Energy analyst to renewable energy consultant
An energy analyst already meets 35% of what the renewable energy consultant role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
70.1/ 100
1 How much of what a renewable energy consultant is expected to do is already part of an energy analyst’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the renewable energy consultant role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A renewable energy consultant role treats 11 of its required skills as things an energy analyst already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on carbon emissions reduction
- advise on heating systems energy efficiency
- alternative energy
- corporate sustainability
- energy conservation
- energy efficiency
What stands in the way is 14 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A renewable energy consultant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an energy analyst background worth leading with.
- already held inform customers on energy consumption fees communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held advise on carbon emissions reduction communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held resource-efficient technologies engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held alternative energy engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held advise on heating systems energy efficiency communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held corporate sustainability business, administration and law
All 13 carried skills, including the 11 the renewable energy consultant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 35 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn instruct on energy saving technologies required
- still to learn provide information on geothermal heat pumps required
- still to learn develop professional network required
- still to learn inform on government funding required
- still to learn promote environmental awareness required
- optional, not held advise on utility consumption optional
- optional, not held identify customer's needs optional
- optional, not held negotiate improvement with suppliers optional
- optional, not held prospect new customers optional
- optional, not held answer requests for quotation optional
- optional, not held attend trade fairs optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held negotiate terms with suppliers optional
- still to learn characteristics of products required
- still to learn wind energy required
- still to learn solar products required
- optional, not held green building standards optional
- optional, not held sustainability consulting optional
- optional, not held domestic heating systems optional
- optional, not held industrial heating systems optional
- still to learn assess customers required
- still to learn provide information on wind turbines required
- still to learn provide information on solar panels required
- still to learn characteristics of services required
- still to learn market analysis required
- optional, not held sales argumentation optional
- optional, not held sales strategies optional
- optional, not held electricity market optional
- still to learn perform market research required
- optional, not held assess supplier risks optional
- optional, not held carry out sales analysis optional
- optional, not held perform a feasibility study on biogas energy optional
- optional, not held perform a feasibility study on mini wind power optional
- optional, not held perform smart grid feasibility study optional
- optional, not held identify suppliers optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a renewable energy consultant role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assess customers practise this
- 02 characteristics of products study this
- 03 characteristics of services study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 13 skills that carry over
- already held advise on carbon emissions reduction skill
- already held advise on heating systems energy efficiency skill
- already held alternative energy knowledge
- already held corporate sustainability knowledge
- already held energy conservation knowledge
- already held energy efficiency knowledge
- already held identify energy needs skill
- already held promote sustainable energy skill
- already held renewable energy knowledge
- already held resource-efficient technologies knowledge
- already held solar energy knowledge
- already held energy performance of buildings knowledge
- already held inform customers on energy consumption fees skill
21 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise on utility consumption optional
- optional, not held assess supplier risks optional
- optional, not held carry out sales analysis optional
- optional, not held green building standards optional
- optional, not held identify customer's needs optional
- optional, not held negotiate improvement with suppliers optional
- optional, not held perform a feasibility study on biogas energy optional
- optional, not held perform a feasibility study on mini wind power optional
- optional, not held perform smart grid feasibility study optional
- optional, not held prospect new customers optional
- optional, not held sales argumentation optional
- optional, not held sales strategies optional
- optional, not held sustainability consulting optional
- optional, not held answer requests for quotation optional
- optional, not held attend trade fairs optional
- optional, not held domestic heating systems optional
- optional, not held electricity market optional
- optional, not held identify suppliers optional
- optional, not held industrial heating systems optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held negotiate terms with suppliers optional
18 held skills the renewable energy consultant role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse energy consumption skill
- not needed by the target role analyse energy market trends skill
- not needed by the target role carry out energy management of facilities skill
- not needed by the target role collaborate on international energy projects skill
- not needed by the target role computer simulation knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct energy audit skill
- not needed by the target role develop energy policy skill
- not needed by the target role develop energy saving concepts skill
- not needed by the target role energy knowledge
- not needed by the target role energy market knowledge
- not needed by the target role energy sector policies knowledge
- not needed by the target role energy transformation knowledge
- not needed by the target role execute feasibility study on hydrogen skill
- not needed by the target role forecast energy prices skill
- not needed by the target role prepare energy performance contracts skill
- not needed by the target role provide information on hydrogen skill
- not needed by the target role state estimation knowledge
- not needed by the target role zero-energy building design knowledge
12 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn characteristics of products required
- still to learn characteristics of services required
- still to learn wind energy required
- still to learn market analysis required
- still to learn solar products required
- optional, not held green building standards optional
- optional, not held sales argumentation optional
- optional, not held sales strategies optional
- optional, not held sustainability consulting optional
- optional, not held domestic heating systems optional
- optional, not held electricity market optional
- optional, not held industrial heating systems optional
Common questions about this move
Can an energy analyst become a renewable energy consultant?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An energy analyst already covers 35% of what a renewable energy consultant is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 11 of which the renewable energy consultant role treats as required.
What skills does an energy analyst need to become a renewable energy consultant?
14 required skills are missing, plus 21 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is assess customers.
How hard is the move from energy analyst to renewable energy consultant?
Its learning distance is 70.1 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.