Power Generation Jobs / Power Generation Careers

Career Guide to Power Generation

Electricity is vital for most everyday activities. From the moment you flip the first switch each morning, you are connecting to a huge network of people, electric lines, and generating equipment. Do you want to be part of our future?

Currently the technology for alternative energies is rapidly increasing and that means lots of future jobs and opportunity in the market place for those consider a Career in Solar Energy Considered. Today scientists and researchers are finding more efficient and improved ways in capturing our suns energy and using it for power, electricity and heat.

At MIT they have discovered ways to make the solar cell panels lighter by a factor of 6 while increasing the power conversion by 4 times and still doing it for half the manufacturing costs. These breakthroughs in solar technology put Solar Energy at the forefront of efficiency and at the top of the list for alternative energy sources.

This also means there are incredible opportunities in this technology for new high-paying jobs and careers in everything from research of solar to installation and from sales to repair. Manufacturing of solar cells and panels will be huge and the benefits to our civilization so great indeed.

If you are considering a career in alternative energies then you need to take a good hard look at the advances in solar energy and consider all the incredible opportunity for advancement in this sector. This is a great time to get on board as solar energy careers roar off into the future.

 If this sounds like something your interested in, then a career in energy exploration or power generation might be for you!

Operators, distributors, and dispatchers who work in control rooms generally sit or stand at a control station. This work is not physically strenuous, but it does require constant attention. Operators who work outside the control room may be exposed to danger from electric shock, falls, and burns.

Nuclear power plant operators are subject to random drug and alcohol tests, as are most workers at such plants. Additionally, they have to pass a medical examination every two years and may be exposed to small amounts of ionizing radiation as part of their jobs.

Because electricity is provided around the clock, operators, distributors, and dispatchers usually work one of three 8-hour shifts or one of two 12-hour shifts on a rotating basis. Shift assignments may change periodically, so that all operators share less desirable shifts. Work on rotating shifts can be stressful and fatiguing because of the constant change in living and sleeping patterns.

 What Education/Certifications do you need for: Power Generation Jobs / Power Generation Careers

Employers often seek recent high school graduates for entry-level operator, distributor, and dispatcher positions. Workers with college or vocational school degrees will have more advancement opportunities, especially in nuclear power plants. Although it is not a prerequisite, many senior reactor operators have a bachelor’s degree in engineering or the physical sciences.

Workers selected for training as power plant operators or distributors undergo extensive on-the-job and classroom instruction. Several years of training and experience are required for a worker to become a fully qualified control room operator or power plant distributor.

In addition to receiving initial training to become fully qualified as a power plant operator, distributor, or dispatcher, most workers are given periodic refresher training—especially the nuclear power plant operators. Refresher training usually is taken on plant simulators designed specifically to replicate procedures and situations that might be encountered at the trainee’s plant.

Other qualifications. Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers may need licenses depending on jurisdiction and specific job function. Requirements vary greatly from place to place and may be administered by State, county, or local governments.

Extensive training and experience are necessary to pass the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) examinations required for nuclear reactor operators and senior nuclear reactor operators. Before beginning training, a nuclear power plant worker must have 3 years of power plant experience. At least 6 months of this must be on-site at the nuclear power plant where the operator is to be licensed. Training generally takes at least 1 year, after which the worker must take an NRC-administered examination. To maintain their licenses, reactor operators must pass an annual practical plant operation exam and a biennial written exam administered by their employers.

Current & Future Job Outlook for: Power Generation Jobs / Power Generation Careers

Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers held about 47,000 jobs in 2006, of which 3,800 were nuclear power plant operators, 8,600 were power distributors and dispatchers, and 35,000 were other power plant operators. Jobs were located throughout the country. About 70 percent of jobs were in electric power generation, transmission, and distribution. About 16 percent worked in government, mainly in local government. Others worked for manufacturing establishments that produced electricity for their own use.

 Job prospects. Job opportunities are expected to be very good for people who are interested in becoming power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers. During the 1990s, the emphasis on cost cutting among utilities led to hiring freezes and the laying off of younger workers. The result is an aging workforce, half of which is expected to retire within the next 10 years. Utilities have responded by setting up new education programs at community colleges and high schools throughout the country. Prospects should be especially good for people with computer skills and a basic understanding of science and mathematics.

 Employment change. Between 2006 and 2016, employment of power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers is projected to experience little or no employment change, growing by about 2 percent. Electric utilities are expected to build new power plants in response to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which provides a number of subsidies. Growth will be tempered by a continued emphasis on cost reduction and automation. Although new power plants will require fewer workers than their older counterparts, the machinery in the new plants will be more technologically complex and environmental regulations will require much closer attention to emissions, so workers will be required to have higher skill levels.