Stuart McLaren - Team Leader, Proven Energy
A young mechanical engineer from Kilmarnock has seen first-hand how demand for renewable energy is helping to create new jobs.
When Stuart McLaren started work with wind turbine manufacturer Proven Energy five years ago, the company was making four turbines a week. Today, the company produces between 20 and 30 each week, and has taken on an extra 70 staff to cope with demand.
REpower
The renewables sector in Scotland is expanding so quickly that some businesses are finding it difficult to find staff with suitable qualifications.
As the Managing Director of onshore and offshore wind turbine manufacturer REpower UK Ltd, Henning von Barsewisch is well aware of the recruitment problems the industry is facing.
Allan Beedie - Head Gardener at Glamis Castle
As Head Gardener at Glamis Castle, Allan Beedie's job is green in every sense of the word.
The 43-year-old has always had an interest in environmental issues and this was one of the motivations for his decision to work in horticulture.
Simon Robertson - Renewable Energy Scheme Developer, npower renewables
Being involved in cutting-edge work that not only leads the renewables industry in Scotland but the whole world is just one exciting aspect of Simon Robertson's career with npower renewables based in Perth.
As a Renewable Energy Scheme Developer, Simon project manages new hydroelectric and marine energy ventures as part of npower's commitment to meeting the UK's current and future electricity needs from sustainable, environmentally-friendly resources.
Terry Young - Waste Minimisation Officer, Perth & Kinross Council
When Terry Young worked as a bin man over the summer holidays, he never imagined it would lead to a full-time career in recycling.
Terry (21) spent summers working with Perth & Kinross Council’s refuse and recycling team while he was a student.
And, despite graduating with a degree in Quantity Surveying, Terry decided he wanted to work in recycling full-time.
He got a job as a Waste Minimisation Officer with the Council and has spent the last nine months encouraging businesses to recycle more of their waste.
Terry explained: "Basically my job involves working with the 1500 businesses in Perth and Kinross and making it easy for them to recycle.
Read Terry's case study in full | Watch a video of Terry (Windows Media format 18MB)
Alison Jenkins - Wind Analyst, Renewable Energy Systems Ltd
Wind is something we certainly aren’t short of in Scotland but using this resource involves a lot more than simply sticking some wind turbines in an empty field and hoping for the best.
Finding the most suitable sites for wind farms is a tricky job which can take years to complete.
And that’s where Alison Jenkins comes in. The 27-year-old works as a Wind Analyst with wind energy specialists Renewable Energy Systems (RES) Ltd.
RES develops and builds wind farms around the world and Alison’s team plays an important part in deciding where these should be set up.
Arron Bell - Scheduling & Dispatch Engineer, Scottish and Southern Energy
When many of us turn on a light switch or boil a kettle, we don’t give a second thought to the processes which make them work.
However, it’s thanks to people such as Arron Bell from Scottish and Southern Energy that we can rely on these home comforts. Part of Arron’s duties is to control the flow of water to over 100 different hydro-electric generators across Scotland from his control centre in Perth.
He works closely with the company’s energy traders to ensure that electricity is generated at the right time to meet demand, and that extra energy can be supplied to the National Grid if required.
It’s a position with a lot of responsibility, but Arron is well prepared for the demands of his job. He joined Scottish and Southern Energy as a Modern Apprentice electrical fitter after leaving high school nine years ago, and has gained a wide range of experience.
Liam Sherif - Apprentice Plumber, Corrie Plumbing and Heating
An Inverness teenager is helping to create a more environmentally-friendly Scotland.
Liam Sherif is an apprentice plumber in his second year of training with Corrie Plumbing and Heating. He is part of a team which installs items like solar panels and ground source heat pumps in new homes to help them produce renewable energy.
Liam and his team are never short of work, as the government has recently promised that all new houses built in the UK will need to be carbon neutral by 2016.
This means that although new houses will continue to use some fossil fuels like oil, they will also have new technologies to make them more energy efficient and to help generate solar, wind or geothermal power.
Ros Hart - Engineer, Pelamis Wave Power Ltd.
For anyone who thought engineering was just for boys interested in bridges and boats, think again.
Ros Hart (25) is an engineer working in one of the most exciting industries in Scotland today – renewable energy.
Ros works with Pelamis Wave Power Ltd, a company which produces renewable electricity from ocean waves.
And anyone who has seen how choppy the sea is during storms in Scotland will understand how important Ros’s job is.
The young engineer from Edinburgh has to make sure the system that gathers the energy from the waves can survive the worst storms.
Read Ros's case study in full | Watch a video of Ros (Windows Media format 8MB)
Robin Fuller - Community & Education Officer, Forestry Commission Scotland
Robin Fuller works for Forestry Commission Scotland, but he is not your idea of a normal forester.
He doesn’t spend his days wearing a checked shirt and chopping logs.
Instead, as Community and Education Officer, Robin works just as hard to get people to explore the woods around Ae Forest District near Dumfries.
There is a lot to Robin’s job, which changes from day to day. In his job, he could find himself organising school visits or public events or improving paths which join up nearby towns to the forest.
Read Robin's case study in full | Watch a video of Robin (Windows Media format 8MB)