Other Technical Areas
Green Skills
The energy transition is accelerating, demanding a holistic understanding of the key components needed to build a durable and resilient energy economy. A skilled workforce is essential to achieving the ambitious targets that countries set in their development plans. As economies shift from a predominantly carbon-based to green and energy efficient economy, specialised training and qualifications become increasingly critical. This requires the introduction of a diverse set of targeted educational programmes across academic levels and technical applications – spanning everything from university degrees to hands-on training in manufacturing and installation.
The development sector has recognised this need and focused efforts to implement targeted projects that often combine education & curricula development with construction of schools and private sector training facilities.
These TVET (technical and vocational education & training) projects deal with complex institutional setups and use in depth labor market assessments to develop the most suitable teaching offer. Gender considerations are very closely linked to this field as the green economy offers a significant opportunity to improve women’s participation in the energy sector, historically dominated by men in fossil fuel industries.
NIRAS is specialised in all three areas of education & skills, energy and gender. We apply an interdisciplinary approach in most of our projects and welcome the integrated nature of this challenge.
Key Assignments
Energy Efficiency in Mobility
Closely linked to the energy sector and growing in importance is the topic of mobility. Looking at the energy consumption globally, the transport sector takes up a huge share. In 2022, transport activities accounted for 31 % of final energy consumption in the EU. In a move to cut back this number the combustion engine will lose its dominant position in favor of electric vehicles, e-fuels and other clean alternatives. Many governments and international institutions have set significant goals – such as the 2035 phaseout of CO2-emitting cars by EU – to reach an emission reduction in this sector.
The wider answer to this challenge is to think mobility in its various forms and generate innovative solutions. Rapid urbanization poses stress to agglomeration areas and its infrastructure. The goal is to enable societies and economies to cater for an environment in which choices can be made towards more efficient and cleaner modes of transport.
In order to facilitate the worldwide technology exchange and accelerate the development towards a cleaner transport sector it is important to anchor adequate policies within national legislation and support businesses to roll out this shift with concrete adoption of mobility solutions. These solutions go far beyond the transport sector and e.g. comprise smart home systems that use intelligent charging cycles to optimize the use of electricity. The ability to communicate with a smart power grid and cover power demands where needed whilst storing overproduced electricity in low demand times is another important step closer to EE optimization.
In all these facets of EE in mobility NIRAS sees ample opportunity to lend its expertise and exchange productive ideas.
Key Assignments
Energy & Gender
NIRAS has a strong focus on promoting gender equality within the energy sector, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goal 5. The global challenge of gender equality in the energy sector is a complex issue that requires a multi-faceted approach. Women are often underrepresented in this sector, which can limit the diversity and talent pool available. Addressing this underrepresentation is essential for creating a more gender-inclusive workforce. Furthermore, promoting gender equality in energy access has wide-ranging benefits. It not only improves women's livelihoods, safety, and well-being, but also enables their participation in clean energy businesses and challenges gender norms. Women's involvement in the energy sector can lead to increased gender equality and better last-mile distribution of clean energy solutions. Training opportunities for women in solar energy can be particularly successful in challenging social norms, increasing equality, decreasing poverty, promoting sustainable energy, and mitigating climate change.
NIRAS has been actively working to address these challenges through a variety of initiatives. For instance, NIRAS has been delivering training in EE, designing funding mechanisms for energy, and promoting the productive use of energy in decentralized areas, always with a gender perspective.
One example of this is the GIZ-funded Renewable Energy Programme (PEERR), where NIRAS provided advice to the GIZ Gender-Energy Community in Bolivia on engendering training courses and workshops.
Additionally, NIRAS managed a 9-million EUR regional project “EEP Mekong II” in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, which focused on improving access to sustainable energy while mitigating global climate change, and included mainstreaming human rights-based approach, gender, and climate sustainability in community-based projects. In the broader consultancy sector, there is a growing recognition of the importance of gender equality in the energy sector. Consultancies are increasingly providing services to support gender mainstreaming in energy projects, from conducting gender analyses and developing gender action plans, to providing capacity-building and training to enhance gender equality in the energy sector. They are also working with a range of stakeholders, including governments, NGOs, and private companies, to promote gender equality in the energy sector. This work is contributing to the sector's growth and development, and is helping to challenge and change gender norms.
