Australia is a great country for renewable energy generation with plenty of sun, wind, and water听reservoirs.听However, to听reliably trump fossil fuel generation,听our grid听needs to be updated with more modern听technologies, and the need for power engineers is greater than ever!听
With the global push for renewable听energy, we are seeing a shortage of听the required skills to get us there.听The latest report from听Engineers Australia shows that less and less Australian听high school听students are studying听physics听and听advanced听mathematics听courses.听Less than 6% of girls study听physics and only 6.2% of girls and 11.5% of boys study听advanced mathematics.听听
This is听concerning for many of听the听STEM听industries听in Australia,听especially as we move away from our traditional resource-based economy,听which听poses a threat to the future of renewable energy in Australia. With听a shortage of听power听engineers,听Australia simply听will not听have the听skillset to transform our power听grid to withstand the influx of renewable energy.
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There are plenty of jobs available for students who complete an electrical engineering degree,听and pressure is being听put听on the government to ensure that we can meet the need for听power听engineers听with more domestic engineers.听Currently, 57% of听engineers听in Australia were born overseas听which is听much higher than听the national average of 40%.听听
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We spoke to Lead Electrical Engineer,听Lize-Marie Van听Wyk from Aurecon who works听in power engineering and renewable energy projects. We wanted to know what Lize-Marie thinks about the shortage and why it is imperative that we address this issue now. Check out our Q&A below.
What does an electrical power engineer do?
听An electrical engineer focuses on the generation,听transmission,听and distribution of electric power. This can include designing, planning and/or commissioning of power networks, testing of electrical equipment and/or power system studies.听
As part of my work,听I also manage projects (budget, resources, etc.) and work directly with clients. It is not all technical all the time 馃槉听
There is a shortage of听power听engineers听in Australia; what effect could a continued lack have on our nation's power grid and renewable energy future?听
You would have seen in the news recently that Australia is aiming to achieve net-zero electricity emissions by 2050 which means that there will be an increasing demand for electrical engineers in the Australian market and globally. Currently the national energy grid听relies听on the existing fossil generation to maintain stability. A lack of power engineers is bound to delay progress towards this goal which will only be achievable if听modern technologies听are adopted,听and the distribution of electricity transformed in the coming years.听
Is being a听power听engineer听something you can study at university, or do you specialise once you join the industry? And what was it about power engineering that attracted you to the profession?
Power听engineering听is a job that you can obtain upon the completion of an Electrical Engineering Bachelor. Other jobs that听electrical听engineers听can have听include听substation engineering, consulting, grid maintenance, telecommunications and more.
I studied electrical engineering at the University of Pretoria in South Africa where it is available as an undergraduate degree.听The subjects taken in the first two years overlapped with other engineering fields of study (civil, mechanical, chemical etc.), but from the third year, most were related to electrical engineering. Typical electrical engineering subjects include mathematics, electrical power systems, electrical machines, electromagnetism, control systems, power electronics, electrical drives, etc.
There听wasn鈥檛听a huge听interest in electrical engineering at my university which I thought presented an opportunity in the market. Electrical engineering work also tends to be less affected by a downturn in the economy. The world always needs electricity.听
Which part of your job do you find the most rewarding?听
I enjoy the problem-solving aspect of my work the most. It is听very rewarding听knowing that I have contributed to the successful connection of a renewable energy plant (battery, solar farm, wind farm, etc.) to the national power grid听and听contributed in that way to a more sustainable future.听
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See the image听below听for the听solar farm Lize-Marie听helped build in the Northern Cape of South Africa and the installation of the electrical equipment (breakers, isolators, etc.) at a new 132 kV switching station in South听Africa.听听
Is it like a trade, all site work with high-viz vests and hard hats?
I work on the power system studies and planning team therefore almost all my projects are office based. The mix between site and office work would vary between projects and depends on your role. Most of the electrical engineering work at an engineering consultancy firm like Aurecon would be office based with occasional site visits to do inspections.
Looking back on your time in high school, which experiences听contributed to your decision to study engineering?听听
I knew I wanted to pursue a career that presented the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects within a technical discipline such as engineering. I found math, science, and technical drawing听interesting in high school.听
What advice do you have for high school students who might be interested in something like听Electrical听Engineering?听听听听
Practice critical thinking 鈥撎齞o not听just focus on how something is done, but always ask why too. Report writing and people skills sometimes get overlooked because engineering is perceived as being mostly technical. Technical skills are required to understand and perform the work, but soft skills such as writing听enables you to communicate the outcomes to clients.听
By Zali Steiner - Girls in Engineering Club Ambassador