Essay Competition
Winners of The 2008/09 Essay Competition
This years winning entries are:
Beata Khaidurova “The move to green energy needs to be monitored and dealt with carefully, to ensure our power remains reliable.”
Genevieve Beart “ Clearly, substantial financial investment will be required to meet future energy demands.”
Australian Power Institute 2008/09 Summer Essay Competition
"Quotable Quotes" from the Winners.
Beata Khaidurova (a Monash University Undergraduate), on her observations from her vacation employment with VENCorp and NEMMCO:
"If the severe penalties imposed (through an Emissions Trading Scheme) on power plants using fossil fuels cause them to shut down, the current renewable energy sources will not be enough to provide the required power for Victoria or Australia. The move to green energy needs to be monitored and dealt with carefully, to ensure our power remains reliable."
"The carbon emissions being produced are not the only reason greener power generation needs to be implemented. The fossil fuels being used in power production are slowly running out, and one day there will not be any left to use. While there may be enough for several generations to come, the switch to renewable energy cannot be made in a day, so the future must be planned for now. New types of renewable energy must be researched, and the current sources of green power need to be further explored and grown."
Deanna Hood (a Queensland University of Technology undergraduate) on her observations from her vacation employment with Energex:
".. the challenge and therefore cause for innovation identified during my tenure in ENERGEX’s Demand Management group over the 2008/09 summer was the under-utilisation of network assets resulting from peak demand. There are currently initiatives implemented in the areas of direct load control, distributed generation, load shifting, pricing initiatives and energy efficiency, aimed at altering customer’s energy consumption behaviour throughout the day and increased network contingency support for load at risk during the summer extreme hot weather events that result in record demand."
"In a carbon constrained industry such as power, this leverage effect (of demand side solutions over supply side solutions) is becoming of increasing pertinence. It also demonstrates how a small alteration in a customer’s household electricity efficiency behaviour can multiply to a significant effect on the generation required in the large scheme of the electricity network."
Genevieve Beart (The University of Melbourne) on her observations from her vacation employment with SP AusNet:
"Before commencing work at SP AusNet, I had very little knowledge of the challenges facing the power industry. I knew that there was pressure on the government to close down many of the power stations using brown coal due to high levels of pollution, but I had not understood the immensity of such a task and the ramifications such an action would have upon the entire state grid. Furthermore, I had not considered issues such as climate change and lack of resources from any other perspective than that of power generation. My experience at SP AusNet has allowed me to gain insight into how these issues affect electricity distribution and transmission. Additionally, working at SP AusNet has shown me how immediate problems, such as power outages, are dealt with, as well as how long term tasks, such as designing a new terminal station, are tackled."
"However, in the long term, with community pressure to turn away from fossil fuels, the need to ensure uninterrupted supply and such a heavy reliance upon localised brown coal may prove problematic. Clearly, substantial financial investment will be required to meet future energy demands."
Jerom Fox (Queensland University of Technology undergraduate) on his observations from his vacation employment with Tarong Energy:
"There are indeed great challenges ahead for the power engineering profession. The industry must consistently engineer original and innovative solutions on a global scale to be able to meet these challenges. Despite the added pressures placed on power engineers, perhaps overall the presence of these challenges can be a positive thing. It will force engineers to glean every bit of plant efficiency possible, minimizing waste, and optimizing the entire process. Greater still, I believe, it will compel the entire power industry to work together for the benefit of all, working collaboratively to achieve the best results possible. That could yet be the biggest innovation to come out of these problems – the possibility of harmony as an industry for engineering solutions, while sustaining a competitive market. Tarong Energy Corporation is the face of these challenges for me. The research I have done, and the knowledge I have gained allow me to recognise the challenges through this corporation, and recognise the manifestations of innovation in industry. It may be through an idea, or it may be through a new methodology, but this drive for innovation will ultimately allow power engineers to exceed themselves, and carry the power industry to new levels."
Natascia Grasso (Melbourne University undergraduate) on her observations from her vacation employment with the Wilson Transformer Company:
"Customers are also becoming more and more aware of conserving energy; therefore this poses competition in developing more environmentally and socially friendly sources of electricity."
"Wilson Transformer Company also prides itself on employee satisfaction and ensuring staff are equipped with the skills to maintain and develop its transformers…. The company’s willingness to take care of their staff is reflected in the number of staff members who have exceeded 20 years of service at the company. WTC is also looking to the future in aiding to resolve the issue of the nation wide shortage in engineers."
"WTC has dedicated company resources to ensuring the students of today acquire adequate knowledge through yearly paid vacation employment. This year WTC has provided an exceptionally well-organised program for the duration of one month. This program included factory tours for both the internal and external formation of the transformers with extensive information provided during the tour. Tutorials were organised to provide the students with the theoretical knowledge of transformer fundamentals and were highly informative. Students also had the opportunity to tackle minor projects in designated areas of the company such as testing and design. This task equips the student with skills which aren’t taught in university; professional engineering skills. Students had the opportunity to practice these engineering skills in the business through weekly reporting meetings and a final oral presentation."