Energy Engineers

Concerned about energy resources and climate change? Have strong analytical and math skills, and the persistence to solve challenging problems? Consider these three engineering fields that have a particular focus on reducing the use of fossil fuels and expanding renewable energy resource use: energy engineers, solar energy system engineers, and wind energy engineers. Energy engineers design and evaluate projects to reduce environmental impacts and decrease energy costs for new construction and remodeled buildings. They study the ways industries use energy and promote awareness of both energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy sources with clients and community groups. They may specialize in areas such as electrical systems, ventilation systems, green buildings, or lighting. Solar energy systems engineers design systems to generate electricity for residential or commercial use, with different types of equipment such as photovoltaic or solar thermal systems. They also reduce their customers’ reliance on energy, but they focus on designing the ideal solar energy system based on a project’s structure, local climate, costs, and available technology. Wind energy engineers use the power of moving air to create electricity with wind energy collection systems. Some work in manufacturing to design rotor blades, turbines and electrical systems, and test the quality of their products. Others design wind farms—from planning the layout of equipment, to defining components, to coordinating building the roads needed to reach wind farm installation locations. A bachelor’s degree and considerable work experience is typically required for these engineering fields.