<p>Question for those of you that are mechanical and/or electrical engineers.</p>
<p>What are some of the specific duties performed by mechanical and electrical engineers in the energy sector? For example, what are the responsibilities assigned to a BSME in a solar power plant? Geothermal plant? Nuclear plant? Etc? Same questions for a BSEE.</p>
<p>How often does a EE switch from, say, electricity distribution to electric motor design? Or a ME switching from internal combustion engines to HVAC? What are the relevant courses to take if one wants to get involved in energy (for either field)?</p>
<p>Finally, which field offers the most challenging problems? I know the answers will be subjective but perhaps more challenging problems exist in one rather than the other. Thanks for your time.</p>
<p>I am a mechanical engineer and I work in a coal power plant. My job duties include managing outage projects and assisting with day-to-day troubleshooting of plant equipment. I don’t get involved in any kind of equipment design work. However, I may assist in process design if we feel that a process in the plant can be improved, but basically my job is to make sure the plant keeps producing electricity. Some of the electrical engineers I know typically troubleshoot the electrical equipment…motors, breakers, the generator, the on-site substations, etc. There are lot more electrical engineers in the transmission and distribution division of the company.</p>
<p>My company also has nuclear plants and the work is similar to that of a coal plant in that your primary job is to keep the plant running safely and efficiently, but you also have a lot more rules and regulations to follow due to the oversight of the NRC. In my experience, engineers who have worked in coal plants or nuclear plants for a long time heavily prefer one over the other.</p>
<p>Yes, I enjoy it. It is a mixture of working in the office and being able to go out into the field. Eventually I want to be in management. I may go back to school to get my MBA in the future. The work I do is a good mixture of management (managing projects) and providing technical support for day-to-day plant operations but I eventually want a position that provides a higher level of management and is more financially rewarding. Plant engineers put in a ton of hours but at the end of the day the money is not enough for me.</p>
<p>Thanks for you input, justinmeche. I apologize for not replying earlier. I find the diversity of tasks and responsibilities interesting. Hopefully, my perception is close to reality.</p>