• Question: what does your job entail?

    Asked by Michael Manning to Stevie, Sandra, Liena, Dona, Andrew on 9 Nov 2015. This question was also asked by BeBlue.
    • Photo: Liena Vilde

      Liena Vilde answered on 9 Nov 2015:

      My job is firstly to look at how the energy industry is likely to change in the next 20 years and then simulate the whole GB electricity network and see if it operates in an acceptable way under the various scenarios that may become a reality in future. This is mostly to do with replacing the old fossil fuel plants that the GB electricity network was built for with the new solar and wind generators.

      If something doesn’t work as it should in my simulations, I have to fins a way how it can be fixed for the least amount of cost and impact on he environment, customers and the network itself.

      This usually involves quite a lot of research on the newest technologies and talking to a lot of very experienced people inside National grid and outside to come up with the best overall-solution that will work for everyone.

    • Photo: Steven Wray

      Steven Wray answered on 12 Nov 2015:

      I maintain, operate and upgrade electrical equipment for the Joint European Torus (JET) science experiment. This means I could be figuring out how to fix something, pressing buttons that turn everything on or designing a new widget to make the existing equipment work better.

      The electrical equipment, or power supplies, that I work on is really big. It fills warehouses!

    • Photo: Dona Galhena

      Dona Galhena answered on 16 Nov 2015:

      I am a researcher in electrical engineering. I mainly work on the ways to store energy. This involves a lot of reading (because I need to know what other researchers around the world do), a lot of lab work (because I have to invent new methods/devices/ materials) and a lot of writing and travelling (because I have to let others in the world know about your new inventions). I also get to know great scientists in the world and opportunity to work with them. If I like, I can involve in teaching in the university as well.
      To add to the list, as researcher you get lots of invitations for Dinners, Friday night drinks, tea parties etc. because most of the research discussions take place in restaurants or bars!

Comments

  • Photo: Sandra

    Sandra commented on :

    Once electricity is generated from the power station which could be (Fossil fuel, coal, solar wind generators), this would have to transmitted a long way to get to distribution stations using transmission lines /cables at very high voltages and transforming stations known as substation with use of very large and extremely heavy transformers that help transforms back the voltage safely to acceptable level required for our homes to power appliances.

    My jobs requires a lot of development and design works for large aging switchgear assets at 400kV like circuit breakers, transformers , current transformer etc. to be replaced or built on the GB electricity network.

    So usually becuse of extra high level of voltage use , everyone starts with training in this professional and should gets better at their experience over the years.

  • Photo: Sandra

    Sandra commented on :

    Sorry Liena for my comment , please ignore , was meant for my posting. Doing a great job.

  • Photo: Kemran&Raoul

    Kemran&Raoul commented on :

    i don”t know