Shaping Shetland’s renewable future: meet the graduates supporting growth at Shetland Aerogenerators

Shetland Aerogenerators Ltd (SAL) has been at the forefront of renewable energy in Shetland since 1992. Based in Lerwick, the company owns and operates the Burradale and Luggie’s Knowe wind farms and has built a strong reputation as a developer and operator of onshore wind.

As the energy landscape evolves, so too does SAL. With major renewable opportunities emerging across Shetland, the company has expanded its Development and Operations & Maintenance teams, enhancing their capability to service the islands’ clean energy industry. 

With help from a graduate placement programme from HIE, Shetland Aerogenerators has welcomed new talent to focus on projects from energy storage and grid services to education and community engagement.

We caught up with two of the graduates, Lauren and James, to hear more about their journeys, what they’ve learned, and why Shetland is a great place to kick-start a career in renewables.

Hear from James Bell 

If you’re considering a move to Shetland for work in the energy or engineering sectors, I’d say give it a go.

I think that when people visit for the first time, they’re surprised at just how much there is going on here - especially in the energy and engineering sectors.

And for me that’s great.

Being where it is, Shetland is maybe not for everyone, but it has such a unique culture and landscape. The peace and freedom you feel from living here is something you don’t find in many places. 

I grew up here and went to school in Sandwick and Lerwick. After a gap year from formal education, I spent six years studying in Edinburgh, initially mechanical engineering before changing to a course focused more on programming.

In 2024 I graduated with a master’s degree in Robotics, Autonomous and Interactive Systems. The variety of projects I worked on during my studies inspired my interest in project management, and this led me to apply for the Graduate Placement at Shetland Aerogenerators.

One of the main attractions of this placement was to be part of a small, local business and all of the opportunities that arise because of that. I sit in the same office as the finance team, HSQE manager, development manager and chief executive.

This means I’m exposed to all the different aspects of the business. From payroll to health and safety, it’s so interesting to be able to see the full spectrum of what goes on. 

The first thing I noticed when I started working here was the huge range of jobs and opportunities that are and will be available for young people in the coming years. I’ve attended a few events within the renewables sector and at each event it has been clear that there will be demand for workers in the future. 

I’ve also been surprised at how much change is going on in the industry just now. It feels like every day there is something new.

Shetland Aerogenerators has been around for a long time, with the original idea for a wind farm in Shetland being older than me! This means that as a company, there is over 25 years of industry knowledge and experience I can learn from. 

I think the project that has stood out to me the most has been the extension of our Luggie’s Knowe site. We received planning permission in November last year, which is a huge step in a wind farm project and it’s the closest to construction.

This makes everything feel very real, and the focus is on the physical construction rather than planning.

One of the many things I’ve learned from the project is how complicated the grid is. Before starting this job, I understood what the grid was but had no understanding of how deeply complex and interesting it could be to a project.

I’ve really enjoyed this aspect of my work and will hopefully learn a lot more in the future. 

Although we’re a small team, the experience and knowledge we have locally means that as a company we have a much larger influence and say than our size might suggest. This gives us the opportunity to participate in the many discussions regarding the future of the energy industry in Shetland, Scotland and even the UK. 

Sullom Voe oil Terminal has been open for over 40 years. Viking Wind Farm has recently been finished, and many other large-scale projects are being built. This means there has been a constant chain of development, which doesn’t look like it is going to slow down anytime soon.

These developments all come with opportunities, which makes Shetland a great place to work."

Want to read more?..

Hear from the other graduate placement working with Shetland Aerogenerators Ltd

Read Lauren's blog