the US which will come on line in 10 years just in time to replace retiring plants, maybe the new plants will be larger to increase capacity.

There are many coal-fired plants to be replaced also.

New transmission lines and substations are starting up.

Automated meter reading and peak-shaving controls are always in the utility news as a utility converts its equipment.

The electric energy sector has always been big, and there are so many parts to it, success is replication in the utility industry.

But there are also electric vehicles to be developed...

Fair enough. I agree with you but must am afraid I am not as experienced as you are. I was born in the 80's so I don't know much about those times.

Its a dillemma I am in. It pains to see environment getting worse. I stay in UK and it has really become a big issue in Europe like in America. Thanks for letting me know about the many developments that are in the pipeline for this field. I will do the required research on it and see how well I can fit myself into it.

Pravna,

I just posted a response targeted at you, you may read it. It seems to have posted under GUEST because by the persons response I thought it to be you.

EditorGBAnalysts

Hi Editorgbanalysts,

My name is Pranav not pravna!! Anyways I looked at your response and the debate that followed it as well.

Thanks of course for thinking I still do fit in. Thinking about how big it may become it really baffles me how each decade throws up different engineering problems. Some are macro like the one regarding energy at the moment. But , you see and pardon me if I am worng for I am trying to know more about this field...for powering the bio diesel growth I assume we need to grow stuff. This would again mean a trade- off between the land used for cultivation of food or produce energy??

This puts into question of cutting down Amazon, forests of the world and thus increase in carbon...and thus back to square one. How do you solve this??

Hi Duckinthepond,

Thanks for listing me the six forms. I would surely look into each one and start applying myself. I feel growth is more dependant on the geographical location you are in. Much of Europe, USA and Canada does not get too much of sun all through the year. But if you consider the emergin BRIC economies (Brazil, Russia, India and China) they are all rich in Solar energy apart from Russia(although I doubt if they will ever face a crisis given the abuntant resources they are blessed with).

So from this can I conclude that the development and future of renewable enrgy sector is more determined by the geographical location. Say geothermal would find more development in Iceland and solar energy in Brazil and India and so on and so forth.

Absolutely correct....with a twist

Certain localized geographic areas will determine the nature of the energy resource. British Columbia, Canada, for example is lowering it's dependance on oil fired generators in their small coastal communities and replacing them with stream powered generators. This opens up possibilities for hydrologists and many engineering fields.

But that is only one example. Spain has heat transfer technology using solar energy. There is speculation that hydrogen will be produced in Quebec as a result of their virtually limitless hydro-electric potential. Iceland has that potential also as does Saudi Arabia.

Oil must eventually be polymerized to accomodate electric cars (there is more energy in polymere use than in combustion and polymeres are re-useable).

The list is endless.........choose!..... and enjoy.

Duckinthepond, I gave you a vote for best answer. I tell my daughter that what is practical for her, may not be practical for anyone else, and that my suggestion is that she do what is easiest for her, since it is likely if it is easy for her to do, she is talented at it. There are Transitional systems and products, and then there are Transformational. Cars and Computers are examples of Transformational products. A transitional example from immature technology that I know about is the transition from Film to Digital exemplified by videotape. gotta go, time to eat.

"There is something that is much more scarce, something finer far, something rarer than ability. It is the ability to recognize ability."

Elbert Hubbard wrote those words.

I would urge every parent to understand them and, like you, guide likewise.

Hi Duckinthepond,

I like the way you catagorize the six AE energy forms:

I would like to see your sub-catagories of each major catagory.

One somewhat overlooked AE potential is Tidal energy (A SUB-CLASS OF SOLAR ENERGY or momental?), is now in research in Scotland and Ireland. I worked in Alaska, and peak tides in the Cook Inlet reached 25 foot peaks, and with the many estuaries to the inlet, local harnessing of tidal PE, is monumental.

Wind Energy would be a sub-class of Solar, I presume.

Does anybody see other AE's woth mentioning?

DRS

Hello Pranav,

Pardon me for the misspelling of your name. I guess today being Friday and with so much to do and so little time to do them.

Any way, I am interestingly a Solar Power Energy advocate, and in that sense I had sort of sidestepped the question of destruction of trees to produce fuel. I do believe though that to get the chemicals we need to produce the chemicals-based products we need, we may at a minimum resort to biotechnology to produce the base chemicals of ethanol and methanol, from which all other other organic chemicals could concievably be produced.

However, I may yet come back again with additional points now that you have forced me to think about the amazon forest.

EditorGBAnalysts

Nope.......

Hi Editorgbanalysts,

I think of it to be another challenge which needs immediate addressing. In the forefront of producing bio fuels to power our engines, other issues might take a back seat. It's alarming how Amazon is being cleared and we had a few Brazilian ministers saying "If we want to eat the omlette we need to break the egg".

The scenario is no different in Indonesia as well, although the forests over there are cleared for agriculture, and housing and not essentially for growing things to boost bio fuels.

I would like to discuss more about solar energy with you as well. Do get back in your spare time.

there are plenty electric vehicles out there - improvements and evolution going on all the time - but what is missing right now is a SYSTEM which allows thenm to be in common use. Particularly a system where you can pull into a petrol (gas) station and in a few minutes exchange your low battery for a topped up one. There are people out there who have all the engineering worked out - so we need the political will and the economic climate to do it. Economic climate is here now - the system I am talking about allows you to run your vehicle at 1/3rd the cost of fossil liquid fuels. This will probably start in Asia with scooters before it spreads to large vehicles.

no. there is nothing to it at all. oil and coal are supreme and are the only place to get a job in energy other than atomic power plants. Oil and coal will dominate the energy industry and production to support civilization as it expands for the next ten years, so go into oil and gas and coal for a secure future. What? Let us consider the fact that we will not soon replace the sun. In fact the sun is semi renewable. Get a grip! If you feel like working in the energy sector, What? Do you feel like being a coal miner? Do you feel like being a Rough Neck? Do you feel like a commodity trader? What? Forgive me, you have stressed my humor.

Pranav, you have started an interesting discussion.

May I suggest that the issue for you is not the sector you choose, but rather the talents and drive that you employ in the sector that you select?

Your question is at a macro level; The problem for you is a micro level problem.

where it is "raining jobs" is of not much consequence if you have one that you enjoy and are effective at.

I would urge you to concentrate less on the "target sector" and more on "what it is that you will do." I do not think you impprove your odds much by being in a popular "hot" sector. I believe that you willface more competition there, in fact. Ther are problems to be solved in all fields, and even those out of favor will need and pay for talented problemsolvers.

The question I ask you is "Wherever you work, what is it that you can do that will be your highest and best use?"

If you answer that honestly, you will find yourself successful regardless of the sector you choose or its fortunes.

milo

Hi Milo,

I agree with you but as an young man there are two things that drives me. One is making money and the second being, making money in ways that contributes towards greater good of everyone. You would love your job or for that matter anything you do if it only impacts others and changes their lives as well as yours. I am passionate about doing good to environment and also interested in making money for a better life.

I feel that you can become good in any field if you want too and I beleive in making hay when the sun shines. I strongly feel that the world needs people to 'fix the planet' than fixing bugs in code, fixing water taps and fixing cars!!

I have asked myself a lot of times and I feel strongly motivated everytime I am challenged on my skills and what I am good at. My grandfather always said " The greatest pleasure a man can get is, when he does something that the world says he can't". Very recently have I started understanding the immense meaning this statement has...

Pranav

Listen to Milo Pranav.

Saving the world is one thing. Learning how to do it is quite another. That takes time and experience....and a measure of foresight.

The answer is found in science..........not some momentary sales pitch directed at the public. Look around you. Find what needs doing and do it.

I am not denying that whatever Milo has said is not worthy thinking. It's true but as I said in my first post I am at crossroads.

I think I have found a few brothers here Thank you all.

First get on a road before you come to any crossroad.............

Just one little additional thought seems to want to suggest itself at this point.

Some time, when you think it might best be appropriate, you might consider asking a (convenient available authority) why it is that, when you see a (wind farm) of wind power generators that fills up an acre, or more, why there aren't also some solar cells on the sides of the pylons?... You might also ask why there aren't arrays of flat solar cell panels in between the pylons?... You might further ask why the flat solar cell panels aren't parabolic, in vertical cross-section, in order to heat up a tube at the parabola's focal point, which in turn, would then be tranforming circulating water into steam, and thereby generating power via at least three mechanisms at a single site, instead of just one mechanism?...

Pranav

One mistake you have made. There is no such thing as renewable energy. There is, however, sustainable energy.

Duck

Hello Pranav

Excellent posture! I could not have phrased it better myself.

Always be true to yourself and you will forever be happy and then successful, both in making money and in doing that greater good. Unless you are happy with yourself, you are of no good to anyone else.

EditorGBAnalysts

Thanks everyone for this thread. I've learned a lot and I'm glad to know that there are so many folks out there who are willing to talk about such abstract ideas as "follow your dreams" within an engineer's forum. I am where I am today because someone told me to work hard at what I like doing and the rest will fall into place. Thanks, Pranav, for starting this thread. I hope it has stirred your imagination and summoned great hope for the future.

WindGenMan

Now I know why I liked Slackers, since they only worked hard at things they liked to do. My failures are related to working hard for anyone that paid me to show up and willingly try to do my best. I'm the guy that makes sure you have all the stuff you need to do what you are supposed to do, and then cleans up after you. I'll tell you a joke when you need one. I get paid half of what you make. The good list of work options for a renewable energy engineer stands up as my vote. The quote, "work hard at what you like." is very fine, and worthy of a bumber sticker.

Hi Pranav Herur,

I agree with youir educated assesment, "Alternative Energy sector is big!".

I was a Civil Engineer since BSCE in 1971. In 1974, I surmised that AE was going to be "a genuine energy alternative" in 1974.

Various forces influence a change in energy adoption, but "human nature" does not change unless other "conventional" energy sources are found to be obsolete, or if "conventional" is no longer competitive.

Now we realize that fossil fuels are destroying the biosphere, and carbon emission are very toxic to nature (more reason to go to AE). We are about to destroy our environment, unless we act.

Germany has enough AE to shut down their "coal fired" power sources. Sorry, that I do not furnish related feeds. I saw it on TV on a "Nova" program. The Germans reacted properly to AE potential back in the "Oil Embargo" days. So did the US, but the Oil Lobby "killed AE" in the 80's. See Frontline documentary called "HEAT".

Best Regards,

Photon Phreak

Daylight RS Company