Thursday, September 2, 2010

Design the World’s Energy Systems as an Energy Systems Engineering Technician

With global warming and environmental concerns permeating conversations among residents of your city, politicians and global leaders, society’s view on energy is clearly changing. That change is also transforming the utility and construction sectors. And a widening skilled-labour shortage as well as quickly advancing technology in the energy sector is opening many doors for educated Energy System Engineering Technicians.

These techs are required to posses a wide range of knowledge across mechanical, electrical, electronic and automation engineering fields. That’s because the changes in operating practices within the utility industry are creating innovative energy projects that involve small-scale sources such as solar, wind, hydro, fuel cells, gas turbines and biomass being used to feed electricity, heat and air-condition to facilities. Another opportunity for Energy Systems Engineering Technicians can be found in the green building outlook within the construction sector. These eco-friendly engineering practices come with many new products that provide ways to implement advanced energy control into commercial and residential structures. So where do energy system engineering professionals come in? They must integrate and use all modern sustainable energy technologies in ways that are consistent with the urban environment.

As mentioned, there are many jobs in the Energy Systems Engineering Technician field, as long as professionals have knowledge of heat transfer, fluid mechanics, computational fluid dynamics and mechanics. Such knowledge can be applied to industries that include moulding and casting, integrated circuit packaging, heat exchanger/ boiler design and manufacture and petrochemical processing. Specific tasks of Energy Systems Engineering Technicians include: operating power plants of various sizes, designing and maintaining heating, ventilating air-conditioning, and refrigeration units and working with architectural companies to integrate energy technologies into the latest green designs.

Before you can think about setting foot in the field, the right type of training is required. Centennial College’s two-year Energy Systems Engineering Technician program has been designed to teach you fundamental skills to understand energy and its uses in our society. Offering a unique blend of technical, managerial and entrepreneurial skills, the program covers topics such as chemistry for energy systems, electric circuits, fabrication and installation, digital and power electronics, renewable energy systems, wind and solar energy and more. Aside from in-class training, students also participate in labs, applied research and development projects. Another attractive aspect of the program is that it is part of the student chapter of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Upon successful completion of the two-year Energy Systems Engineering Technician program, students have the option to enter year three of the Energy Systems Engineering Technology program.

There are some prerequisites when applying to this program. Applicants should present at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent or be 19 years of age or older. They should also have compulsory English 12C or U or skills assessment, or equivalent and Math 11M or U, or 12C or U, or skills assessment, or equivalent.

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