How Many Jobs Are Available in Energy?

The latest U.S. Energy & Employment Jobs Report data shows that there are 7.8 million energy sector jobs as of 2021, with a predicted growth rate of 10% by 2031. The energy industry is a fabulous industry to establish a career.

Looking at The Future of Energy Production

Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy is environmentally-friendly and produced through nuclear fission, a process of splitting atoms in a controlled environment to release large sums of energy.

Nuclear power plants use uranium, specifically U-235, to create energy. Though it is technically a nonrenewable resource because we cannot recreate it after using it as fuel, nuclear energy emitted lower carbon dioxide emissions than almost any other form of energy generation in 2019.

Fusion Energy

In nuclear fusion, two hydrogen nuclei join together in contrast to nuclear fission, where the nuclei split apart. Scientists believe that by harnessing fusion, we could have an inexhaustible amount of energy.

Fusion reactors are machines that surround superheated plasmas and compress them until they reach astonishing temperatures of up to 150 million degrees Celsius. Once the plasma reaches this temperature, energy is released. Nuclear fusion is what creates a star, in case you were wondering, and the 150-million-degree mark is ten times hotter than our star: the sun.

While scientists theorize that fusion reactors are limitless in energy output, this energy technology is still years from being practically applied. If they do figure out how to make fusion reactors, they would be cleaner and more energy efficient than nuclear power plants and produce less radioactive waste.

Solar Power

Solar power is an energy source that is constantly replenished and comes from the sun. Photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) are the two main ways to utilize solar power. PV systems have solar panels that transform sunlight directly into electricity. CSP uses mirrors and lenses to concentrate sunlight onto a fluid, producing heat energy.

Although both solar production methods have their own unique advantages, they also come with disadvantages. Solar Energy's greatest obstacle is the need for storage when the sun isn't shining. Solar energy can potentially power the world indefinitely, but only if we can find a solution to this problem.

Wave Energy and Hydroelectric Power

The kinetic energy from flowing water is used to generate hydroelectric power. This process does not produce any hazardous pollutants, making hydroelectricity a form of clean energy. The source of this renewable power, water, occurs in nature as a result of the Water Cycle; however, using hydroelectricity to generate electricity is usually only possible near large bodies of freshwater. The main distinction between wave energy and hydroelectricity is that the former harnesses ocean waves while the latter uses a stream of water.

Wave generators, or wave farms, are complexes that produce electricity from the renewable energy of waves. A buoy is docked to the waterbed and rigged to a turbine; as tall waves move the floating object, it turns the blade shaft connected to an electric power generator-just like how wind turbines work. The amount of power a wave farm can generate oscillates according to fluctuating conditions such as the tallness of waves, the length of an active session, and the number of turbines in use.

‍Wind Energy

The wind turns turbines, which are connected to generators, converting the kinetic energy into electricity. Although most farms are built on land with steadily blowing winds, some countries are considering building offshore farms in oceans where the gusts tend to be stronger.

One significant downside to wind power is that it needs a large amount of space - which isn't always available in the surrounding area where the electricity is needed. However, much like solar power, wind energy has the potential to be endlessly renewable.

Biomass

There are many ways to produce biomass, but the most common method is through agricultural byproducts like corn stalks. By utilizing these materials, we can create biofuels that can be used for a variety of purposes. For example, by converting them into liquids to power our vehicles or using a solidified state of biomass, we can burn them to produce heat.

‍Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is heat that originates from deep under the earth's surface. Geothermal heat pumps rely on this renewable heat source to bring warmth to the surface. In addition, geothermal heat pumps can also transport hot air at the earth's surface using reverse principles. The heat is naturally occurring, but accessing it requires drilling deep underground.