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Energy engineers develop new renewable energy sources, work with government agencies and companies, and aim to create energy with minimal environmental impact. They also find ways to make energy use more efficient, including developing management strategies and creating energy-efficient mechanisms. They are involved in the development of LEED buildings and products such as solar panels and energy-efficient lighting.
An energy engineer is an individual who works with new types of renewable energy sources. This includes being at the forefront of developing new alternative fuel options, including wind and solar power. These engineers work hand-in-hand with government agencies and companies around the world to ensure that humanity’s growing energy needs are met.
The typical energy engineer has extensive educational knowledge to build upon as there are a variety of concerns in the research and development of new energy sources. Knowledge in mechanical engineering will aid an individual in developing the physical means by which new technologies are harnessed and transformed into a usable form of energy. Some environmental training is also beneficial, as the ultimate goal of the energy engineer is to create a new source of energy with minimal impact on the world’s environment.
Originally, most of the world’s energy came from disposable fossil fuels such as oil. Fuels like these are non-renewable, and the energy engineer is tasked with finding an alternative fuel source before the world consumes the available resources. In addition, he or she can also get involved in creating technologies to make energy consumption more efficient.
Renewable energy sources include solar, wind and hydro power; the energy engineer devises methods to capture and use that energy without affecting the world around. There has also been research into harnessing the power contained within the Earth itself; buildings can be equipped with non-traditional geothermal systems that capture and use the Earth’s natural heat. The energy engineer works not only on developing strategies to replace the energy that powers our homes, but also the energy that heats homes, drives cars, and keeps the lights on.
In addition to finding new sources of energy, the energy engineer also finds new ways to make the use of that energy more efficient. Developing management strategies, finding better ways to transfer energy with minimal loss, and creating more efficient mechanisms for using energy are all areas that individuals can work on. Systems that automatically regulate a building’s heat and lighting to turn on and off when people are present in the building are the work of energy engineers, as is the development of solar cells, energy-efficient lighting, and wind turbine construction.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is an internationally accepted system for measuring a building’s energy efficiency and environmental friendliness. Some of the systems included in these buildings, such as lighting systems and solar heating panels, were designed by energy engineers. Products can range from simple insulated windows that minimize heat loss to high-tech solar panels designed to capture the sun’s heat and turn it into energy.
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