What does a Renewable Energy Engineer actually do?

The short version

Renewable energy engineers design, build and maintain the kit decarbonising the grid — offshore wind, solar, storage and grid connections. It's mainstream engineering in a growth sector: the discipline (electrical, mechanical, civil) matters more to employers than the word "renewable" on your CV.

The pitch: the strongest pay and demand in the science-and-environment space, driven by decades of committed buildout — the sector's constraint is engineers, not projects. The catch: the best money sits offshore, where rotations, vessel transfers and weather windows come with it; office-based design roles pay closer to standard engineering rates.

Entry routes that actually work

• Engineering degree → graduate scheme — developers, operators, consultancies and the grid.
• Any engineering degree + renewables MSc — the standard conversion path.
• Degree apprenticeship (power / wind) — earn while you train.
• Oil & gas or conventional power transfer — offshore and HV skills port directly.