Solar currently provides 5% of the UK’s electricity and is expected to expand five-fold by 2035. With the cost of subsidy-free solar electricity now often cheaper than that from fossil fuels, solar provides a real a solution to helping to achieve net-zero.
As a recognised leader in solar research and innovation, the UK has a leading position in key areas, such as specialised glass materials manufacturing, new solar materials development, analytics, new approaches to maximise ecological benefits, asset management, and in solar power plant design, development and installation.
In order to progress towards net-zero and achieve the 2035 goals, significant skills gaps have been identified. The solar industry is expected to require 60,000 jobs, including an additional 6,000 new engineering graduates.
The Sustainable Solar Energy Systems (SES) Network Plus will create, coalesce and share both new knowledge and best practice through skills development programmes.
These programmes will be open to Early Career Researchers and industry professionals looking to expand their capabilities. Rather than focus on a single topic, they will present a systems perspective, giving participants an interdisciplinary understanding.
The SES Network Plus will provide participants with the tools to understand and interact across this broad landscape.
The SES Network Plus will support Early Career Researchers from UK Universities by providing:
- Public policy and engagement approaches to more broadly promote the need for solar and interdisciplinary skills development.
- Industry led skills development workshops, bringing best practices and new solar specific “add on” skills to jump-start and promote careers in the solar industry.
- Innovation support programmes: supporting innovation needed by the industry while fostering collaboration between diverse stakeholders.
- A peer-to-peer mentoring programme to support the dissemination of best industry practice, extending the learning from workshops while promoting the participation of underrepresented groups.
- An industry-aligned International Travel Fund to enable travel to key conferences, industry events and training opportunities not directly sponsored by the SES Network Plus.
- An Industrial Secondment Fund to allow participants to develop solar specific skills through internships at leading companies active in the solar value stream.