Discuss about the Potential of Renewable Energy Systems.
Engineering could be the only profession which greatly contributes to development of other professions. Engineers are found virtually across all industries; especially where systems are created to impact positively to the society. Notably, engineers greatly affect the society. But how and where do they apply the much-needed engineering principles?
The role of engineers can never be underestimated. Actually; they develop complex systems and technologies. Engineers are at the center of most complex systems and technologies (Princeton, 2017). They actively play a role of overseeing the development of such systems. Unlike politicians who do little but want more praises, engineers often positively shape the society through their great works but hardly get appreciated. A good example is the creation of the epic titanic ship. It was a wonderful piece of great engineering. Everyone was convinced that the ship could not sink easily. A part from the unfortunate fatal accident (perhaps the worst marine accident ever recorded in history), beforehand, however, the engineers who created this marine vehicle were hardly feted.
Today, engineers continue to revolutionize virtually all industries. Nowadays, people are able to share and disseminate information almost instantly anywhere across the globe (iWE, 2017). No wonder, the world has become a global village. Information technology, a product of software engineers, has not only boosted information sharing but greatly improved the wellbeing of the world system. Furthermore, engineers are known to be great at delivering innovative ideas. Most of the world problems have partly been solved by engineers. From medicine, agriculture, entertainment, military industry among others: engineers have not disappointed. For instance, in the military industry, mechanical engineers have designed and developed powerful missiles to help boost the world’s defense system. Reportedly, Russians have developed a powerful war ship which has anti-aircraft and anti-submarine capabilities (Majumdar, 2016).
Engineers are also committed to developing sustainable societies. Climate change is an area in which a lot of engineering projects are being undertaken. There was a time when global warming was the biggest threat to the existence of humanity; the amount of carbon emissions to the atmosphere was increasing at an alarming rate. This pushed engineers to rethink about other sources of power. Thereafter, a new concept: the green economy was birthed. The development of sustainable energy technologies has therefore seen a significant drop in the use of fossil fuel powered systems. Admittedly, the future now looks more interesting with the adoption of these strategies for green economy. The United States reportedly invested about 329 billion US dollars in renewable technology implementation in 2015 alone (Mooney, 2016). China has announced to increase its renewed energy share index to cater for sustainable development of renewable energy systems (Wen et al, 2009). Importantly, therefore, engineers are more excited than ever before to realize these planned projects. Currently, the United Kingdom is at an advanced stage of erecting the wind and tidal turbines, an investment worth billions. Therefore, clearly, engineers’ roles go beyond the imagination of people. They feel and think and develop sustainable systems which positively impact on the society at large. They must therefore be solely responsible to further develop conducive, productive and safe society for the betterment of humanity.
But what specific responsibilities should Engineer bear? Engineers are supposed to take the lead role in ensuring principles of safety; quality and productivity are integrated in the projects they undertake. Consequently, they must be ready to bear the responsibilities of failure in the systems they develop. For instance, the unfortunate titanic accident helped engineers to rethink and develop sophisticated safety systems. Additionally, there is need to employ more principles of sustainable development. EME 807 (2014) opines that the three main corner stones of sustainable development are environmental, social, and economic values. Therefore, for engineering to be in line with the principles of sustainable development, all three mentioned issues must be adhered to. The project would be described as lopsided should it ignore any of the pillars (EME 807, 2014).
But how will the understanding of these roles affect us? Now, as mentioned earlier, Engineers participate in building complex systems. The understanding of this enables us to rewire our brains in readiness to take part in the great work. Personally, it has developed my mental stamina since the real-time exposure has strengthened my resolve to engage more in the complex systems development. Admittedly, one may wish to begin working on a specific area of interest since they have the prior knowledge to design and develop the systems. It also makes us more aware of the realities of engineering in the field hence psyching us up for the challenging work ahead. Additionally, we can develop greater interest in taking part to improve the safety aspect of these systems. As a student Engineer, through my projects, have designed systems to handle various safety concerns in the existing systems.
LO-4: Manage Information and Documentation The engineering projects are often accompanied by very large and complex information. Therefore, improper management of engineering information and documentation may lead to catastrophic failure of the project. However, importantly, engineers have established systems and networks to assist them manage the project information. One of the important documents in engineering is the technical drawing. Firstly, engineers often spend quite some time in drafting the drawings. Normally, they are designed to effectively communicate all the technical details about the project-at-hand. Secondly, there are tools that have been designed to assist them properly manage the complex engineering information and document the same. For example, software tools like PDXpert can help the engineers have better control of various documents (PDXpert, 2017). Besides, they can help minimize costs of designing and maintaining the systems. Furthermore, these tools can be used to effectively manage the project’s activities especially if they are on a critical path in projects management.
Furthermore, the management tools also allow archiving of these technical documents in a systematic fashion. This allows faster retrieval of the required document for update or reference purpose. Hence engineers can reportedly become more productive. Another tool that engineers use is the Open text engineering document management which stores and controls engineering documents in a centralized fashion (OTC, 2017). This superior software control tool allows the engineer to integrate maintenance with day to day process and operations of the systems. Besides, the drafting tools such as AutoCAD can easily be used in conjunction with this system. It readily provides templates onto which the engineer can develop the desired project work. Hence, ultimately, it provides real-time platform where effective control of complex projects can happen. Additionally, the platform supports concurrent engineering where various professionals can easily share information across a range of project issues.
However, another key issue in managing engineering projects is planning (McClung, 2017). Admittedly, this is the initial stage of the project life cycle and therefore a chunk of project information would be developed from this stage. Therefore, there is need to inculcate sound design principles to ensure launch of project would be a success. At this juncture, various technical documents such as feasibility reports are developed and documented. Cross departmental collaboration is often the norm at this stage, as the team starts to align itself and prepare for the real work. Engineers, especially project engineers, need to identify effective tools and derive frameworks to assist them properly manage the team and information. It is also common, at the project initiation, for the team to slightly experience interpersonal friction; this should be seen as normal as the team members are discovering each other’s personality however, managers need to have control of the team and solve any issue that would be threatening the success of the projects. Hence, it is important for the project managers to device appropriate communication channels through which information can be shared among the team members. Therefore, technology plays a pivotal role in managing and documenting technical and professional information, critical for the success of the project team.
Notably, project engineers normally categorize information into: public and confidential information. In the process of sharing information, confidential information is kept in safe custody of the engineers in charge. Consequently, engineers are often required to sign the non-disclosure forms to prevent them from sharing some classified information about the project. Importantly, therefore, engineers often consult with the client first before going public with the information. It is among the best practices that must be adhered to by all professional engineers in the industry. Besides, engineers must always be capable of producing the right information, at the right time, and to the right audience to ensure security of the classified and confidential information.
Managing information should begin early in the student engineer’s career life on a day-to-day basis. Personally, I have always remained committed and organized and keeping up-to-date records. For example, in my classwork projects, I have been able to implement the mentioned systems and tools like AutoCAD, inventor, Ms Project so that I can be in control of the project. Besides, some projects required teamwork. I have been an active team player where various elements of the group assignment would be planned by the team under my leadership and establish techniques to have each individual member take part. Most of the time I would find out that I have to manage the information in a way that ultimately meets group objectives. However, I still need to clearly define the relevant techniques that I should use to handle the complex team dynamics which often times may hamper the group’s progress.
LO-5: communicate effectively across a range of contexts. As mentioned earlier, engineers handle complex projects virtually across all industries. It is imperative, therefore, for them to adopt effective ways and means to communicate with different people in different scenarios at different times during roll out of projects. Effective communication can make a big difference between successful and unsuccessful engineering projects. Admittedly, according to Taylor & April (2013), the information technology has revolutionized the way information is being shared; how professionals collaborate, and the status of the workplaces. For instance, information is almost instantly available to everyone including the non-technical people hence presenting a greater challenge to engineers to not only deliver quality projects but also accurate and up-to-date information to the designated people, for example, clients. Gone are the days when engineers would be spared from communicating their technical stuff.
Nowadays, professional success in engineering requires one to adopt state-of-the-art communication strategies. Engineers, for example, are taking the lead role in negotiating funds for their projects since they actually know where and how the funds would be utilized. Furthermore, they have developed systems of reporting their project work as it rolls out. There are software tools like Pro Engineer, Inventor and solid works which assist the engineers to illustrate their ideas hence providing a platform to communicate to potential clients about the same.
Additionally, engineers are also equipped with professional writing skills. They need to draft proposals, technical reports, and memoranda among others. In fact, engineers are being encouraged to write more books so as to share their valuable experiences to the public. There is a lot of information that engineers can share. Besides, engineers continue to collaborate more with other professionals like scientists especially in research work. For instance, the iconic Burj Khalifa building in Dubai was a product of extensive research and collaborative work between engineers and the research scientists (Burj Khalifa, 2017).
Taylor & April (2013) argue that communication skills should be inculcated earlier during pursuit of engineering courses in colleges. Admittedly, afterwards, engineers would have to interact globally hence a wide spectrum of communication issues need to be elucidated during the course of acquiring engineering education. Gaining competence in engineering takes a lot of time and effort hence similarly, effective communication is being regarded as a critical component of engineering competency.
Furthermore, engineers bear the responsibility of communicating accurate, verifiable and competent technical issues to the clients and general public. Normally they are expected to abide by the professional code of conduct during engagement with the clients and government. Notably, therefore, engineers are expected to be honest and truthful to the clients. For instance, an engineer may conduct feasibility study on a proposed project and unfortunately, from her findings, she realizes the project would cause greater damage to the environment and endanger the community’s well-being; it is imperative for her to remain true to the objects and purpose of the code such that she would advise the client not to pursue the project any further; although, such a decision would likely be unpopular. However, engineers must safeguard the health, welfare and safety of communities (BoPE, 2008).
Now, the mentioned skills need to be inculcated early in the student engineer’s career. As a student engineer, I have been able to gain drafting skills such as the use of AutoCAD, inventor, solid works among others. This is certainly preparing me for the future design work. Besides, in my classwork projects, I always strive to competently apply them so that I develop the much-needed experience which I will later need to participate in the real-world designs. Furthermore, in communicating with my time members, it has become easier as I progress with my coursework. This certainly continues to equip me with the right skills of going about the assigned roles. Besides, through the leadership forum, organized by our campus engineering society, I have been able to polish my communication and leadership skills that I believe will ultimately serve as an impetus to my professional engineering growth.
References
EME 807. (2014). Technologies for Sustainability Systems: Principles of Sustainable Engineering. Available at: https://www.e-education.psu.edu/eme807/node/688
Taylor, J.L & April, A.K. (2013). Engineering Communication and The Global Workplace: Preparing professionals and global citizens. Available at: https://connexionsj.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/kedrowicz_taylor.pdf
Burji Khalifa.(2017). Building A Global Icon. https://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/thetower/design.aspx
BoPE.(2008).Code of Practice for Registered Professional Engineers. Queensland. Available at: https://www.ausimm.com.au/content/docs/7029009_code_of_practice_v9_15_jan_08_final_imple mented_from_1_july_2008.pdf
PDXpert. (2017). Engineering design and document control systems. Available at: https://www.buyplm.com/document-control/engineering-drawings-data-document-control.aspx
Eniac. (2017). Project Integration Management. Available at: https://wwwkiv.zcu.cz/~pergl/SAI/PMIBOK/project4.htm OTC. (2017). OpenText Engineering Document Management. Available at: https://www.opentext.com/what-we-do/products/enterprise-content-management/content-centricapplications/opentext-engineering-document-management
McClung, D. (2017). Engineering Information Management. Available at: ftp://ftp.ni.com/pub/techsym/minneapolis/eng_info_management.pdf
Princeton. (2017). Interdisciplinary Centers. Available at: https://www.princeton.edu/engineering/centers/
iWE. (2017).What value has information in a fully connected world? Available at: https://iwecloud.com/en/value-information-fully-connected-world/
Majumdar, D. (2016). Russia Is Set to Build 12 New Monster Warships Armed with 200 Missiles Each. Available at: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/russia-set-build-12-newmonster-warships-armed-200-missiles-16427
Mooney, C. (2016). Why clean energy is now expanding even when fossil fuels are cheap. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/01/14/whyclean-energy-is-now-expanding-even-when-fossil-fuels-are-cheap/?utm_term=.a241a8b5f2f1
Wen, L… et al. (2009). The Potential of Renewable Energy Systems in China . Available at: https://vbn.aau.dk/files/39186853/Potential_of_Renewable_Energy_Systems_in_China.pdf
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