r/PowerSystemsEE

I'm an international incoming freshman targeting my BSEE with a strict focus on Power Systems. I've got a 1500 SAT and I'm looking at massive state schools with heavy high-voltage labs (Texas Tech, Mississippi State, Alabama, Iowa State, Texas A&M).

I keep hearing that the power grid/utilities sector is desperate for grads right now because of the "Silver Tsunami" (retirements) and grid upgrades for data centers. BUT, I also hear the US job market for international students is completely cooked right now.

For the actual power engineers in the industry, I need the unfiltered truth before I drop serious money on this degree:

Are massive EPC firms (Burns & Mac, Kiewit, Siemens, etc.) actually sponsoring international grads for OPT and H-1Bs right now, or are they flat-out refusing to sponsor people?

Is it basically impossible to work in the power sector without US permanent residency or citizenship? I know some grid infrastructure is tied to the government/defense—how badly does that restrict my job options?

Is the job market actually as hot as people claim, or is the "labor shortage" overhyped?

Just trying to figure out if the ROI is actually there, or if I'm just gonna get blocked by HR and deported after 4 years because nobody wants to deal with visas..

Hi,

I am an Electrical Engineer with 4 years of experience in the field of studies. Currently, I am working remotely for a firm in the US where I perform Load Flow, Short Circuit, Coordination and Arc Flash analysis for old and new facilities in the states of California, Washington, Texas and Arizona. I'm experienced in using software like eTAP and SKM.

If someone is interested in hiring me for their company or have any refernce. Please let me know.

Regards,

A Project Engineer who can help you in making profit 😁

Hey everyone! I’m working on my bachelor’s thesis investigating how different BESS operating modes affect grid congestion in medium-voltage distribution networks.

Specifically, I’m looking for research on:
• Grid impacts of BESS operating modes (grid-detrimental, grid-neutral, grid-beneficial)
• Line utilization and congestion in MV grids with high BESS penetration
• Simultaneity effects of BESS operation with future loads (EVs, heat pumps, data centers)
• Load flow / sensitivity analysis methods for BESS placement and sizing

Any relevant literature , recommendation is appreciated !

Have you encountered derating PV inverters reactive power capability based off the minimum operating DC voltage?

A contractor brought this to our attention, and most manufacturers seem to gloss over this derate and assume a default value that they deem nominal. However, using actual site parameters, there is a significant cutoff of VAR capability. I've seen tons of studies and have never seen a contractor apply any kind of DC voltage derate before, however.

Moreover, if we are to include module degradation over time, and by association a lower minimum DC operating point, the problem only gets worse. Is it industry practice to just ignore this derate?

Let’s be transparent for everyone’s benefit and share some experience on comp structures in this area.

For protection and controls, specifically protective relaying settings and configuration what is a competitive comp structure at major firms in this sector?

In particular, I’m interested in manager/director level comp structures. What are your KPIs? Do you have equity or RSUs? What’s the expected amount of business you need to bring in to feed multiple teams?

For me, I am fully remote, senior lead level and have seen 180 - 250k depending on how well we hit our goals. I am no longer in the trenches but operating at the advisory level and mentoring teams.

Edit - I started out at 80k plus bonus, then quickly progressed as I gained experience and changed employers after gaining enough experience to do complete design and relay configuration for greenfield transmission stations. Now I don’t touch design.

Industrial AI now being used a lot for PLC programming, even in safety and critical applications.

Do you consider it safe? Would you buy an assembly robot which you know has the 100% AI-generated software?

My experience with the AI code in PLCs is that it does the thing it is asked for, but the coding practices are at the very beginner level, I would never approve such code from a human to be even close to a production environment. This really reminds me of the famous case of Therac radiology machine, when many people were hurt because of the poor software quality.

Another issue is that all the AI code is written in the Structured Text language, when me personally, I prefer CFC for simpler or high-level cases, as it is the way I've been taught engineering.

In contrast, I find AI useful for learning and documenting, but only as a supporting feature.

Please, share your perspective!

Hello
I applied for a project manager role in Siemens, GE and Mitsubishi.
Got declined by Siemens, but today got an offer from GE and expecting one from Mitsubishi.
Both roles are for upgrade projects for the existing plants. Salary is little bit higher in Mitsubishi, but it’s not a deal breaker.
GE requires relocation to east coast (i live on west coast). Mitsubishi offers work from home, but will require some travel, which is ok with me.
If there are people here, who worked for both companies, What company would you recommend and why?
Thank you

I was wondering if anyone here has a general rule of thumb they follow for placing capacitors on a bus in an area that needs voltage support. I looked this up and found a guide from MISO where they recommend allowing no more than a 3% deviation per capacitor stage on a bus pre-contingency and no more than a 5% deviation per capacitor stage on a bus post-contingency. I'm curious to see what others have come across.

Thanks in advance!

A few months ago I started an entry-level drafting position with a consulting firm in the substation department. I am finishing a power technology AS soon, and I am concurrently pursuing a BSEE. I will gain experience on the job while going to school, following the natural career progression through design and engineering roles.

My aspiration is to ultimately to end up working in protection and control, and I would like to ask anyone who has knowledge and experience to elaborate on the field.

What has your career path looked like?
What has your salary been?
How is the work-life balance?
Are recruiters constantly contacting you?
What niches in the field are worth exploring and gaining experience in?
Is WFH a common option?

Any other info that you think is important please don’t hesitate to add.

Thank you

Looking for opinions.

Current job has me in an EE role for a generation company. Been there for four years. First true engineering job if I’m being honest. Did studies for about 8 months before and 5 years as a technician.

At this point, I’m serving in a senior’s functions. All my responsibilities are with higher ups, pivotal project focused, and very little in the daily engineering contributions I started in.

I’m paid well for the job title. 125k, remote with low travel to sites, and bonuses. The company is a bit of a mess though. Thrown a lifeline by AI as we’re a modular power co.

Just got an offer for a mid level protection engineer. International consulting firm. Job is definitely what I want to do. Working in relays and protection is my favorite part of current gig. This would let me do it full time.

That said, pay is 110k, which is a solid 35k below my current role when adding in the vesting schedules. No bonuses with the new gig. Fully remote with rare travel.

If I want to get into consulting privately at some point, is that pay cut worthwhile? Maybe I need to be negotiating more based on current job and offer?

Hey everyone,

I’m an electrical engineer looking at opportunities with HDR and Burns & McDonnell, specifically in their Power groups.

I’m hoping to hear from anyone who has worked at either. Pay, culture, project work, etc. Thanks in advance!

I want to ask the seasoned engineers on this forum and anyone with an opinion.

I’m at the beginning of my career in transmission planning. We use powerfactory to run studies. I have seen a lot of software related jobs being made redundant due to AI. Everyday something new is coming out. This got me a little worried about how and when will AI affect our field? What skills should we aim for to keep us ahead of the curve? Our company is already making a push towards innovation and using AI in everyday tasks.

Hello everyone,

I'm a Junior EE looking to do a project related to power systems for my Senior Project in Spring 2027. I have access to POWERWORLD, MatLab and Simulink, I can learn python as well. I have played around with Ignition for SCADA as well. I would prefer to do something physical, just wanted to share software I have access too.

I'm looking for project ideas that would be really attractive to employers in power systems engineering. If you have any ideas off the top of your head I would love to hear them! Just testing the waters right now.

Thank you!

Hey everyone!

I’m currently a distribution engineer ($95K) working on feeder design, utility-scale solar interconnections (~10 MVA), line extensions, transformer sizing, etc.

I enjoy the work and feel like I’m building strong power systems experience. I’m also about 2 years away from my PE.

I have another opportunity for a facilities engineering role:

more focused on maintaining/upgrading building electrical systems, higher pay ($120-125K), hybrid schedule 9/80, but ~3 hr round trip commute (only 3x/week)

My priorities are getting my PE, build strong transferable technical skills and also grow a side business outside of work.

Would you stay in utility/power systems for broader experience? Or take the higher-paying facilities role with more flexibility but a long commute, and work that I’m a little less passionate about?

Realistically with maintenance & gas, I will be spending an extra $500/month with the 3x commute throughout the week.