Sri Lanka holds a natural advantage in renewable energy, with abundant sunlight positioning solar power as a key solution to the country’s long term energy needs. However, a growing structural challenge is emerging alongside this potential: the continued migration of skilled renewable energy engineers to overseas markets.

This “brain drain” is becoming more visible in specialised sectors such as solar energy, where Sri Lankan trained professionals are quickly absorbed into global projects offering larger scale opportunities, advanced infrastructure, and significantly higher remuneration.

One example is renewable energy professional Jayan Shirantha Mendis, (pictured) whose career reflects both local capability and global demand. With over 13 years of experience across engineering, project management, and operations, he currently serves as Project and Operations Manager at CHINT Green Energy in New Zealand, where he contributes to large scale solar developments including a 22 MW project in Mangatora and an 11 MW solar tracking system in Hamilton.

Earlier in his career in Sri Lanka, Mendis worked on rooftop solar initiatives and solar powered irrigation systems supporting agriculture, highlighting how renewable energy solutions were being applied at community level with direct social and economic impact.

His transition abroad, secured within weeks of exploring overseas opportunities, underscores how quickly global markets absorb skilled Sri Lankan engineers. It also reflects the widening gap between local career pathways and international opportunities in the renewable energy sector.

In his current role, he manages responsibilities that span multiple technical and operational functions, a level of responsibility often distributed across several professionals in larger organisations. This versatility is highly valued in international markets, but harder to sustain in smaller local ecosystems.

The broader issue extends beyond individual careers. While Sri Lanka continues to produce technically strong engineers with hands-on experience, the domestic renewable energy sector often lacks large scale projects, advanced infrastructure, and competitive remuneration structures needed to retain such talent.

Meanwhile, countries with established renewable energy industries benefit directly from this migration, gaining professionals who bring not only technical expertise but also practical experience in delivering projects under resource constrained conditions.

For Sri Lanka, the challenge is increasingly about creating an environment where renewable energy professionals can access meaningful career growth, large scale project exposure, and long-term incentives locally. Without such reforms, the country risks continuing to serve as an early training ground for talent that ultimately drives progress elsewhere.

As global demand for clean energy accelerates, the question remains whether Sri Lanka can convert its natural advantage and skilled workforce into a sustainable domestic industry before the talent gap widens further.