5 tips to develop your career in Renewable Energy

Global warming and climate change are threatening the very existence of life on Earth. Over the years, organisations around the globe are on a mission to curb the detrimental impact these trends will bring to generations beyond.

However, the core of these challenges remains that of energy consumption, energy conservation, and our dependence on fossil fuels globally. As such, renewable energy is an important driver to balance industrial growth whilst ensuring reliability, affordability, and sustainability of energy.

 

Overview of trends within the renewable energy sector in Japan

Japan had recently announced its ambition of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050 and will increase their share of renewable energy sources and nuclear in the electricity supply to further improve energy efficiency. The government is also investing in advancing regulatory reforms and digitalization to foster the deployment of new technologies such as low-carbon hydrogen and carbon recycling.

If you are currently working within renewable energy or may be looking to enter the renewable energy industry, now is a great time to make a difference. In fact, with consistent demand for engineers, manufacturers, and construction managers within Japan’s renewable energy sector, one can expect job openings to surge in the next few years considering increased projects and innovation moving forward. With this demand, it will also likely lead to an upward pressure on salary packages and remuneration. However, upskilling is still important especially if you don’t have the relevant skillset.

Here is an opportunity to keep on top of the latest renewable energy trends in Japan and the importance of remaining relevant – keeping your skills up to date, refreshing your resume and CV, and making yourself even more employable during the process.

 

Ways you can develop online including staying up to date with top trends in Japan’s renewable energy:

 

Attend conferences and webinars 

Now is the perfect time for you to log onto webinars, conferences, and digital tutorials that you’ve been putting off. With so many to choose from, try to think about what’s right for you and your goals – are you wanting to make a career switch? Or are you just interested in learning some new skills? There are many webinars catered towards different energy markets like renewable energy, solar energy and even power.

Recently, the International Energy Agency also held a Policy Review in Japan to highlight the latest trends and updates. The dialogue examined issues including renewables, oil, gas and coal’s supply and demand, energy efficiency, clean energy technologies, electricity systems and markets, access to energy, demand-side management, and much more. It also featured energy policy recommendations to help Japan achieve a secure, affordable, safe, and carbon-neutral energy system.

You can watch the recording of it here:

Japan 2021: Energy Policy Review

 

Develop yourself through training programs 

For specific job roles, the exact skills required are clearly outlined within job descriptions. For example, a wind turbine service engineer would need to be prepared and trained to work at heights, have first aid and fire awareness training as well as other job specific requirements.

General skills for any engineering or manufacturing job generally include being hands on, paying attention to detail, working well under pressure and with others, and so on. Hence, it is crucial for you to update your resume with all the projects you have worked on in the past, and the value you have brought throughout the process as well.

Whatever your specialism, there’s a lot of opportunities available for you to upskill online and enhance your CV.

 

Stay up to date with the latest energy news

DID YOU KNOW:

• Japan relies on imported energy, and the country is at risk of being largely affected by global incidents like oil shocks during the 1970s-80s, the Gulf War as well as the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake.
• To promote the use of renewable energy, the Japanese government introduced a Feed-in Tariff (FIT) in 2012, which they guarantee a fixed price of renewable energy with a subsidy.
• Japan expects non-fossil fuel power supply sources to account for roughly 60% of the country's energy mix in 2030 to 2031.
• The country aims to match its 46% greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or GHG reduction target by the end of this decade.
• The draft of the Strategic Energy Plan, the country's principle energy policy, showed a significant shift in Japan's energy policy focused on decarbonizing the energy sector, which accounts for 80% of the country's GHG emissions, in its efforts toward 2050 carbon neutrality.
• The latest Strategic Energy Plan outlines Japan's intention to take a series of supply and demand policy measures, as well as supporting technological innovation, to accelerate its move to curb GHG emissions, while keeping its tight grip to ensure stable energy supply during the transition period.
• Japan places hydrogen as a new resource and speeds up its deployment under the new Strategic Energy Plan from a series of measures both on the supply and demand sides, and considers enhancing state-owned Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation's capability to provide technological and financial support for hydrogen, ammonia and carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects.
• Japan oil giant ENEOS to buy Tokyo-based Japan Renewable Energy (JRE) start-up for USD1.7 billion and sets a goal in its midterm business plan to invest 400 billion yen in renewables through March 2023.

It is always good to do your due diligence to understand the shifts in the energy market, as well as to keep yourself updated with policy changes that can impact companies in Japan and across the globe.

 

Know the big players in the energy market

It’s always good to know what companies are in the energy field, and big energy players that you can keep an eye out for the latest innovation and trends.

 

Progressive Recruitment’s list of top renewable energy companies in Japan

 

Smart Energy companies:

 

• Greena Denki
• Aqua Energy 100
• Green People’s Power
• Shizen Denki by SoftBank
• Minna-denryoku, Inc.

 

Solar energy companies:

 

• Mitsubishi Solar
• Kaneka
• Kyocera Solar
• Sharp Solar
• Jinko Solar

 

Wind power companies:

• JapanWind
• Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy

 

For more companies in Japan to look out for, you can also read our blog below:

Companies to work for in the renewable energy industry

 

Stay engaged with online communities

Although physical events aren’t happening right now, that doesn’t mean you can’t continue to make virtual connections. Why not head over to LinkedIn and join community groups within your specialism or industry? This is the perfect time for you to build connections online and grow your network. 

 

Explore new opportunities with Progressive Recruitment today

Across the world of energy, there are so many opportunities to transfer into a new exciting role. As experienced energy recruiters, we have a vast range of these opportunities:

Discover our latest roles here

Could this be the perfect opportunity for you to pick up some new skills that could help you to access new opportunities?

Take this time to think about your career trajectory and where you want to go long-term. Perhaps this is the perfect time for you to think about your next steps and what it’s going to take for you to continue your career advancement and development. Reach out to us if you want to speak to someone about your career opportunities within the energy industry. You may also leave your details if you have a need to hire talent within the energy, engineering, or automotive sector and our dedicated team will be in touch.