Energy Management Jobs Recruitment - A Growing Sector and Important to S.E.R Ltd – Why?
Between 1961 and 1990 there was a 25% increase in energy consumption every 10 years. This led to a series of World Conferences on Climate Change commencing with the Rio conference in 1992. Successive conferences have worked towards targets on emission into national policies. The Kyoto Protocol in 1997 set out legally binding commitments on all participating countries. The UK government has been a signatory to these targets.
The commercial use of energy causes serious impacts on the environment in the form of acid drainage, methane emissions and mining waste, oil spills, air pollution by sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide when coal, oil or gas is burnt. Acid rain from the toxic emissions is raising acidity in soil and water thereby causing damage to forests, crops and freshwater fish and wildlife.
Nuclear energy is potentially attractive because it is free from these pollutants but there are far greater hazards in both security and health terms.
Evidence exists that there are holes in the Atmospheric Ozone layer over Antarctica resulting in increased levels of ultraviolet radiation and increased temperatures with a resultant increase in skin cancers. There are other impacts on biological systems such as increased flooding of low lying areas and extreme weather systems.
National Issues - Energy Impacts on the Economy Via Reserves, Debt and Trade
The UK government made a commitment under the Kyoto Protocol to reduce CO2 emissions against 1990 levels by 20% by 2010. This will be achieved by a wide ranging series of measures of which energy efficiency is just one measure.
By 1980 North Sea oil and gas had made the UK into a net exported of energy. This trend was reversed in the early 1990s. This is not a desirable situation as two-thirds of the worlds fuel supplies are in a very small area. 70% of oil and 65% gas reserves are in the Middle East.
UK energy consumption has grown every year since 1986. In 1995 UK was responsible for 2.2% of world CO2. Without intervention, this is predicted to reduce to 1.4% by 2020 but the total emissions will rise. In Newcastle upon Tyne the largest user of energy is the domestic sector. Over 600 GWh energy is consumed leading to 2,500,000 tonnes of CO2. Housing 40% Commerce 20% Industry 15% Transport 25%
Global Issues
Business Issues - Competitive Business Must Reduce Rosts to a Minimum.
Profit = Income – Costs
For a heavily energy intensive business energy costs can represent 35% of costs. More typically energy represents 7% of business costs. A 20% reduction in energy is often available to businesses from energy efficiency measures. Implementing energy efficiency measures can almost double profits for an energy intensive business and even for the average business profits can be expected to rise by 15-20%
- The importance of these issues is clear and therefore the demand for experience and skilled consultants and engineers is creating a huge skills shortage.
- Solutions Engineering Recruitment Ltd therefore employ a team of consultants who are degree educated in the Energy and Environmental sector.