What is Biomass and what is the Biomass job market looking like? We Interviewed our energy sector lead, Alex Coste, to find out more about the Biomass market.
What is Biomass?
Biomass is an alternative energy source that can be derived from multiple sources including food waste, sustainable forests, agricultural residues, food industry by-products and recycled materials. It is a fuel that can be combusted in a furnace that heats water to generate either hot water or steam.
What is the role of Biomass in the UK?
There are about 78 power plants in the UK, which have an estimated contribution, in 2021, of 12.7% to the renewable mix of the UK’s total renewable energy output. This represents the second highest renewable energy output, wind being first.
Furthermore, the UK Government’s recent Net Zero Strategy makes clear that bioenergy, and BECCS (bioenergy with carbon capture and storage), is central to its climate plan. However, adequate land use is a main point of contention as the current way of generating this electricity is through the import of wood pellets from across the Atlantic.
Additional challenges faced by the UK is the organisation of domestic biomass production, as it would impact local natural habitats and seeking alternative feedstocks for biomass power stations would also create a strain on domestic land use.
How is the job market for Biomass?
In 2021, Bioenergy employed 45,600 people, including around 13,200 in biomass production and close to 16,000 for biomass use for power and heat. It is estimated that bioenergy will be the second-largest contributor to renewable energy jobs until the 2050s, followed by wind and hydropower
As the UK works towards net-zero, the renewable energy sector has reported to have the potential to create up to 150,000 jobs by 2030. However, limited courses specialising in renewable energy operations could deter individuals from entering the sector and more could be done to attract and retain talent in the industry.
How should employers adapt?
As it is the trend within the renewables, it is difficult to find people with experience in that sector. For biomass, expertise in anaerobic digestion (AD – the process through which bacteria break down organic matter) is highly sought after.
Yet, despite the lack of talent holding this type of expertise, there are three crucial elements that would allow individuals to be interested and progress within the renewable sector: possessing the right mindset, access to training and working within a culture where everyone feels valued.
How can employers retain talent/make the career attractive?
Recruiters face the dilemma that there is no AD-specific qualification, which is why they chose to take the route of recruiting people from outside of the sector. It is therefore important to sit down with employees and understand their career aspirations and areas where they feel they want to develop.
There are multiple professional accreditations and relevant courses that can send teams on to develop their knowledge further in specific areas. Identifying those areas of development and offering these opportunities can enable are crucial, as it would allow the team to progress.
Furthermore, teams should also have an environment that allow them to be confident to ask for help when they need it.
