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Pervin Malhotra
In the backdrop of Climate Summit in Paris renewable energy sector has become a buzzword. While that may be so, India’s renewable energy sector in particular, is attracting considerable attention. And not without reason. India has set an ambitious target of generating 175 GW by 2022, coupled with a target of achieving an installed capacity of about 40 per cent of our cumulative electric power from non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030.
With renewable based ultra-mega power projects on one hand, and millions of solar lanterns on the other being talked about a lot, this has indeed emerged as a sunrise sector. However, contrary to its common perception as a homogenous sector, the renewable energy sector is made up of many sub-sectors encompassing utility-scale mega power plants, mini and micro grids, devices like solar lanterns, clean cooking stoves, and heating and cooling systems.
The renewable energy market in India can be broadly divided in to three categories:
(i) Utility-scale electricity,
(ii) Off-grid or distributed electricity systems, and
(iii) Decentralised energy systems.
Opportunities
The human resources requirement in this sector is correspondingly vast and varied.
The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) and CII's 2010 Report estimates an employment potential of close to 1.4 million by 2020. And that was before the launch of Jawaharlal Nehru National Mission, which alone projects a need for an estimated 100,000 trained and specialized personnel by 2022 - that too with a target of 20 GW as opposed to the present target of 100 GW of solar power. In short, the sector would increasingly require qualified and trained human resources to perform a variety of tasks along the complete value chain of the three market segments listed above. This is in addition to the traditional functional areas like R&D, design, sales and marketing, finance, engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC), project management, and administration etc. The renewable energy sector also offers specific opportunities in areas such as policy analysis and advocacy, community engagement, and consultancy. And given the nature of work, the disciplines encompass not only pure technical areas but also span across areas such as sociology and economics, to name a few.
The beauty of this sector is that career opportunities exist in all the core engineering disciplines like mechanical, electrical, civil, electronics, chemical besides the different functional areas of management. Even those pursuing the stream of biotechnology would have openings in organisations that are involved in developing a new-generation of biofuels.
At yet another level, skilled personnel are required for installation, maintenance and servicing; especially for decentralized applications like solar rooftop systems, solar water heating systems, industrial applications, and off-grid electrification.
Where to study
Several institutions in the country offer specialized courses, mainly at the post-graduate level besides doctoral programmes. Some of these are listed below:
" IIT Delhi, Centre for Energy Studies: MTech. Energy Studies
" IIT Bombay: MTech. Energy Science & Engineering; Dual Degree MSc - Ph.D.
" IIT Roorkee, Alternate Hydro Energy Centre: MTech. Alternate Hydro Energy Systems
" IIT Guwahati, Centre for Energy: Master of Science by Research
" TERI University, Department of Energy & Environment, New Delhi: MTech. Renewable Energy Engineering & Management; Advanced Post Graduate Diploma in Renewable Energy (Distance)
" Anna University, Institute for Energy Studies, Chennai: ME & MS programmes in Energy Engineering
" National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli: MTech. Energy Engineering
" Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal: MTech. Energy Engineering
" University of Petroleum & Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun: MTech. Renewable Energy Engineering
" Pandit Deen Dayal Petroleum University, School of Solar Energy, Gandhi Nagar: MTech. Energy Systems & Technology
" VIT University, Vellore: MTech. Energy and Environmental Engineering.
" Amrita University: MTech. Renewable Energy Technologies
" University of Lucknow, Department of Physics, Lucknow: MSc Renewable Energy
" University of Kota, Department of Pure & Applied Physics, Kota: MTech. Solar Energy & MSc Physics Energy
" University of Pune, Department of Physics, Pune: MTech. Energy
" Amity University, Institute of Renewable & Alternative Energy, NOIDA: BTech. & MTech. (Solar & Alternative Energy)
Recognising the multi-disciplinary requirements of the sector, TERI University's MTech (Renewable Energy Engineering & Management) programme has been uniquely designed, combining core engineering with management elements. It fosters the much sought-after managerial skills with courses on energy economics, energy policy & regulations, and project management.
The renewable energy sector also provides exciting possibilities for those who are ready to 'dirty' their hands in the field i.e. those who want to bring about transformational changes through innovative solutions. Being a growing sector focusing on both, technological as well as business innovations, the sector is buzzing with start-ups and `young' enterprises which provide a challenging and invigorating environment to work in. And of course, possibilities abound for students with an entrepreneurship streak…. so the even the sky is not the limit - in terms of possibilities.
Where to study
Several institutions in the country offer specialized courses, mainly at the post-graduate level besides doctoral programmes. Some of these are listed below:
— The writer is Director, Career Guidance India
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