Power Distributors & Dispatchers
Power System Dispatcher, Power System Operator, Systems Operator, Transmission System Operator (TSO)
What they do:
Coordinate, regulate, or distribute electricity or steam.
On the job, you would:
- Coordinate with engineers, planners, field personnel, or other utility workers to provide information such as clearances, switching orders, or distribution process changes.
- Respond to emergencies, such as transformer or transmission line failures, and route current around affected areas.
- Control, monitor, or operate equipment that regulates or distributes electricity or steam, using data obtained from instruments or computers.
Knowledge
Arts and Humanities
- English language
Safety and Government
- public safety and security
Math and Science
- arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics
- physics
Communications
- telecommunications
Skills
Basic Skills
- keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements
- listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
Problem Solving
- noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Abilities
Verbal
- communicate by speaking
- listen and understand what people say
Ideas and Logic
- notice when problems happen
- make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
Personality
People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.
They do well at jobs that need:
- Dependability
- Stress Tolerance
- Attention to Detail
- Self Control
- Analytical Thinking
- Initiative
Technology
You might use software like this on the job:
Spreadsheet software
- Microsoft Excel
Presentation software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
Industrial control software
- Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
- Wide area monitoring system WAMS software
Education
Education: (rated 3 of 5)
certificate after high school or
associate's degree
usually needed
associate's degree
usually needed
Job Outlook
Below Average
New job opportunities are less likely in the future.
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See more details at O*NET OnLine about power distributors and dispatchers.