George Friedman in his New York Times bestselling book, The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Centu
ry http://www.amazon.com/Next-100-Years-Forecast-Century/dp/038551705X, predicts the two largest growing workforces in the United States for the next 4 decades as robotics and energy. But what are the jobs? What skills are needed? What degrees are needed? Post your thoughts in this Blog.
First Posting
Florida’s energy industry is growing 25% in the next two decades, plus the workforce is close to retirement. Thousands of workers will be needed at power generation facilities in Florida over the next two decades. As to where, fossil fuels and nuclear facilities employ the most. Solar and Wind facilities are non-labor intensive, in fact the largest PV solar facility (90,000 solar panels) in the US,
http://www.mysuncoast.com/Global/story.asp?S=11384331
just opened in Arcadia, Fl and it will only employ 12 people on site.
Kevin C.
Comparing different types of generating stations for employee needs is difficult. The suggestion that nuclear power has higher employee needs is misleading, however. Take the solar—nuclear comparison, for example. Because a certain “next-generation” solar power plant hopes to run with 12 full-time employees, that does not make it less labor intensive than nuclear power plants. Instead, one might say that this makes solar’s people demands even higher than nuclear’s. Why? Compare the megawatt output and employee per megawatt. Individual nuclear reactors can generate in excess of 1,000 megawatts, while the solar facility is promising 25 megawatt output. Let’s see, then: 12 people for 25 megawatts would equate to 480 people for 1,000 megawatts. Nuclear generating stations can run multiple reactors with a staff of 480, generating twice the power of the equivalent solar staff. Nevertheless, we need a mix of generating options. Nobody should want America dependent on oil, but neither should we think that one promising technology can eliminate our need for others. I hope that we build both nuclear and solar plants to supply our future need for power.
I loved this blog post. Thank you! I am going to read the other pages of your blog.
I am currently a student at IRSC. I think solar is a great alternative energy source but, not as feasible as nuclear power.Being in the power plant program has taught me alot about the nuclear industry that most of the public are not educated about. Only one major nuclear power plant accident has occurred in 30 years and no nuclear contamination took place outside the containment building.The safety systems did what it was designed to do. Nuclear is a proven technology that is highly regulated and does not omit harmful greenhouse gases. Currenty, there are over 30 more reactors on the drawing board through out the US. That’s good for our economy because there is going to be a huge demand for trained nuclear personal. Indian River State College is a leading training center for the Nuclear Power Industry. I would highly recommend IRSC for anyone interested in working in this industry.
The problem is that it is impossible to really know what jobs, skills, or degrees are needed because everything can change in no time at all. Just because something is going a certain way now does not mean it will continue in that direction.
Since the sun is guaranteed to shine everyday for at least the next fifty billion years. It’s a great avenue to pursue to fulfill our future energy needs. I do see photovoltaics being used more and more as a power source around the area. I would like to see the day when every home and business has a solar electric system. I would like solar electric technology to be as common place and affordable as personal computers and flat screen televisions. Don’t forget the first flat screen televisions, on the market sold for over twenty thousand dollars. Today, thanks to technological advances a flat screen television, far superior compared to the original would cost less than one thousand dollars. Through increased research and developments, along with government and public support similar results could be achieved for solar electric systems. The prices have started coming down already. In fact if you want to be the first house on your street to have a grid tied solar electric system, you better place your order real soon.
We as a whole need to save the planet we live on. One way to do this is to look for alternative power sources. i.e. Green Energy. But we don’t have enough technology advancement in order to keep up with our high demand of energy already. Sure green energy is good but not plentiful as Nuclear Power is. With Nuclear Power we can provide far greater, and far more reliable energy across miles and miles of land and even store some while doing so. Nuclear power is a great way to go, but we can always advance farther into green energy.
Nuclear Power is definitely the most beneficial power source. The power output is extremely high compared to windmills. Nuclear is also a very clean. The future of energy should be Nuclear.
The jobs is going to be in nuclear energy, nuclear power is going to be used more in the future there are several reasons; the fluctuating prices of oil and gas, economic reasons, greenhouse gases, and the cost of operating a nuclear plant.Nuclear is very beneficial to the United States and will decrease our dependency on foreign oil drastically. Right now we are using nuclear generated power to supply 19% of our electricity, there are numerous petitions to build more nuclear plants within the United States. With the volatility of oil prices nuclear is going to become our number one source of power.
Reply to Jackson M.:
While it is true that there are guarantees, the fact is we need people for those jobs. It may be that not all will get one of those jobs after going to school for it but that is life. We need educated people in these positions. I personally do not what to see a bunch of half trained workers in a nuclear power plant. The integrity of the plant is too important to jeopardize. Our lives our too important jeopardize.
There are forty applications for new nuclear power plants being considered and reviewed by the Federal Government at this time. Operators are the brains of the plant. If one were to pursue this career path, his or her sevices would be in high demand and a large amount of money would be made. This career is not for everyone. It is long hours and much training and high stress . Consider your personality type. Some of us are happier as worker ants in maintenance, plenty of opportunity there too.
The energy industry has many opportunities for employment. The fastest growing demand is in the nuclear industry. There are many facilities already in existance and more than 30 additional facilities in the works. These nuclear power facilities will need an abundant number of well educated and highly trained people. One particular area in need is radiation protection personnel. At this time the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is greatly concerned at not enough personnel to meet the current needs. With more nuclear plants to come, this could be one of the biggest future job opportunities.
I see that in the coming years as being green becomes more and more popular the advantages of nuclear energy will become more apparent. In this industry it seems that seniority and experience will be more imporntant than having a higher level of eudcation. Of course that doesn’t mean that we don’t need people with higher education. Inovations will most likely come from people outside of the plants that are doing research to better operations.
As Joe G. says solar would have to be the most long term source of power. However, the technology behind storing this energy in batteries needs to develop more. I am enrolled in the FPL Internship as well, and I know nuclear power is the fastest growing field of study at IRSC. The industry also has an increasingly high demand for workers in this field. The class sizes increase exponentially every year, and for good reason. The benefits given to employees in this company are better than most companies. The economy has driven people to look for better opportunities, and this is a sure bet.
Solar is the new way, but it is going to be a while before it becomes economically feasible for the average consumer. The sustainable benefits alone almost make it worth the dollars, but as a member of the middle class, I think it is not yet household budget friendly. We are going to need a cheap, reliable energy source to bridge the gap between where we are, and where we need to be. Nuclear is the answer. It is currently one of the cheapest energy sources available. Contrary to what most people believe it is also among the safest. The only real problem with nuclear energy is the spent fuel rod radioactive waste. Hopefully, with the United States pursuing cleaner avenues of waste recycling there might be some change there too. Following the ground work laid by successful European radioactive waste recyclers, the United Sates now has plans set in motion to recycle radioactive waste for reuse. This in turn should bring the costs of electricity down for the consumer.
As Joe says, the jobs will be more focused around the use of the sun as energy. Solar light is a renewable resource and requires little to no work to gather the energy. As technology advances, solar panels will be alongside much more advanced solar energy devices. Nuclear energy is a great source of energy as well, but it has its own defects. Maintaining a nuclear power plan can be a tough task and human error could cause damage to the plant or its surroundings. Also, power plants create waste that takes 20+ years just to be removed or recycled.
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Is there any structural engineers or home builders online that would be interested in looking into the latest building system for homes and commercial? The system is for the entire shell of the building not just walls like others. It is Florida approved and is actually better in northern climates.
Epictetus: We must not believe the many, who say that only free people ought to be educated, but we should rather believe the philosophers who say that only the educated are free.
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Solar panels, in my eyes, are one of the best investments a home owner could make due to them lasting for many years and producing energy for as long as they last. The price of electricity will only go up so solar panels will only become a better investment. Have found some useful tips about buying Solar Panels and I will use them when I purchase panels myself.
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