"As an Energy Engineer, you are heavily involved in influencing the development of society"

What is Energy Engineering and what does an Energy engineer do?

− Energy engineering includes all the technology related to the conversion, storage, transport and consumption of energy. As an Energy engineer, you are involved in maintaining and streamlining the world's energy technology so that the solutions are technically possible, safe and environmentally friendly.

What was it that encouraged you to study the Bachelor of Science in Engineering, specialising in Energy engineering?

− When I chose this education, I had three criteria: that the education leads to a job, that it contributes to society and that it is exciting. As an Energy Engineer, you are heavily involved in influencing the development of society regarding the transition from fossil fuels to sustainable and renewable energy. Energy engineering is an industry that will not disappear but it’s an industry that will require more and more people.

− What is unique about this education and what made me choose it was that several companies are involved in influencing the content, which for me showed a commitment and a need for this type of education in working life. For instance, we had several teachers who worked at Hitachi Energy, Alstom and Mälarenergi.

Why is it an important area of education?

− There is a lot going on in the field of energy engineering. Society is moving from fossil fuels to renewables, and technology needs to keep up with the transition. There is a demand from industry that more people get educated and work in the area, as many companies have an increased workload, and a large number of people will take retirement.

In what way do you contribute to the development of society with your skills?

− We are heavily involved in influencing the development of society regarding the transition from fossil fuels to sustainable and renewable energy. In conjunction with the development of a digitised society and that much of the existing network that was built up at the end of the 20th century needs to be rebuilt and developed, our expertise is needed to meet society's demands for accessibility.

What have you been working with since you completed your studies?

− During my studies, I got a summer job at Mälarenergi. When I graduated, I was allowed to continue as a maintenance technician at the Combined Heat and Power Plant (CHP) at Mälarenergi. Today I work as a Project Manager at Mälarenergi Elnät. This involves working on the electricity grid in projects to implement changes in the electricity grid, such as new connections. The Project Manager's duty is to investigate technical and practical solutions and to develop documentation ahead of the implementation phase.

− At Mälarenergi, I have had the opportunity to try out different roles and am very involved in influencing social development in a sustainable direction. Västerås is growing, the energy demand is increasing and many large companies want to establish themselves here. Mälarenergi Elnät is therefore involved and enables this to happen. For those who wish and have completed this education there are also many development opportunities within the company.

Do you have any tips for current students or for those who are considering studying the same programme?

− Although it is good that the programme is broad, it can be good to gain cutting-edge expertise in certain areas. I would therefore recommend searching for which jobs are available in the industry and see what their criteria are. Perhaps it is something that you can specialise in, or it can be added to the education. I would also like to recommend being ahead of the game and talking to companies to make contact with people. This will help you when you are looking for a degree project, summer job and a permanent job.