Profession substation engineer

Substation engineers design medium and high voltage substations used for the transmission, distribution, and generation of electrical energy. They develop methods for the efficient operation of the energy process, and ensure compliance to safety and environmental standards.

Would you like to know what kind of career and professions suit you best? Take our free Holland code career test and find out.

Personality Type

• Investigative / Realistic

Knowledge

• Engineering principles

  The engineering elements like functionality, replicability, and costs in relation to the design and how they are applied in the completion of engineering projects.

• Electricity principles

  Electricity is created when electric current flows along a conductor. It entails the movement of free electrons between atoms. The more free electrons are present in a material, the better this material conducts. The three main parameters of electricity are the voltage, current (ampère), and resistance (ohm).

• Electrical discharge

  Tthe qualities and applications of electrical discharge, including voltage and electrodes.

• Electricity consumption

  The different factors which are involved in the calculation and estimation of electricity consumption in a residence or facility, and methods in which electricity consumption can be lowered or made more efficient.

• Electrical power safety regulations

  The compliance with safety measures which need to be taken during the installation, operation, and maintenance of constructions and equipment which function in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electrical power, such as the appropriate safety gear, equipment handling procedures, and preventive actions.

• Engineering processes

  The systematic approach to the development and maintenance of engineering systems.

• Electric current

  Flow of electric charge, carried by electrons or ions in a medium such as an electrolyte or a plasma.

• Technical drawings

  Drawing software and the various symbols, perspectives, units of measurement, notation systems, visual styles and page layouts used in technical drawings.

• Electrical engineering

  Understand electrical engineering, a field of engineering that deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism.

• Mechanical engineering

  Discipline that applies principles of physics, engineering and materials science to design, analyse, manufacture and maintain mechanical systems.

• Mechanics

  Theoretical and practical applications of the science studying the action of displacements and forces on physical bodies to the development of machinery and mechanical devices.

Skills

• Create AutoCAD drawings

  Create As-Built municipal drawings using AutoCAD.

• Perform scientific research

  Gain, correct or improve knowledge about phenomena by using scientific methods and techniques, based on empirical or measurable observations.

• Ensure compliance with environmental legislation

  Monitor activities and perform tasks ensuring compliance with standards involving environmental protection and sustainability, and amend activities in the case of changes in environmental legislation. Ensure that the processes are compliant with environment regulations and best practices.

• Perform project management

  Manage and plan various resources, such as human resources, budget, deadline, results, and quality necessary for a specific project, and monitor the project's progress in order to achieve a specific goal within a set time and budget.

• Make electrical calculations

  Determine the type, size and number of pieces of electrical equipment for a given distribution area by making complex electrical calculations. These are made for instruments such as transformers, circuit breakers, switches and lightning arresters.

• Ensure safety in electrical power operations

  Monitor and control operations on an electrical power transmission and distribution system in order to ensure that major risks are controlled and prevented, such as electrocution risks, damage to property and equipment, and instability of transmission or distribution.

• Adjust engineering designs

  Adjust designs of products or parts of products so that they meet requirements.

• Approve engineering design

  Give consent to the finished engineering design to go over to the actual manufacturing and assembly of the product.

• Manage engineering project

  Manage engineering project resources, budget, deadlines, and human resources, and plan schedules as well as any technical activities pertinent to the project.

• Operate electronic measuring instruments

  Tend a wide variety of devices for measuring electronic characteristics of system components, such as optical power meter, fibre power meter, digital power meter and multimeter.

• Use technical drawing software

  Create technical designs and technical drawings using specialised software.

• Inspect facility sites

  Inspect the land of a possible construction site for distribution facilities by measuring and interpreting various data and calculations by using the appropriate equipment. Check if the field work is conform with plans and specifications.

• Design electric power systems

  Construct generation plants, distribution stations and systems and transmission lines to get energy and new technology where it needs to go. Use high tech equipment, research, maintenance and repair to keep these systems running. Further design and plan layout of the buildings to be constructed.

• Ensure compliance with safety legislation

  Implement safety programmes to comply with national laws and legislation. Ensure that equipment and processes are compliant with safety regulations.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB