WHEN I GROW UP INSPIRING STORIES FROM PEOPLE WORKING IN CLEAN ENERGY
YAMINA GUIDOUM | MALGOSIA BARTOSIK | PHILIPPA NUTTALL JONES | JOYCE LEE | VERONIQUE FYFE ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHANTAL SWIEGERS
WHEN I GROW UP INSPIRING STORIES FROM PEOPLE WORKING IN CLEAN ENERGY WHAT IS THIS BOOK ABOUT?
It started with a dream to inspire you and other young stopping global warming. Chantal is an artist, who “The climate crisis has already been solved. people around the world to become passionate about did the illustrations. This book is about 21 people who We already have all the facts and solutions,” said clean energy and the many opportunities it offers. are working in clean energy to help tackle the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg in 2019.“ We decided to write this book climate crisis. All we have to do is to wake up and change.” so you can get a better idea of the We are six women who have put this book together: Two years before, she had accused world leaders from Algeria, Poland, Canada, South Africa This project would not have happened without all the at a UN Climate Summit in Katowice in Poland of clean energy jobs that are out and Belgium. amazing young people from 25 different countries, failing the younger generations. “Since our leaders there, what subjects you might need who formed our Editorial Committee and sent more are behaving like children, we will have to take the Some of us are mums and some are not, but we all than 1,000 questions to the people whose stories responsibility they should have taken long ago,” to study and the skills it might share the belief that you and other young people have feature in the book. You can find all their names at she said. be useful to have. the power to help change the world for the better. the end. Malgosia, Yamina and Joyce work in wind associations The people you will meet in this book know how that are helping people understand the role of wind Chloé aged 11 from Brussels in Belgium, and her important it is to act now. They found the solutions energy in combating climate change. Veronique dad Ian, deserve special thanks. They were our test and are working for change. They also know that we You will also find at the end of develops renewable energy projects in South Africa. readers, and Chloé made sure we saw the world all can take responsibility and work to fight climate this book a glossary that will help Philippa is a journalist writing about climate change through young people’s eyes! change and make the world a better place. you understand and learn and how clean energy is an important solution for important words. They are not famous and you’ve almost certainly not heard of them before. But they are definitely worth getting to know!
They include people like Jos, an architect from Hopefully, you will be inspired by what you read and the Netherlands, who makes playgrounds, and other might even decide that becoming a wind turbine amazing things, out of rotor blades from old engineer, wind farm designer or the boss of a wind turbines. renewable energy company is for you! “THE CLIMATE CRISIS HAS ALREADY Then there’s Brian, from Ireland, whose job is helping You can, if you wish, read the book from cover to Google buy renewable energy from wind and solar cover. Or, if the mood takes you, you can start at the farms, and Vanessa - originally from France, but now back. Or you can just pick out the people who interest BEEN SOLVED. WE ALREADY HAVE ALL THE in the US - working to reduce Microsoft’s energy use. you most. This is your book, you choose.
We have Swarna in India, Toni in South Africa, If you want to learn more about clean energy jobs and FACTS AND SOLUTIONS,” He Dexin in China and Elbia in Brazil. We have the people who do them, or simply let us know what engineers, sales people, an expert from the European you think about this book, please go to our website SAID SWEDISH CLIMATE ACTIVIST Commission, a professor and an inventor! www.whenigrowupstories.org. What all these people have in common is that they We look forward to reading a book about your work to increase the amount of our energy that is experiences working in the world of clean energy GRETA THUNBERG IN 2019. produced by clean, renewable sources such as solar in a few years time! We are sure the world will have and wind. In this way, the world can stop using so evolved massively by then, helped by the actions of many fossil fuels and reduce carbon dioxide and people like you. methane emissions, which are causing climate change. We can’t wait to hear all about it. “ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS TO WAKE UP AND CHANGE.” We wanted to show that to help save the world, you In the meantime, thanks for reading. don’t have to be a super hero. You don’t have to pull your pants on top of a pair of tight leggings and fly Yamina, Malgosia, Philippa, Joyce, Veronique through the sky! Simply by deciding to do certain and Chantal. jobs, we can all help look after our planet, nature and the people who live on it. CONTENTS
I’ve always been a bit crazy - Cian Desmond 06 From helicopters to wind turbines - Carlo Bottasso 28
Winds and Greek Gods - Swarna Priya Natarajan 08 Guardians of the land - Mary Quaney 30
Greening Google - Brian Denvir 10 Protecting our planet for future generations - Rabia Ferroukhi 32
I dreamt of a job that didn’t exist - Mercia Grimbeek 12 All paths lead to the sea - Philippe Kavafyan 34
A lifelong fascination with windmills - Katrina Swalwell 14 Tough cables that can take a lot of twisting - Natalia Zacur 36
A love of physics led me to clean energy - Alessandro Boschi 16 Saving the planet can be good business - Balki Iyer 38
Having a positive impact on society - Elbia Gannoum 18 Law got me to wind - Toni Beukes 40
Being good at making new things - Henrik Stiesdal 20 Drones and dreams - Nicolas Quievy 42
A great teacher changed my life - Lucy Craig 22 Clean energy for the cloud - Vanessa Miler 44
Science and creativity make for a healthy planet - He Dexin 24 Waste not, want not - Jos de Krieger 46
The coal miners’ friend - Aleksandra Tomczak 26 Glossary of terms 48 I’VE ALWAYS BEEN A BIT CRAZY
’ve always been a bit crazy and time in universities working with and mini floating wind turbines. loved inventing things, even if students and scientists, learning I’ve used satellite data from NASA they were totally impractical! about new ideas and thinking (the American space programme) As a child, I spent a lot of time about old problems in new ways. to measure the wind and had cups trying to build a perpetual motion In short, my job involves lots of of tea with community groups machine. That is a machine that reading, organising and talking! trying to build their own wind starts moving and never stops. But farms. There is always something you can’t do it; it is impossible to Floating wind turbines are one of interesting to learn or someone make, no matter how hard you try. the most exciting new technologies interesting to meet. The energy to keep it going needs that I am investigating. These are to come from somewhere. I think turbines that are not attached to I also love that my job allows me my interest in renewable energy the bottom of the sea and can be to live near the sea, and I go there stems from these experiments as, used in very deep waters, where as much as possible with my family. with a little help from the wind, we there is generally more wind. Even in the middle of winter I love can (almost) have perpetual motion. playing on the beach with my three We want to better understand how kids and running into the water for As Head of Innovation for an they will behave in places where a swim. It is a great way to have fun engineering company, it is my there is a lot of wind, but also lots after a busy week and the coast is job to uncover the best ideas to of waves, like off the west coast of different every time we visit. make our projects as sustainable Ireland. These conditions can make as possible. For wind energy, this things very difficult, especially Cian Desmond is Head means finding ways to keep costs when you need to visit the wind down so everyone can afford to use turbine to maintain or repair it. We of Innovation at Gavin and clean energy. It is also important are looking at using robots to fix Doherty Geosolutions to make sure wind turbines have a turbine when it breaks, so you a positive impact on local animals don’t have to send a person out in (GDG) Ltd., Ireland. and people. dangerous conditions.
To do this, I keep track of the I really enjoy that I get to work latest development in science and on so many different projects engineering. I help my company with such talented people and get ready to do the kind of jobs interesting technologies. I have that we will be asked to do in five worked with wave tanks (that or ten-years’ time. I spend a lot of generate artificial waves of water)
WHAT DID I NEED TO LEARN TO DO THIS JOB?
I loved biology and maths at school. The human body is more amazing than any of the machines or technologies I have worked with over the years. With maths I always felt like I was learning a language. It was a real thrill when I felt I was finally becoming fluent and understood what all the squiggles and signs meant. At university, I did a four-year degree in civil and environmental engineering, using maths to understand the world around us. I then studied renewable energy and wind energy. All in all, I was at university for eight years, but I took many breaks to work and travel, and so this time was spread over about twelve years.
Once you have the technical knowledge, the main skills you need to do my job are communicating with other people, self-discipline and curiosity. I am interested in almost everything and love learning about new technologies and telling my colleagues and others about them. Self-discipline is needed to keep focused on the jobs that need to be done. It is far too easy to get distracted, the world around us is so interesting.
CIAN, 37 06 07 WINDS AND GREEK GODS
y dream job was to to measure air pressure, and a ability to change the surface of the become an astronaut until data logger to record all these Earth through Aeolian processes I I attended a science class measurements. Recently we started like erosion and deposition. The on sustainable energy. using remote sensing devices term Aeolian is named after the I was shocked when I learnt about SODAR (using sound) and LIDAR Greek god Aeolus, the keeper of fossil fuels and the pollution we are (using light) to measure wind. the winds. inflicting on our own planet. That was when I decided to contribute We use all these measurements It used to be difficult for women to as much as I can to creating a clean to determine how much energy become engineers in India, but the and sustainable environment. a wind turbine will produce. The situation is improving gradually. My faster the wind speed, the more dad was an engineer and I grew up My job is to study the wind energy produced. Temperature and watching him working with great conditions on sites where we air pressure help us measure air passion and enjoyment. Sometimes want to build wind turbines. This density; denser air produces he used to take me to his sites and means measuring things like wind more energy. show me the water tanks and roads speed and direction. Based on that were being constructed by him this information, I pick the best India is a very sunny country and so and his team. locations to place wind farms. we can mix solar and wind energy using hybrid systems where the Swarna Priya Natarajan is Lead Each country makes a wind atlas. two technologies work together This is a series of maps showing to produce a reliable supply of Engineer at Vestas, India. where the winds are. Based on clean energy. There’s more wind at these maps, we place devices on night and more sun during the day, the different sites to measure the and so the combination makes a wind over a full year to verify the steadier flow of energy. wind potential. My favourite part of the job is These devices are set at the height understanding local wind flows and of a wind turbine. They have an working out how to position the anemometer to measure wind wind turbines to get the maximum speed, wind vanes to measure amount of power from them. wind direction, a sensor to I find it interesting how wind measure temperature, a barometer shapes landforms and has the
WHAT DID I NEED TO LEARN TO DO THIS JOB?
Back in school, my favourite subjects were maths, geography and physics. I find working on a maths problem and figuring out a solution rewarding.
I have a university degree in engineering with a specialisation in electrical engineering and electronics, which took me four years to do.
For my job, you need to be good at analysing and solving problems and know about weather and wind turbines. It is also important to be able to communicate well and work in a team.
SWARNA, 30 08 09 GREENING GOOGLE
’m passionate about fighting My challenge for the next few years joining Google. First, I helped climate change and decided will be to help Google operate governments and businesses after university that I wanted completely on clean energy around Europe make good plans to dedicate my career to everywhere, and all of the time. and rules for using more renewable that cause. Renewable energy is It’s not an easy problem to solve, energy. I then did a similar job for one of the best ways to reduce but it’s interesting, ambitious the Irish government, helping it greenhouse gas emissions and stop and rewarding! Google is a very understand the actions needed to global heating, but energy systems exciting place to work for someone meet the country’s climate can be complicated to manage. who is interested in clean energy. change targets. This is what motivates me - fighting climate change and solving Many of Google’s services also My home country, Ireland, is very complex problems! help people to use less energy and windy and so it is the perfect reduce their carbon footprint by location for wind farms. Google buys a lot of renewable doing things virtually. For example, energy because electricity is if businesses hold more video I find it very inspiring and needed to power the company’s meetings, people don’t have to motivating to see young people apps, and it is important this travel as much and so they pollute like Greta Thunberg telling adults electricity is clean. I help Google less. Apps like Google Maps can that we need to do better and end buy renewable energy from wind also tell you the most efficient our use of fossil fuels faster — they and solar farms, so the electricity route to get home, and so you use are absolutely right! needed to show you videos on less energy! YouTube or to give you directions Brian Denvir is European on Google Maps doesn’t produce The favourite part of my job is greenhouse gases. getting to meet and share ideas Energy Markets Lead at with other people who are very Google, France. I do this by having conversations motivated and passionate about with lots of creative people who climate change. By working work on renewable energy. I speak together, we have a much better to engineers who build wind farms, chance of fixing the problem. politicians who make the plans for using renewable energy and the Working with people from lots of people who keep the electricity different backgrounds was also grid running. important in the jobs I did before
WHAT DID I NEED TO LEARN TO DO THIS JOB?
I first studied theoretical physics for four years at university which taught me how to think about complex problems. After that, I studied energy policy and energy finance.
To do my job well, you need to be able to explain complicated things in a very clear way, and so being a good communicator is important. You also need to closely follow what’s happening in the world of renewable energy by reading lots of news articles and talking to people. Finally, you need to be quite good at maths because working in energy often means juggling lots of numbers.
At school I loved maths and physics, but music was my favourite subject. If I couldn’t work in renewable energy, I would love to be a composer of soundtracks for blockbuster movies! BRIAN, 34 10 11 I DREAMT OF A JOB THAT DIDN’T EXIST
y job is to make sure our country and our planet. We I believe the world needs more my company has all the also make sure they understand green energy. The wind industry right permits to build that wind turbines do not harm is very exciting and I want to wind farms. When I was nature if they are built in the be a part of a changing world. little this job did not exist, but I am right way. I also think it is very important very glad that it does now! Today, we get more women working working in the wind industry is my I became interested in renewable in the industry as only a fifth of dream job because it does not feel energy 11 years ago when the employees in the wind energy like a job. It’s fun. In particular, I `ÕÃÌÀÞwÀÃÌÃÌ>ÀÌi`-ÕÌ ƂvÀV>° sector are women. enjoy going to the places where One of the most amazing we want to put wind turbines and experiences is climbing up a When choosing the job you want to meeting the local landowners wind turbine; it feels like you are do, you should follow your dreams and residents. standing on top of the world. because sometimes the job you dream about has yet to be created. With the landowners, I talk I have twins and they couldn’t More generally in your life, think about how long it will take to believe how big the turbines are carefully about what you use and get the permits we need and we when I took them to visit a wind what you need. Our planet only has establish relationship talking about farm. They said they looked like so much to give. It is important we their families and their farms. giants standing in the wheat field give back to nature. Plant gardens Landowners are always curious and that they reminded them of and trees if you can. about the wind turbines, how big the film “The Iron Giant”. They also they are, how they work, how much loved the shape of the blades. Mercia Grimbeek is Head of power they produce. At home, we try to live a low- Project Development at ENERTRAG, In South Africa, we are very lucky emissions lifestyle, walking to work South Africa. to have lots of space and lots and school instead of driving as of wind, and so it is generally much as we can. We grow many of easy to get permission to put up the vegetables we eat and we plant wind turbines. When we need to lots of shrubs and trees in convince people, we explain to our garden. them how good wind energy is for
WHAT DID I NEED TO LEARN TO DO THIS JOB?
Biology was my favourite subject at school. When I was older, I went to the University of Cape Town in South Africa to study finance for three years. Later I went back to university to study environmental science.
For my job you need strong analytical skills (figuring things out) and to be good at problem solving and communication.
MERCIA, 45 12 13 A LIFELONG FASCINATION WITH WINDMILLS
have had a lifelong fascination Another part of my job is helping chances are you will be working with wind power. I’m Australian decide what to do with old wind with them again on another project >`Ü iÜ>ÃwÛiÞv>Þ turbines. Like all machines, they in the future. went on a four-month camping wear out over time. Some of the trip around the country. My mother oldest wind farms in Australia are I like to see girls getting involved tells me I spent a large part of it now reaching the end of their in the sector, and in STEM (science, excitedly watching out for farm life. We aim to recycle used parts technology, engineering and windmills and learning how they and reuse the sites, generally mathematics) more generally. In were used to pump water. constructing new wind turbines our company, I lead discussions on on them. how unconscious attitudes towards Later, when I was eight, I was told women may discourage them from at school about the environmental Nobody builds a wind farm on working in our field, and how to problems the world was facing and their own. It needs people who overcome such attitudes. People that it had to be our generation understand the electricity business, still often think that only men can who solved them. I stomped w>Vi]i}>>`iÛÀiÌ> be engineers! around the playground afterwards issues, as well as local communities, furious that adults were wasting and construction and maintenance Ultimately, I encourage girls to time telling children about these companies. This means I work with study science, maths and physics problems, rather than working on all kinds of people, which means I because they are interesting solutions like wind energy. never get bored! subjects that can lead to fascinating jobs with a real impact Growing up, I wanted a job that Wind turbines are expensive to on society. would have a positive impact on build; a modern one costs over the world. And now here I am, €6 million. To avoid wasting money, Katrina Swalwell is Principal designing wind farms. lots of time is spent negotiating where and how to build a wind in the Power Generation team at In my work, I have to consider farm. If the electricity produced Aurecon, Australia. complex combinations, such as the ends up being too expensive, it placement of turbines to ensure can’t compete with other sources they produce the most electricity of power. and to minimise their potential impact on farming and nature. In these negotiations, you never I care a lot about nature and get everything you want, but animals. My mother and aunt run everyone has an interest in the wildlife shelters, where they care project being successful. It is for wild birds, possums and the important to always treat everyone occasional koala! Wombats are my with respect even if you don’t favourite animal. necessarily agree with them – the
Mercia Grimbeek is Head of WHAT DID I NEED TO LEARN TO DO THIS JOB? Project Development at ENERTRAG, South Africa.
I really liked English, physics and maths at school and decided to study science at university. During the ten years I spent at university, I chose subjects I enjoyed the most. I got better marks in chemistry than physics, but chose to continue my studies in physics because I liked it more.
I believe the secret to studying anything is persistence. I still do some lecturing at university and I love working with students and seeing when a concept they had been struggling with finally ‘’clicked’’ for them. You don’t have to be the best student to have a really interesting career. Some of the best engineers I have worked with didn’t get the top marks at university, but they are really good at coming up with practical solutions to problems.
KATRINA, 44 14 15 A LOVE OF PHYSICS ALESSANDRO, 53 LED ME TO CLEAN ENERGY
oney doesn’t grow on range of people including Thirdly, we want to learn what trees, goes the old engineers, economists, lawyers people living nearby think about saying, but money can and environmental experts. the project, if they have any help trees grow - and concerns or questions pay for wind and solar farms - all of My job is to help make sure we and if these have been taken which are vital in the fight against spend the bank’s money on the into consideration. climate change. The main mission best projects. The bank receives of the European Investment Bank lots of proposals from different Even though we are a European (EIB), where I work, is about countries and regions wanting bank, we also support the growth helping fund projects that will money to build wind and solar of clean energy further afield. I am bring down greenhouse gas farms. I look at these ideas and particularly proud of two projects emissions and protect people see which ones we should support. in Africa. One is a wind farm in and places against the impacts Last year, we invested in over 200 Kenya and is the largest ever built of climate change that are energy projects. Together, they on the continent, and the other is a already happening. supplied clean electricity to almost solar plant in Morocco which is one nine million homes! of the largest one of its kind in The EIB is owned by the 27 the world! countries of the European Union To decide which are the best I look, (EU) and we finance large projects with my team, at the technical I am proud of these projects that will benefit Europe’s citizens. aspects of the project. How because they will help Africa Recently, we made an important large are the blades of the wind produce more clean electricity and decision to become the first turbines? Are they the right ones supply it to homes where many bank in the world to stop giving for the wind conditions in a certain people today still live without any money to projects that could have area? How much electricity will access to electricity. negative effects on the climate they produce? and to focus on those that have a I like my job because I feel I am positive effect. We also want to make sure wind contributing something positive to and solar farms do not in any way the world. I like seeing our projects This is why we are also called the harm nature or wildlife in the fields come to life, and watching the EU Climate Bank. where the turbines and panels people in my team improve and will be installed. We check, for learn. I also really like working with To make sure we can fulfil this instance, whether birds flying in the people from many nationalities mission to the best of our ability, area would be affected by and cultures, both from Europe the EIB doesn’t just rely on blades rotating. and elsewhere. I lead a team of bankers, but employs a whole 15 people from eight different nationalities. I also travel to our project sites and get to see lots of new places and meet different people.
WHAT DID I NEED TO LEARN TO DO THIS JOB? I go to work by bus or by bike, and the next car I buy will be electric and I will charge it with renewable electricity! For many years, I did not really have a favourite subject and just liked going to school to make friends and do sport. But as I got older, I had a fantastic teacher, who led me to really love Alessandro Boschi is Head of the physics. I was fascinated by the different forms of energy Renewable Energy Division at and the laws that govern them. the European Investment Bank I went on to study electrical engineering at university as I (EIB), Luxembourg. wanted to better understand how we produce and transport electricity. After that, I studied business administration to understand how to run a company.
However, it was only after I had been working for some years that I realised that the future of energy could only be renewable. In my job, aside from knowing about renewable energy, you need to be good at managing and motivating different people. It also helps to speak different languages. 16 17 HAVING A POSITIVE IMPACT ON SOCIETY
’m from Ituiutaba, a small city students like I always wanted. clearly to them. This is especially in the state of Minas Gerais in I teach them about wind and other important when people don’t think Brazil. Learning was always a renewables and how these energy or feel about things in the same guiding force in my life. When I sources are growing in Brazil. Every way as you. was 17, my whole family moved to week the country has more and Uberlandia, another Brazilian city, more wind farms. Finally, it is important to so I could study in a university. understand the impact your work As the president of the wind has on society. In the case of wind I went from being a university association, I work with the energy, it is fabulous to know that student to wanting to be a government, companies and all this impact is positive. university teacher. But then I got a kinds of specialists to increase the job in the electricity sector instead. amount of wind energy in Brazil. Elbia Gannoum is President of the I’m glad I did because I ended up I help politicians and businesses as president of the Brazilian Wind answer any questions they have Brazilian Wind Energy Association Energy Association. Wind energy about wind power. I really enjoy ABEEolica. is very important in Brazil and we meeting such a variety of people. really like it; it is the second source of electricity in the country I especially like explaining how and we have more than 8,000 clean energy can bring jobs and wind turbines. money to communities living in places far away from large cities. In this job, I get to help Brazil have a better future by using even more In my work, it is also fundamental wind energy. Happily, I also get to be able to talk with lots of to give some classes to university different people and explain things
WHAT DID I NEED TO LEARN TO DO THIS JOB?
I’ve always enjoyed learning and at school I liked all subjects, but maths was my favourite. At university, I studied economics for four years, followed by electrical engineering.
Even as president of the Brazilian Wind Energy Association I have not finished studying and that will never happen. Right now I am learning about the use of hydrogen to generate power because this will be a technology that will be used a lot in the future.
It doesn’t matter if you want to be president of an association, head of a company or a researcher, what matters most is to ask yourself if what you want to do can have a positive impact on other people.
ELBIA, 42 18 19 BEING GOOD AT HENRIK, 63 MAKING NEW THINGS
’m an inventor. I create new First, we must stop carbon dioxide I were. It is great fun! The most wind power technologies to emissions from fossil fuels being interesting part of my job is when fight climate change. I built released into the atmosphere. I am figuring out new solutions my first wind turbine in 1976, We can do this by replacing fossil together with my team. In fact, and in 1978 I designed one of fuels with renewable energy. I have written it into my company’s the first modern wind turbines we description that we have to make use today. Back then, this was all Secondly, we need to make climate solutions, we have to very new and we had no idea that systems that can extract carbon create jobs and we have to wind turbines would become a big dioxide from the atmosphere. have fun! source of energy all around the world. What’s happened since is While we are already well advanced Being the boss has its good and amazing and I am very happy and with clean energy solutions, bad sides. It is good because you proud to have been part of this technologies to remove carbon can decide the best way to do story from the beginning. from the atmosphere still need a things and make sure the people lot more work. working for you are happy in their When I started building wind job. But it is bad in the sense that turbines it was not because of Wind is an important renewable you have all the responsibility and, climate change, but because energy. Windmills have been if you don’t do your job properly, a Denmark wanted to be able to around for a thousand years or lot of people can get hurt. generate its own energy instead more. The first windmills that of importing it from oil-producing were made to produce electricity Henrik Stiesdal is Inventor and countries in the Middle East. were invented by James Blyth in Scotland and Poul la Cour in Founder and Head of Stiesdal Concern about climate change Denmark, around 1890. More Offshore Technologies, Denmark. only really began in the late advanced versions, looking much 1980s. I realised very quickly that like today’s turbines, appeared in wind power was an answer to the 1940 and the really modern wind problem, and from then on I felt turbines came to life at the end of that I was part of something much the 1970s. bigger than just a mid-size Danish company. As for me, I became an inventor by chance; I just started fiddling I believe there are two around and discovered that I was very important solutions to good at making new things. I am climate change. not an engineer, but I work as if
WHAT DID I NEED TO LEARN TO DO THIS JOB?
My favourite subjects at school were physics, history, Danish, geography and biology.
I went to university, but I never graduated. I did about two-thirds of the studies to become a doctor before figuring out that it was not for me. I changed to physics and biology, but never got around to finishing the degree as my work in wind power was taking up all my time.
To build wind power technologies you need a good understanding of physics and a good understanding of people.
20 21 A GREAT TEACHER CHANGED MY LIFE
ake notice of your teachers! 40 times more powerful than they all do to make a difference. For Nobody in my family had were when I started working. It is example, we can encourage our ever been an engineer, but exciting how wind energy has gone governments to act against climate when I was choosing what from being relatively unimportant change by making it clear we want to study in university, my physics to playing a big role in providing them to reduce carbon emissions. teacher at school suggested I our electricity. think about engineering. I am very You can help make this happen by grateful to her as she set me off on In the UK, many people used to writing to your local politician to an amazing career path that has dislike wind turbines. Now though, ask them to build more wind farms, led me to where I am today. we have a lot of turbines out in the to set up lots of charging stations sea and we get more than 15% of to make it easy to use electric cars I work for DNV, a company which our electricity from wind. In Spain, and to create safe and convenient provides technical advice to they get more than 20%. It is bike lanes to make it easy to cycle. people building solar and wind exciting to be part of such farms or operating electricity big changes. LUCY CRAIG IS SENIOR grids. For example, if the owner of an electricity grid wants to One of the best aspects of my job VICE PRESIDENT OF know how much energy a wind is working with people from around GROWTH & INNOVATION AT farm will produce, how long it will the world. In the same day, I might last, where to put it, or how to speak to someone from India in DNV ENERGY SYSTEMS, adapt the electricity grid, we do the morning and to someone from THE NETHERLANDS. the calculations to answer such California in the late afternoon – questions. I am responsible for I love that diversity of culture! developing new ways to answer these questions more accurately People around the world care and more quickly. about climate change. They often feel they can’t do much about it, The most important project I am but there are lots of things we can working on is called the “digital transformation”, which means finding ways to use computing to do things faster and better than humans. It is similar to how schools now use computers and digital whiteboards instead of big encyclopaedias and WHAT DID I NEED TO messy blackboards. This kind of technological change has been LEARN TO DO THIS JOB? really impressive in the wind industry over the past 30 years. Wind turbines today are more than l loved French, maths and physics at school. When I went to university, I first studied electrical engineering and then I specialised in power system engineering. Next, I combined the two by studying electrical engineering for wind turbines.
As my job has changed, so have the skills I need. In the early years, I mostly needed my engineering skills. Then when I started managing projects, I had to be good at planning and organisation. As I have become a more senior manager, it has become more important to be good at dealing with different people and to be able to build strong teams and motivate them. LUCY, 56 22 23 SCIENCE AND CREATIVITY MAKE FOR A HEALTHY PLANET
rotecting the planet needs Around the year 2000, it became about wind farms, so they could to begin with ourselves. clear to me how important it was see what protecting the planet I have followed this belief that we respond to climate change means in their own lives. I hope all my life and I am now 80 and reduce carbon emissions. We all young people will understand years old! need to replace fossil fuels with that we must develop and use renewable energy and reduce renewable energy to keep our My job is to develop the best greenhouse gases. To make this planet clean and healthy. ways to use wind energy with the happen, a lot of different people goal of protecting the environment, need to cooperate. HE DEXIN IS PRESIDENT EMERITUS OF limiting climate change, producing green energy and improving human As the leader of a wind energy THE WORLD WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION health and wellbeing. I love my job association, I must have a vision AND HONORARY DIRECTOR OF CHINA very much and it is an important and see the “big picture”. part of my life. WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION, CHINA. Like the conductor of an orchestra, I mainly conduct scientific research I have to organise and coordinate and help university students learn each person in the team, while about wind engineering and working for a common goal. I have aerodynamics (the way air moves to believe in what I’m doing while around things). I do a lot of reading caring for my colleagues. in the library or my office, carry out I live by these goals in my work tests in the wind tunnel (a device and in my personal life. I took my that generates artificial wind), give two grandchildren to visit and learn lectures and tutor students in the classroom, and write papers or reports at home.
WHAT DID I NEED TO LEARN TO DO THIS JOB?
Maths, physics, nature and art were my favourite subjects at school. Literature and science complement each other. Culture and art can feed our scientific and creative thinking.
I studied aerodynamics at Northwestern Polytechnical University in China. I also enjoyed languages; I studied English and Russian.
In my job I need to carry out scientific experiments properly. To be an excellent scientist, you need to believe in your dreams. You need to be hard working, patient and creative, and want to continually improve things. You also need to have team spirit and a healthy body.
HE, 80 24 25 THE COAL MINERS’ FRIEND
always wanted to be helpful. Coal miners often think they can did part of my studies. I then lived As a child I thought the best only work in coal mines, but in in Cardiff in Wales and in Bruges in way to do this was to become reality they are very skilled workers Belgium, where I went to university. a policewoman, but instead I and highly trained in operating From there I moved to London in ended up helping coal regions. sophisticated machines, working England, where I started working. in difficult conditions, respecting If we are to halt global warming health and safety codes and many I come from a coal mining region. caused by climate change, we must are also trained electricians. With a My great grandfather worked in the stop digging up and burning coal, bit of retraining, they could easily coal mines in Belgium as a seasonal and instead use clean sources of work, for example, as technicians worker and my grandfather still energy such as wind and sun. This on wind turbines. today plays in a brass band in a means that coal miners in regions coal mine. So in my job I find it like Katowice in Poland, will have By 2050, we want Europe to have very interesting to travel to coal to find new jobs. no negative impact on the climate mining regions around Europe and and the environment, so we can see how, despite so many cultural My role in the European all live safer, healthier lives. But to differences, there are also so Commission is to help such regions achieve this vision, people need to many similarities. create new jobs and opportunities have the skills necessary to work in for people. I had a lot of new renewable energy jobs. Aleksandra Tomczak is a member experience working with fossil fuel industries, where the number of Though I feel very connected to of the cabinet of the executive jobs is decreasing. My current boss Poland and my family, I’ve always vice-president of the European thought this experience could be wanted to study, work and live helpful to the Commission. in different countries and meet Commission, Belgium. people with different cultures, The European Commission is based speaking different languages and in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, living different lives. When I lived and it proposes and implements in Poland there was very little laws and rules that apply to all 27 ethnic diversity and everyone countries in the European Union. looked similar. It made me want The Commission is working to to know what the rest of the world implement the European Green looks like. Deal to make our continent a I lived with a host family in France cleaner, more sustainable place to from the age of 15 and this is also live. I am part of the team which where I went to high school and coordinates this massive task.
There are 180,000 people working in coal mines in Europe. I can’t help them all personally. My job WHAT DID I NEED TO LEARN TO DO THIS JOB? is to suggest ways the European Commission can help national governments and regions create new jobs for these people. Back in school, I think maths was my favourite subject. I also liked being part of a school choir.
I went to three different universities, where I studied political science and European law. It took six years to complete my studies. I wish I could go back to university again - I love learning, and it is also where I met my closest friends.
In my job, the most important skills are listening, reading, writing and speaking. In my job it is important to be able to quickly understand complicated legal texts, negotiate, write speeches and communicate with colleagues and stakeholders from different countries and backgrounds. I speak Polish, French and English well, and I can also speak some Spanish and Bulgarian. ALEKSANDRA, 34 26 27 FROM HELICOPTERS TO WIND TURBINES
teach how wind energy works. which is a laboratory that generates I work with students, scientists, artificial wind. This simulates what engineers and researchers. My happens to wind turbines in the students are very enthusiastic, real world and my students do all and my colleagues are full of ideas kinds of interesting experiments and creativity. A lot of people think with the tunnel and the models. being a university science professor must be very dull, but it is not. You All this makes my course pretty get to make things and you have to popular with the students! come up with new ideas. Prof. Carlo L. Bottasso, Ph.D., I used to be a professor of flight mechanics, which meant I worked a is Chair of Wind Energy, Technical lot with helicopters. Helicopters are University of Munich, Germany. very complicated and sophisticated machines, but some of the technologies used to make them fly are also employed to make energy from wind.
For me, wind energy is a new and exciting area to work in!
As a professor, I spend more time doing research than teaching. But teaching can be fun.
For example, I use scaled models of wind turbines to show the students how wind energy works. My students use these mini versions of wind turbines to do experiments in a ‘’wind tunnel’’,
WHAT DID I NEED TO LEARN TO DO THIS JOB?
My favourite subject at school was maths, but I enjoyed all technical subjects. I studied aerospace engineering at university for eight years. Wind energy is very multidisciplinary, which means you have to put together different types of knowledge and skills such as aerodynamics (how air moves around things), structures, materials and electrical engineering.
If you want to work in renewable energy, I think it is good to know about engineering and maths. If you want to become more specialised, you can take courses in wind energy and become a real expert. CARLO, 58 28 29 GUARDIANS OF MARY, 42 THE LAND
first heard about climate company’s finance team and, over challenging but I don’t think it is change when I started the years, I worked my way up to more difficult for a woman, even as secondary school at the age of the top of the company. a mother, to lead a company, than 12. However, growing up on a a man. farm, I was always very aware how I love that I am working to improve important it was to look after the things, to build a better future for Since childhood, I have always countryside and the wildlife that all children, including my own. I thought that women can do what lived there. imagine a world where you will tell men can do. your children about climate change Both my dad and grandad were in the past tense, that it was an If I am the only woman in a room farmers and they used to speak enormous challenge we faced, but full of men, I like to think that my about being the “guardians of that people worked together on contribution can make a difference. the land”. My dad described this solutions to combat it, and that as having the responsibility to the problem has now been solved. I do hope, though, that by the safeguard the land and to pass it That thought motivates me time my daughter is old enough on, in better condition, to the every day. to find a job, it won’t happen very next generation. often that she is the only woman As Chief Executive Officer (CEO), in the room! This way of thinking really inspires I am in charge of the whole me to remember that we are company, which builds wind and Mary Quaney is Group responsible as humans to improve solar energy projects. We have the planet, not damage it, for you, offices in Chile, South Africa and Chief Executive Officer at our kids. Asia, and so I spend lots of time Mainstream Renewable speaking with my colleagues I joined my company as I knew that around the world. Power, Ireland. climate change was happening, that it was real, that we had to I am generally very busy at work change the way we made electricity and at home. I have three young and that renewable energy was children, and people often ask important for solving this problem. me if it is difficult to be a mother I began 12 years ago on the and run a big company. It can be
WHAT DID I NEED TO LEARN TO DO THIS JOB?
At school I loved maths, economics and French. At university I studied business and French for four years, and then I did a one-year master’s in accountancy (aimed at helping companies to manage their money).
It is important for me to be able to manage people well as we achieve more if we work together. I have to be good at encouraging and motivating my colleagues. To do this, I need to explain things clearly and listen carefully.
I remember the advice of one of my teachers: ’study what you are interested in and start from there’. I would pass that on. If you do what you enjoy and are interested in, and work hard, then you will end up in a job that you like. 30 31 PROTECTING OUR PLANET FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
ven as a young child I My colleagues and I talk with renewables than in other parts of felt that I belonged to important people who make the energy sector, but we still need every part of our beautiful decisions about energy in more of them in this workforce. planet. I am from Africa their countries. We study local I like to see girls given a chance as I have an Algerian dad and I conditions and how renewable to become doctors, engineers, am from Europe because I have a energy can be used and then astronauts, company directors or Czech mum. I was born in a small propose the best ways to make anything else they wish to be. town called Teplice in the Czech more renewable energy. Republic. It is a wonderful place Rabia Ferroukhi is Director surrounded by forests. We all need energy for light, heat and to get around. We need it to of Knowledge, Policy and Today I live in Abu Dhabi, the keep ourselves warm during the Finance Center at the capital of the United Arab winter and cool during the summer. Emirates, surrounded by the sea We need energy to charge our International Renewable and the desert. There are no phones, to play video games and Energy Agency (IRENA), forests here! Over the years, I to bake nice cakes. But the best have also lived in Algeria, France, energy comes from the wind and United Arab Emirates. Austria and the United States, the sun, or from other natural and I speak five languages, sources, as it does not pollute Arabic, Czech, French, German the planet. and English. The energy sector is responsible I’m the director of something for 70% of carbon dioxide called the Knowledge, Policy and emissions from oil, coal and natural Finance Centre at IRENA, the gas, which cause climate change. International Renewable Energy With renewable energy we can Agency. The centre studies what drastically reduce these emissions. governments should do to grow renewables and IRENA supports As well as providing clean energy, countries in their transition to renewables provide jobs for sustainable energy. many people.
The most interesting part of my Like every other sector, renewable job is convincing governments energy requires different people of the importance of using more with different talents. That of renewable energy to protect our course means women need to be planet for future generations. involved. More women work in
WHAT DID I NEED TO LEARN TO DO THIS JOB?
My favourite subjects at school were history and philosophy. I went to university, where I studied economics and political science for twelve years to get three diplomas.
The main skills needed for my job are writing, understanding economics (how money is created and used), leading teams, figuring out the energy needs of different countries and strategic thinking (thinking of how different things interact in the long-term). RABIA, 58 32 33 ALL PATHS LEAD TO THE SEA
he sea is the one big nacelle (the little box on top of the My job is so exciting because these constant in my life. I was wind turbine), to which we attach offshore technologies (the wind born in France in a small the blades, weighs more than 500 turbines at sea) can help reduce city nowhere near the sea, tonnes or 100 elephants!! carbon dioxide emissions that but I have always sailed and it is To manage the construction, we contribute to global warming. We where I feel closest to nature. Now, use a crane mounted on a special may not be able to stop climate I live with my family on the east boat with long legs that go all the change, but we can reduce its coast of Denmark, in a city called way down to the bottom of the consequences and not put the lives Aarhus, which is a great place for sea to make sure the boat is stable of millions and millions of people sailing. I help build wind turbines when we lift the big components. at risk. We need to put all our in the sea so they can be used to We first build the foundations, the intelligence and efforts to live on produce clean electricity. For me, feet and the legs, before adding this planet in a more sustainable it is the perfect job! a tall tower, the body of the wind way. It is our home, there is no turbine, and at the top of the Planet B. I used to go offshore to visit the tower, we put on the nacelle, the turbines at sea in my past job, but head or face of the turbine. Finally, Philippe Kavafyan is former Chief now as the big boss, or the chief we attach three blades to the executive officer (CEO), I spend face’s nose. Executive Officer at MHI Vestas most of my time in the office and Offshore Wind, Denmark. in meetings. But I like to escape to In the future, turbines may be the sea with our customers when I even bigger than they are today, have the chance! but they will also look simpler. There will be so many turbines Building wind turbines in the sea that we need to find the simplest is like making a massive Lego ways possible to install them and construction. We have to be very to keep them working. We will precise because the components need to use similar components in are seriously heavy. Each blade all turbines and to use robots or weighs 40 tonnes, equivalent to drones to inspect and even the weight of 10 elephants, and the repair them.
WHAT DID I NEED TO LEARN TO DO THIS JOB?
My favourite subject at school was physics, but I also liked literature and history. After school, I went to two engineering schools in France. I studied there for six years in total, but I needed breaks in between, and so I studied three times for two years.
Offshore wind projects take many years and so one of the most important skills you need is anticipation, to be able to plan what will happen next.
The second most important skill for my job is probably coordination between different people: to help, for example, the finance people communicate with the engineers and the recruitment team.
Finally, you need to bring positive energy and passion to work, people only do well what they like doing and so it is important to do a job that motivates and pleases you. PHILIPPE, 53 34 35 NATALIA, 34 TOUGH CABLES THAT CAN TAKE A LOT OF TWISTING
have always loved science, The most important cables are amazing process where lots of old and as a child I was interested those that carry electricity from prejudices about what women can in space-related topics. What the generator in the nacelle (the and can’t do are being questioned, amazed me the most were the box on the top of the tower) to the and I am confident that in some videos of the people in the control transformer on the ground. These years, the situation will be much tower during rocket launches, cables have to be very tough. The more equal. especially during the countdown. upper part of the wind turbine I don’t work at NASA, as I once rotates to follow the direction of Natalia Zacur is an Electrical dreamt, but I am very happy the wind and so the cables have to working as an electrical engineer. take a lot of twisting. Consultant, Argentina.
I carry out studies on electrical It was challenging for me to get infrastructure, such as generators, to where I am today. Several times power lines and anything related I was told I couldn’t become an to energy consumption, to help engineer because I was a woman. companies and the government However, I never listened to the make decisions about people who told me this. Instead, renewable energy. I studied hard, made lots of good friends, graduated from university In a wind turbine, there are many and found work in the area that I cables that need to be fully was interested in, namely energy. understood. Some cables are Even though women are not yet related to control systems, others seen as equal to men in Argentina, to communications or batteries. the country is going through an
WHAT DID I NEED TO LEARN TO DO THIS JOB?
My favourite subjects at school were maths, physics and music. I went to university to become an electrical engineer, and I recently started studying again for a master’s degree in renewable energy, specialising in wind energy.
For my job, you need to know a lot about applied science (science that you use) and maths, be very organised and be good at working in teams. I am very curious and I always like to learn new things. I’m also very good at speaking in public and explaining technical things to different people.
36 37 SAVING THE PLANET CAN BE GOOD BUSINESS
work for a company that brings I like meeting with our customers. environmental activist, and my clean, green, renewable energy I like learning about the energy seven-year-old daughter is a to the world. I always dreamt problems they have and vegetarian. My wife and I try to of having a job that could demonstrating how technology teach them about the importance make a positive impact, and I can solve them. of protecting the climate. I drive an love being able to show people electric car, which runs mostly on and companies that they can make The other part of my job that I electricity from the solar panels on money while saving the planet for love is travelling. I’ve been lucky the roof of our house. many generations to come, with enough to visit 40 countries. I was projects that are clean and green. born and grew up in India, spent At university, I had a professor who some time in France, and today I taught us about solar energy and I don’t actually build solar panels live in the United States. made us write a report about how or wind turbines, but I help sell my much potential it has. That is what company’s products by explaining Learning about new cultures is got me interested in renewables to people why, in the long term, it is super interesting and perhaps that and helped me become the person better for them and for the climate is why I married my wife, who is I am today. I’m very glad I met him. to invest money in renewables, Ukrainian-American. I speak four rather than in fossil fuels. languages, English, some Russian, Balki Iyer is Chief Commercial plus Tamil and Hindi, which are When people buy a house, for spoken in India. My wife speaks Officer at Eos Energy Storage, example, they pay for it over many Ukrainian - we are very multilingual United States. years. It is important to show our in our house! customers that over the long-term buying renewables offers much I’m also very proud that my more value than spending money children care about the planet. on oil or coal. My 13-year-old daughter is an
WHAT DID I NEED TO LEARN TO DO THIS JOB?
When I was at school in India, maths was my favourite subject because you knew you were either right or wrong.
After school I went to three universities. First in India to study mechanical engineering. I then moved to the United States where I studied chemistry, engineering, and then business. In total, I spent nine years at university.
In my job, you need to be very organised since you juggle many things at the same time and be passionate about what you do.
BALKI, 46 38 39 LAW GOT ME TO WIND
eople used to say The sale of wind turbines is a can get tricky because we don’t ‘renewables are fantastic, complex affair involving all kinds really know how things work inside but they are too expensive’. of technical considerations and other companies and how they It is incredible to see how the specifics of each location and decide what wind turbines to offer that has changed in the last 10 client. But it is not just about data and at what price. years. Renewables, especially wind, and technicalities, it is also about are able to compete against coal, people’s lives and politics. I love that the turbines we sell against nuclear, against all other can generate electricity for lots energy technologies. For example, renewables are of people without harming the replacing coal, but a lot of jobs and environment. Our turbines are very I sell wind turbines throughout places are still dependent on coal big. Just one of them can produce Africa, but especially in South in South Africa and in some other six megawatts of electricity, which Africa where I live. I started out countries. People have concerns is enough to power around 4,000 studying law - I wanted to protect about that. We have to take homes. This is a sector with a people’s rights - and management. their worries into consideration future, and I would encourage kids It was just as I was finishing my and make sure our clean energy to look at it. There will be great studies that the renewable energy projects contribute positively to opportunities across the globe. programme in South Africa was local development by creating jobs starting out. And that’s how I and buying local goods Toni Beukes is Renewable Energy ended up in renewables. and products. Sales Leader, onshore wind division My legal studies come in handy in The sale of a wind turbine starts at GE, South Africa. the work I do now. First, there is when a potential client, either a lot of work with big voluminous a small local company or a big contracts and I’m trained to deal international power company with that. Also, I have a good that wants to build a wind farm, understanding of the implications contacts us. They have details of anti-corruption and anti-bribery about the site where they want laws, and what to do, or not to do, to construct, such as the wind to make sure we don’t accidentally conditions on it. We propose the break any rules. Most importantly, most appropriate type of wind law teaches you to identify very turbine for their needs and they quickly the key issues of a compare our offer with those of given situation. other companies. That is where it
WHAT DID I NEED TO LEARN TO DO THIS JOB?
English was my favourite subject at school - I especially enjoyed learning new words. English got me to law and law got me to wind.
I studied for seven years at university and have three law degrees and a management degree.
The most important skills for my job are the ability to plan strategically, analyse things, communicate well, collaborate and get on well with people, and to give the right tasks to the right people in my team.
When choosing a job, it is most important to ask yourself what you are naturally good at and what brings you joy. This way, you will find a career that makes you happy. TONI, 41 40 41 NICOLAS, 38 DRONES AND DREAMS
our job should never be If we all work together, we have a It is worth following your dreams boring! I make sure I have better chance of installing enough as much as you can. Your horizons as much fun as possible and renewable energy to stop climate widen so much when you become keep learning new things. change spiralling out of control. an adult and trying to follow your dreams can help you not to get My job involves three tasks. I started to work on wind energy lost. Not all dreams come true First, I help develop wind energy when I left university nine years (I didn’t become an astronaut), projects all over the world, ago and joined my current but I am happy with what I have making sure the amount of wind is company. I began looking at the achieved and I’m still interested in correctly estimated and the right blades and how to inspect them outer space. wind turbine type is used for every with cameras and drones. It was site. This allows us to plan energy so exciting that I decided to do Nicolas Quievy is Wind production for the next this full-time. Wind energy is 25-30 years! in constant evolution - the size Onshore Technology Manager of wind turbines has more than at Engie, Belgium. Secondly, I help my colleagues doubled in a decade! All this when there are problems with change is quite challenging and I any of the wind turbines, such as like it! when a blade is hit by lightning and damaged. Thirdly, I find As a child, I wanted to become an ways to make the wind turbines astronaut. I am fascinated by the reliably produce as much energy universe, the solar system and the as possible. For example, using potential discovery of new worlds. drones to check the blades and I still dream when I look at the verify that there are no cracks or night sky. It is also urgent to take other damage to them. climate action and renewable What I like most is meeting people energy technologies are part of from all over the world who are this. I am happy to contribute to passionate about wind technology. this cause. I like sharing experiences as this sometimes leads to new projects.
WHAT DID I NEED TO LEARN TO DO THIS JOB?
Science, especially chemistry and physics, and maths were my favourite subjects at school. I went to an engineering school in Belgium, which meant a lot of maths, physics and chemistry.
It took me five years to get my degree, then I spent five more years studying to become a doctor in science (not a medical doctor).
Science is necessary for my job as I need to understand how wind energy works. However, soft skills are equally important. These include mastering digital technologies, oral communication, writing and working in teams.
If you think you might want to work in the field of renewable energy, I would advise you to study the basics of the technologies (you can already start now), identify the best institutions giving classes in the subjects you like, and always be curious about learning new things.
The future will be a mix of technologies and digital. Be prepared! 42 43
CLEAN ENERGY FOR THE CLOUD
’m a bit of a nomad, having pledge to become carbon screens for my job. We should lived on all five continents. negative. This means that in less think about why and when we need My mum is Indian and my than 10 years we will remove from computers, tablets and phones. dad is French. I was born in the environment more carbon than A pen and piece of paper can often Dijon, France but I now live in we emit. And by 2050, we believe get the job done. Washington, DC in the United we’ll be able to remove from the States, and I have lived in India, environment all the carbon that When I was little, I wanted to be Algeria, Morocco, the UK, Spain, Microsoft has emitted since the an astronaut, but I am sticking Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and company was founded in 1975! with Earth now as she’s the most Kenya. All this travelling has made beautiful planet we have. If we it clear to me that we share one These aims are challenging and tackle climate change together, planet and that we all need to pull meeting them will be complex, but we will be able to hand her over together to stop climate change. the first step is making sure that in a good state to the generations we run as many of our offices and to come. I work for the technology giant our operations on wind and solar Microsoft to help build sustainable power. My work contributes to this Vanessa Miler is Director cloud infrastructure. This sounds bigger picture. complicated, but basically of Energy Innovation and “the cloud” is where the internet For my job, I spend lots of time on impact at Microsoft, and information is stored on big the phone discussing projects and servers [like a turbo version of ideas and then writing them down. United States. the computer in your home or office]. These servers need a lot of I try to limit screen use in the electricity to keep working. home, but it is difficult when I spend so much time looking at My team tries to reduce the energy needed by the cloud and make sure the energy it does use comes from clean sources, such as wind and solar power. WHAT DID I NEED TO
This way, we can store photos, LEARN TO DO THIS JOB? play video games and talk over Teams or Skype with our friends and family in different parts of In school, history was my favourite subject. the world, without damaging the I then studied public affairs and economics in Paris, climate.Climate action is really graduated with a degree in public administration, important to Microsoft. In January and then went to work for the French government 2020, we made a super ambitious for several years.
In my job now, the most important skills are problem-solving, negotiating and multi-tasking.
VANESSA, 37 44 45 WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
s a child I was always We first looked at farm objects if they see such objects used in drawing maps of and airplanes and then we came playgrounds and other parts of imaginary islands full across the rotor blades. After some their built environment. of railways, cities and research and small experiments, forests, and creating worlds out of they turned out to be very good In this kind of work, I think it’s Lego. I think that’s why I decided for making playgrounds. important not to be afraid of failing to become an architect. But I didn’t or creating something that no one want to be just any old architect; I think my company was the first to likes. It’s always a bit stressful to I wanted to use my skills to help recycle wind turbines in this way, show something you have created, solve the environmental problems but it is really great to see lots of as you never know how people will the world is facing. other companies using parts of old respond. However, even getting wind turbines in creative ways. negative reactions can help as it My colleagues and I couldn’t We have also made a bus shelter, pushes me to work harder and to believe so many things were city benches, a billboard for a explain better what we are doing thrown away, after all the money, recycling centre and some smaller and why. knowledge and energy used to pieces of furniture out of reused create them. We wanted to show turbine parts. I’ve also worked If you have an open mind and try what could be done with waste, on, or seen, designs for bridges, to see possibilities where others by using it in our designs. We campsites and garden furniture. might not, being an architect can now design buildings, objects and be a good job for you. Apart from artworks out of waste materials. I am sure we will soon see all being creative, you do a lot of types of waste being used in many talking, writing and some maths. For me, it is really cool when I’m interesting ways. I like turning out and about to see my projects something that was going to be Jos de Krieger is and point them out to friends thrown away into something useful and family. One of my favourite and beautiful. architect at Superuse, designs is a playground I made out the Netherlands of rotor blades (the things that spin Reusing old wind turbines is better around) from a wind turbine. What’s for the planet than sending them funny is that we only stumbled on to landfill, incinerating them or how to do this by chance. We were even recycling them. I also think looking for big volumes of waste parents and children will become to transform into a playground. more aware of climate change
WHAT DID I NEED TO LEARN TO DO THIS JOB?
I studied architecture at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. To get into the Faculty of Architecture I had to study maths, physics and chemistry. It is important to have a broad interest in all kinds of topics and a bit of technical understanding.
It took me six and a half years to finish two degrees. I also did other things, like being on the student council, an additional degree in sustainability and some studies in Sweden.
JOS, 36 46 47 GLOSSARY OF TERMS EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Accountancy: A system to enormously, promoting more local Rotor blades: These are the most Aadhya, 10, Darmstadt, Germany Leo, 13, Brussels, Belgium manage business records and and sustainable products, creating important parts of wind turbines. Aitor, 13, Bilbao, Spain Lihle, 14, South Africa, Johannesburg w>V>>VVÕÌÃvÀ>Ì better jobs for people and many They capture wind and transform it concerning money). other projects that aim at making our into energy. They can have different Alice, 11, Brussels, Belgium Maddison, 12, Port Stephens, Australia lives more environmentally friendly. lengths and shapes to catch different Alvaro, 12, Galapagar, Spain Maialen, 12, Bilbao, Spain Carbon emissions: Greenhouse types of wind. Anjini, 10, New Delhi, India Maider, 14, Bilbao, Spain gases, released when we burn fossil Finance: The management of money. fuels such as coal, oil and gas, are Solar farm: When lots of solar panels Annika, 11, San Ramon, US Maja, 10, Warsaw, Poland causing global warming. are built together in an organised Fossil fuels: Oil, gas and coal are Antonia, 14, Chile Manuela, 10, Brussels, Belgium fossils fuels as they are made from manner to capture the sun’s energy Clean energy: Energy from resources the fossils of animals and plants and generate electricity. Ashley, 13, Venezuela Marek, 11, Warsaw, Poland that do not release greenhouse gas buried in the earth, which have Bayandza, 14, South Africa Mario, 8, Madrid, Spain emissions, such as wind and sun. broken down over millions of years. Sustainable: When humans live Burning them releases lots of energy and interact with the environment Camila, 12, Buenos Aires, Argentina Mata, 10, Izmir, Turkey Climate change: The process of and greenhouse. and its natural resources in a smart Celina, 11, Brussels, Belgium May, 8, Oxford, UK and careful way. It is important to changes in the environment around Chloé, 11, Brussels, Belgium Mehrta, 8, Paris, France us over a period of time. These Global warming: The increase in ensure there will be enough natural changes include the warming of the Earth’s average temperature over a resources (food, water, plants and Cynthia, 10, Chennai, India Miguel, 12, Bilbao, Spain animals) left for future generations. Earth’s surface and rising sea levels long period of time. Davi, 12, France Milosz, 11, Brussels, Belgium caused by humans burning fossil We should use all resources in a Dylan, 8, Dublin, Ireland Mohamad, 8, Dublin, Ireland fuels and releasing greenhouse gases Greenhouse gases: Burning fossil thoughtful, and not a wasteful, way. into the atmosphere. fuels releases greenhouse gases, Edie, 6, Dublin, Ireland Nachiket, 14, Pune, India such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and Waste materials: Items which are Elisa, 11, Brussels, Belgium Ola, 10, Brussels, Belgium Deposition: A process where methane, which are causing thrown away and become rubbish, materials such as soil or rocks are climate change. like the wrapping on a chocolate bar. Ella, 10, Brussels, Belgium Pranav, 13, Chennai, India Some of this waste can be recycled transported by wind, water or ice to Elliott, 10, Bristol, UK Rafael, 7, Vilvoorde, Belgium make up a new land type, such as Master’s degree or Master’s: into new products or reused for a mountain. A degree (diploma) awarded by a another purpose. Elsa, 9, Izmir, Turkey Rosa, 12, Aarhus, Denmark college or university, to students Emma, 9, Brussels, Belgium Sanshray, 11, New Delhi, India Electricity grid: The network who have successfully completed a Wind farm: A group of wind Emma, 12, London, UK Sara, 10, Pamplona, Spain for generating and distributing number of subjects and passed the turbines that are built and connected electricity, which connects power iÝ>ð/ ÃÕÃÕ>ÞÌ>iÃvÕÀÌwÛi together either on land or at sea. Fran, 8, Antwerp, Belgium Sejin, 11, Seoul, South Korea plants or wind farms to our homes, years of studies. Giulia, 10, Milan, Italy Skylar, 12, South Africa ÃV Ã]vwViÃ>`v>VÌÀið 9KPFƃQYU The movement of air. NASA: The National Aeronautics Harkirat, 12, London, UK Sofia, 8, Madrid, Spain Erosion: The process whereby soil is and Space Administration in the US, Wind tunnel: A long chamber Ignacio, 12, Bilbao, Spain Sofie, 9, Lima, Peru washed away by wind or water which studies space and space travel. through which air is forced through to test how the wind reacts in Ignacy, 10, Zurich, Switzerland Stavros, 12, Chania, Greece European law: The set of rules which Political science: The study of how different circumstances. Iker, 11, Barcelona, Spain Tatiana, 14, St Helena Bay, South Africa guides the way people live in the groups of people make decisions Joaquin, 14, Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines Thierry, 10, London, UK European Union. together, through governments or other forms of agreement. Jon, 9, Bilbao, Spain Tosia, 12, Warsaw, Poland European Commission: Jordan, 10, Dunedin, New Zealand Tyla, 10, Johannesburg, South Africa The organisation at the centre of Renewable energy or sustainable Jorge, 10, Madrid, Spain Unax, 12, Pamplona, Spain the European Union, which suggests energy: Energy from resources that policies to create change in Europe. are naturally replaceable and don’t Julius , 8, Mannheim, Germany Vicente, 12, Chile pollute the environment, such as Katherine, 15, Seattle, Washington, US Viggo, 8, Aarhus, Denmark European Green Deal: This is wind, water and sun. the European Union’s plan to Krzysztof, 14, Warsaw, Poland Yakira, 11, South Africa become more sustainable by Laura, 8, Brussels, Belgium Yannick, 10, Mannheim, Germany reducing greenhouse gas emissions Leo, 8, Washington DC, US
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