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How to Succeed With Solar Training

Wouldn't you like to build a career that not only pays you well but is also beneficial to the earth's resources? Gain professional qualifications in 'green skills' and such a career can be yours.

By this time next year you could be up and running, advising people and installing energy efficient systems that will considerably reduce their household's carbon footprint.

Current global fuel supplies have a limited lifespan. Carbon emissions will have to be reduced. We are all being encouraged to think more carefully about how we use energy, and where we can be more efficient.

Grants are available in the UK to replace inefficient boilers and utilise more 'green' forms of energy. Such measures bring more work for those with the right knowledge and qualifications. And so it makes a lot of sense to add some training on renewable energy to any regular electrical or plumbing course you do.

If you've been in the industry for a while, check out the new courses and certifications in green engineering.

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For more information on how to become a plumber, electrician or green engineer, why not download our FREE report on the training required to get into the industry?

Natural Replenishable Resources

Naturally renewable resources are being converted into usable energy because of developments in 'green' technology. Sunlight, wind, the tides and geothermal heat are all naturally replenishable, and thereby 'Green'. We've used wind and water for many years, but it's the sun that provides energy for many newer replenishable systems. That's why there's a need for skilled workers with green certifications.

Solar Power

Solar thermal products gather free energy radiated by the sun and use it to heat domestic hot water. As the technology has been available for a while, we now have a large number of systems to choose from.

Although in Britain we can't rely entirely on them for all of our hot water needs, a typical family could expect to get most of their requirement in the summertime. Throughout a twelve month period, a system should be expected to deliver around half the total hot water requirement.

Collection equipment comes in the form of the more efficient evacuated tubes, or the perhaps more visually attractive solid flat plates. Installation is quite straightforward - in fact some of the tubular versions can be built whilst actually on the roof.

Photovoltaic cells or panels also absorb the sun's energy, but this time electricity is produced. 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 inverter is then linked up to the power distribution point in the house to provide electricity for certain appliances and lighting.

Householders can expect a photovoltaic system to provide around 40 per cent of their annual electricity, and so reduce both their bills and carbon footprint significantly. Anyone with a system that produces more electricity than the household consumes can automatically sell their excess to the national grid.

The going rate for PV electricity has been increased by the government in 2010, which makes for a better return on the original investment of the system. Planning permission isn't usually needed to install PV cells, although listed buildings and houses in conservation areas should check with their local authorities.

Geothermal Heat

Ground Source Heat Pumps create heat sources from solar energy that naturally exists in the earth.

Heat pumps are connected to great lengths of underground geothermal piping that contains a non freezable substance. The heat arrives at the connecting heat pump because the solution warms as it flows around.

Underfloor heating can benefit most from the warmth provided by heat pumps. 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.

Training For A 'Green' Career

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.

As solar energy and heat pumps will give you the most work, you'd be sensible to focus on those. However, as technology and the law on environmental construction evolves, so too will training in this sector. You might be offered optional tutorials, for instance on rainwater harvesting to recycle water.

Security For The Future

Each time a domestic UK property changes hands, the new householders must be shown an Energy Performance Certificate. This illustrates how energy efficient the house is, and how it could be improved. Sometimes suggested changes can reduce bills by many hundreds of pounds per annum. And up to 80 per cent of the cost of installation work can often be claimed from the government if owners have 'green' systems fitted by qualified professionals. Let's look to the near future 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't ignore the changes that must inevitably come, so why not get ahead of the crowd and secure your future now?