The oil and gas industry provides three quarters of the UK’s primary energy alone and globally it is responsible for more energy output than any other fuel production areas. There are many changes coming about in the oil and gas industry as a direct result of this constant demand, with new means of sourcing oil and gas being looked at every day on a global perspective. The increased demand and the limited supply of both these fuels means the oil and gas industry has many difficult challenges ahead in the next decade and beyond, making it a very interesting sector to break into.

Oil and gas jobs represent a huge part of the job market in the UK, with positions ranging from customer-facing roles in public relations to commissioning jobs and project management jobs in the global arena. Ensuring a safe supply to those countries dependent on oil and gas for their economic prosperity is a difficult challenge the oil and gas industry has to face up to with depleting supplies and more countries becoming moredependent every day. Perhaps unsurprisingly this has led to a greater number of project management jobs in smaller countries where the emphasis is on working with the people and securing their future in terms of cleaner and sustainable fuel production.

Whatever your discipline, from engineering to geology and exploration engineering, there is a position within the oil and gas industry to accommodate your skills. Most oil and gas jobs will require a basic understanding of the challenges faced by the industry today and some will form a platform for the beginnings of solutions to those problems. Becoming part of the solution to a global problem is the toughest challenge the industry has ever had to face is what makes starting a new career in the oil and gas industry appealing to many. Providing an oil and gas supply to consumers throughout the world may involve a great deal of traveling to ensure supply is reliable and clean. Depending on your role, it could also involve working in harsh environments such as drilling jobs offshore in the North Sea to supplying energy onshore to meet the high demands of the UK alone.

Each of these areas has a wealth of positions available. Having a degree in your chosen area of work within this industry will of course stand you in the best stead as so many vocational degrees involve practical training and experience. Whether you’re looking for a project engineering job or a mechanical job, a background in engineering will stand you in good stead in the oil and gas industry and give employers the confidence that you are able to meet the needs of this global sector. However, even without an engineering or related qualification, there are now many ways to enter into the oil or gas sector than ever before, and those with peoplemanagement skills are as welcome as those who have previously been involved with installation and piping jobs in unrelated industries.

It’s on a very basic level that chemical energy is stored. A chemical compound is composed of very simple collections of atoms, bound together. When the bond between these atoms loosens, a chemical reaction takes place and new combinations are created. Very simple reactions, such as the oxidation of metals occurs almost constantly. However, when a chemical reaction occurs that is exothermic, in which energy is actually released and the chemical compound is reduced, it is possible to harvest that energy for our everyday use. The very simple processes that we observe every day such as the warming of the ground when the sun beats down on it are the same basic concepts that apply to these chemical reactions. For humanity to fully harness this chemical energy though, it’s necessary to understand just what happens and how we can make it happen.

Chemical energy is stored in every bond between atoms in a molecule. If a molecule is broken down and reformed into new molecules, energy is released. This kind of reaction is present in every chemical compound we see; however it is the yield of energy that differs. Food, for example, is chemically broken down by our bodies and taken apart to obtain energy within our bodies. After the energy is removed from the food, the new molecules are separated, energy absorbed for our everyday use, and waste removed. Chemical energy is the easiest and most efficient energy source to store and utilize, if only because it is so readily available, found in nearly everything we use. Chemical energy, as used by our bodies has been the source of life for billions of years and the developments in chemical energy technology has led to long lasting rechargeable batteries and hopefully in renewable energy resources in the future.