CHENNAI: Power outages are so common that we treat it as a part of our daily lifves. Take, for example, the “Great Indian Outage of 2012”, when cities from Kolkata to New Delhi were plunged into darkness for two days (July 30, 31) – that’s almost 700 million people without electricity. India has woken up to the fact that the only way out of this massive electricity shortage can be by encouraging the development of the renewable energy sector — wind, solar energy, biomass, small hydro and energy efficiency initiatives. This is an indication of which direction recruitment is bound to sway, given the stagnation of jobs in the IT sector.
The India Energy [R]evolution report of 2012 jointly commissioned by environmental group Greenpeace, the Global Wind Energy Council and the European Renewable Energy Council predicts that the renewable energy sector will generate around 24 lakh jobs by 2020. In 2012, the sector employed two lakh people, and with the right policies and investments, this figure could multiply at least 14 times. The report further states that by 2050, abot 92 per cent of India’s energy infrastructure will be based on renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar thermal energy and photovoltaic, which will comprise 74 per cent of electricity generation.
The study also projected that the country will experience immediate market development with high annual growth rates. Abhishek Pratap, Greenpeace’s Senior Energy Campaigner in India, said in a report to the press that the power outage is a reminder that “coal and other fossil fuels have no future and their era of dominance is over. A transition to renewable energy is the best and the only option for the government to secure the future growth of our nation.
With Narendra Modi being talked of as the country’s first energy-literate Prime Minister, the NDA government is expected to give the alternative energy sector a much-needed boost by harnessing solar energy and developing offshore wind energy projects, not just because of the potential to power our households and but also the job opportunities that come with it.
Where we stand
With the fifth-largest power generation portfolio worldwide (according to a report by (Ernst&Young, “Renewable Energy in India: Status and Growth 2013”), India has transitioned from being the seventh largest energy consumer in the year 2000 to the fourth largest within a decade. At our current consumption rates, our coal reserves are projected to run out in 45 years. This rapid growth of power capacity and a rise in demand can be credited to our economic growth, growing rate of urbanisation, rising per capita energy consumption and a widening access to energy in the country. The Government of India launched the National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) in June 2010 with an outlay of rS. 2.35 billion. By 2015, the mission is expected to result in savings of nearly 23 million tonnes’ oil-equivalent of fuel in coal, gas and petroleum products.
Why it’s the smart way to go
India ranks fourth and sixth globally as the largest importer of oil and petroleum products and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), respectively, according to the Ernst&Young report. Developing the renewable energy sector will stand us in good stead to reduce our dependence on imports. To help this along, the government is also now actively promoting the industry by offering many incentives to players in the field for their green initiatives with tax holidays and more. This field is known to be scalable and increasingly cost competitive compared to the non-renewable sources of energy. Plus, India has a huge potential for the market — favoured by the harsh sun, coastal winds and plenty of bio-waste. What’s more, our decreasing dependence on fossil fuels will settle the price volatility and reduce our carbon footprint. It only makes sense to tap into the favourable environment created by the government to generate power.
Industry perspective
Director of Rays Power Experts, a solar energy power generation company, Rahul Gupta, is a graduate in civil engineering from IIT-Roorkee, and started the company in 2010 right after completing his graduation. “There was no other private solar power project existing at that point of time. It took us a lot of effort to get the 5 MW project registered and approved by the State government. Meanwhile, we started providing management consultancy to individuals and corporates for investing in solar projects and getting themselves registered with such projects. Finally in March 2012, we got approvals from the government and managed to set up India’s first solar power park across five acres of land. Our business model and idea have been so successful that in a span of just one year, the solar park has expanded from 5 acres to 200 acres of land with the support of the government.
According to him, the scope is huge for youngsters in the field. With the demand for setting up solar plants by corporate and individuals increasing every day, the manpower requirements have also gone up. “The industry has grown tremendously in the past four years and is expected to rise further. The profile requirement is functional — site job and managerial work. Engineers from the technology background are a must in the renewable energy sector, as she/he would be able to set up a plant on site and look after the on-ground activities, like field projects and construction work, he says, and ensure smooth execution of the projects. With more than 150 people employed with them currently, Rahul says the biggest issue they face is getting efficient manpower with technology background and sound experience.
Tackling the perception that the renewable energy sector doesn’t pay as well as other sectors that engineers are usually employed in, Rahul says, “If this were true, then the industry would not have shown an increase in installed solar capacity from 30 MW in 2010 to 2000 MW in 2013. The World Bank’s recent report has also highlighted the fact that India is set to achieve 20,000 MW of solar power capacity by 2022. The industry offers high scope and potential to grow for all the youngsters and employees who are capable of performing well.”
Hiring prerequisites
The industry is made for engineers, and if they showcase good work then the field is truly rewarding. The industry hires BTech or BE graduates, from the civil or electrical streams. For the business development profile and sales team, they look for graduates who have done BTech and have pursued an MBA.
Prof Rangan Banerjee, the Forbes Marshall Chair Professor at the Department of Science and Energy, IIT-Bombay, informs us about the master’s and PhD programmes offered at IIT-B and admits to the perception of differential salaries that exist between mainstream engineering job opportunities versus those in the renewable sector. “But salaries have now improved and plenty of our students get good offers. We have also noticed that with lack of big players in the sector, many of our graduates are thinking in terms of startups, which guarantee an entire spectrum of experience. The skills sets then transcend boundaries.”
BTech-MTech dual degree programmes at IIT with a minor in energy can help you get a good foundation, he believes. The rest you can pick up on the job. “Education cannot be so tailor-made. Demands of every job and industry keep changing. Be prepared to evolve and stay up-to-date with technology,” he says.
Going beyond engineering education, Dean - Consulting and Advancement, and Professor of Economics at Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, Atmanand is also Independent Director at SAIL, Govt of India. He teaches economics and power energy. “Renewable energy means a great future for employment, GDP, growth, investment and capital flows with the government policy also embracing growth in solar and wind energy sector. The requirement for green energy is growing fast. While the initial costs may be high, it has the capacity to give increasing returns.”
According to Prof Atmanand, jobs will open up in sectors like power generation, management, specialised engineering and consulting. He has served as Dean, School of Energy Management, MDI, Gurgaon from February, 2006 till date. The institute offers a 15-month Postgraduate Programme in Energy Management. This programme was launched to address energy management issues, with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Ministry of Power, Government of India, under the DRUM (Distribution Reform, Upgrade and Management in power) project. The aim was to demonstrate “the best commercial and technological practices that improve the quality and reliability of last mile power distribution in urban and rural areas”.
Over the past year, the ambit of the project has been broadened from power to other spheres of energy — oil and gas, coal, carbon market and energy efficiency. MDI has also tied up with ESCP Europe business school, for the Energy Management Programme, in 2011. They train professionals (with at least 4-5 years’ work experience) from companies involved in power distribution, power generation, oil marketing, oil exploring and transporting, power transmission and energy/power infrastructure financing, apart from consultancy firms, NGOs and governmental agencies working in the areas of energy management, such as energy efficiency, new and renewable energy, clean energy technologies, biofuels and sustainable development. Graduates in engineering, BCom, BBA, etc, can apply.
“LANCOR and Moser Baer are some of the good pay masters who hire people for mid-career jobs in the renewable energy sector. General packages are between `15-20 lakh per annum, depending on the calibre of the student,” says Prof Atmanand, who adds, “The problem is in lack of awareness. Jobs in the IT sector have reached saturation, whereas the green energy sector is set for a boom. The next revolution we can expect is that of Energy Revolution.”
He also says that carbon financing and carbon credits is another arena which professionals might want to pursue.
Great Lakes Institute of Management, with campuses in Chennai and New Delhi, also offers a two-year Postgraduate Programme in Energy Management, to develop the next generation of leadership in the energy sector. The programme offers dual specialisation with domain specialisation in Power, Oil and Gas, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Development in addition to functional specialisations.
Rajesh Kumar, a student of the energy management course at MDI is a mechanical engineer who worked as a core mechanical design engineer for over seven years. “For the past five years, I have been engaged in the designing of Hydro Power equipments (Large Hydro Generator). I have seen that hydro power in India is still untapped to its full potential. There is a huge gap between what we can generate and what we are generating. There is a huge scope of investment in the energy sector — both renewable as well as fossil fuels. MDI’s Energy Management course equips us with the tools and skills to excel in this field and ensure that we use the best industrial practices.”
He believes there are plenty of opportunities after the course in the fields of energy demand and forecasting or consulting. “My classmates here at MDI are making themselves ready for higher roles in the field of operations management, marketing and energy consulting in the power industry and oil and gas sector,” he says.
Most lessons include classroom interactions, case-study driven pedagogy, guest lectures and industry exposure, project work and internships that can equip you to take on leadership roles in the renewable energy sector.
With the government, industry and academic sectors waking up to the opportunity of changing the career trajectories of many professionals in the country to solve the country’s energy crisis, it seems to be the right time to opt for a green career.
— preethi@newindianexpress.com