Mechanical engineer in solar / renewable?

[natepiercy]

Hello all,

Short version:
Do any of you work in the renewable energy industry, specifically solar? Please recommend any useful certifications or areas of knowledge that would be desirable when applying for jobs as a Mechanical. Thanks.

Long version:
I'm plotting a move in the next 2 years that will bring me across the country back to the area containing my family, which fortunately seems to be a growing solar hub. My "dream job" has always been to contribute in some way to the development and implementation of renewable energy sources (solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, and lunar primarily). Since I have some time to work with and I don't need to look for a position right away, I was hoping to collect some advice as to how to make myself a strongly preferred candidate. I've read about LEED certifications, but it seems to me that those are more geared towards designing buildings that have a lower environmental impact (more than anything else), which I don't necessarily consider to be equivalent to, say, designing sun-tracking panel holders, or heat-sinks for inverters. I'm currently trucking along with getting a greater understanding of GD&T (because how could that ever not be useful?), but I'm hoping to find a more specific goal or area of focus.
My questions are:
1. As a Mechanical Engineer, what could I expect to be doing to contribute to a solar design team, or more generally, contributing to the renewable industry in general?
2. Can anyone recommend specific topics to attempt to learn, brush up on, or get experience in, OR any certifications that might be useful and/or desirable to a company in the renewable energy industry (specifically solar).

Thanks,
Nate

 

[1gibson]

My first thought is project management...

 

[hendersdc]

A lot of the components you end up working on will be outside so a good base of knowledge in materials/coatings/manufacturing methods that stand up to weather with a long life would be useful. Knowledge of design of sheet metal parts, ingress protection, and design for assembly would be good as well. In my experience, most of the mechanical design around solar is fairly simple stuff used to hold/package the electronics while keeping cost down. I don't work in solar directly myself but have worked on several outsourced projects for various solar companies.

 

[berkshire]

Don't forget structural engineering, A lot of solar arrays are mounted on buildings.
B.E.

You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.

 

[jari001]

If you want to work for a company that installs panels I would say brush up on your material science if you don't keep up with the advances in panel frame materials and coatings, building codes for your surrounding area, the regulatory policies and rebate policies. In this capacity, I would agree with 1gibson that project management skills would help.

If you want to work for a company that manufacturers the panels, I think this would be a position like process/process equipment engineer, manufacturing engineer, etc. Keep cost down while increasing volume, the mantra we all know.

My opinion is that solar R&D for mechanical engineering would be focused on better heat transfer strategies, like you alluded to regarding heat sinks for inverters. There's always the chance to develop better frame materials to further reduce fixed costs and/or supplement heat transfer.

 

[SlideRuleEra]

As a Mechanical Engineer, what could I expect to be doing to contribute to a solar design team, or more generally, contributing to the renewable industry in general?

Investigate direct employment by the large corporate customers. They need employees (engineers) who can interact with design and installation teams on technical issues.

Here is a place to start on who some of those corporate customers are: Solar Energy Industry Association

http://www.SlideRuleEra.net

http://www.VacuumTubeEra.net

 

[Sparweb]

The others have covered Solar pretty thoroughly. To me it seems obvious that a mechanical engineer has much more to contribute to design, installation, and operation of Wind, Hydro, and Tidal energy systems.
Hydroelectric power plants are by far the largest of these classes, a very mature technology, so you could find a place in the design of improved turbomachinery at an OEM, or at a local hydro station, big or medium size. Small hydro plants tend to be privately owned.
Wind technology is also pretty mature, but there are many new developments likely to come, and the industry has some similarities to hydro; mechanical engineers are needed for design and development of these machines at all sizes, and most wind farms need permanent employees for maintenance & monitoring, though not always ME's.
Tidal; I know very little about. I wouldn't consider it a mature technology, but that could mean that there is a lot of room for innovators!

STF

 

[KENAT]

Well I've always been intrigued by VAWTs - seems that some clever mechanical engineering might be able to fix some of the issues they typically have via better implementation of helical blades, combining with small Savonius for self starting....

How about application of them to powering ships, some work's been done by Mr Costner and co. but plenty of room to play.

Wind and Tidal power offer lots of room for innovation by the looks of it.

Look at some of the negative impacts of some implementation and see if there are mechanical fixes...

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[KENAT]

Oh, and my personal pet project from a decade or so ago combining multiple generating mechanisms into a single installation.

Idea being to amortize the cost of electrical transmission infrastructure across multiple generating sources, my initial idea was a modular offshore installation that had tidal, wave & wind generators on it.

Being modular if a certain location lacked sufficient energy in one aspect of the triad that element could be left off.

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[Sparweb]

Kenat,
Save yourself the trouble of trying to build that combination VAWT you described.
It has already been tried, and shown that the increased complication is not worthwhile.


STF

 

[KENAT]

I haven't kept up at all the last few years, must have missed it. Saw a couple of images on wikipedia of something like I was talking about that weren't there last time I looked but didn't notice the details.

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[Panther140]

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. What do you renew the sun with?

"Formal education is a weapon, whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed." ~ Joseph Stalin

 

[KENAT]

The anticipated time line for the Sun running out of usable energy is so far out none of us probably need to worry too much about it, your point Panther140?

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