Threats of power blackouts from low Hydro lake levels in my final school years piqued my interest in a career in the energy industry. I attended the open day in yr 13, picking up some brochures for Energy Studies – it looked awesome. I think I may have attended a promotional lecture for the department too. Otago was the closest university to home in Southland, it had the courses I wanted to do and it's one of the cheapest places to study in New Zealand (living costs wise).
I really appreciated gaining in-depth knowledge of all areas of the energy industry, and the lecturers and tutors were very engaging and helpful. We were able to choose case studies - anything from 'think Big projects' to Central Otago wind-farm proposals. I added a Physical Geography Minor with a focus on climate science to help with renewable energy system planning.
My Postgraduate Diploma thesis was on remote area power systems for sheep and beef farms around New Zealand. Basically we have thousands of kilometers of aging power lines to remote farms that no longer have a subsidy to replace them. I investigated the politics and technical challenges of taking these farms off the grid rather than replacing the lines.
Energy Studies was the perfect preparation for my current role. I'm working as a Power and Energy Scientist for the Defence Technology Agency, so I'm finding ways to save energy in the New Zealand Defence Force – recycling waste, using solar panels for power, evaluating improved radio batteries and using less fuel in ships, planes and armoured vehicles.
My typical day consists of writing reports, emailing soldiers or researchers, and doing 'scope' calculations as to whether it's worth looking into a project.
Sometimes I'll be trialling new technology: flexible solar panels, fuel cells or new batteries are tested in battle scenarios to see if they make a soldier's task easier, cheaper or safer. I essentially become part of the troop - they give me a helmet, sleeping bag and tent, and I ride along in armoured personnel carriers and make observations and record data. Then it's back to the office/lab in Auckland to analyze the data and write the reports.
If you love problem solving and want to get involved in an industry that is vital for our modern way of life then take the energy studies degree. The math may be challenging some of the time but if you stick at it and use the resources at your disposal you will be fine.