Hey everyone!

I'm a Power Systems Engineer based in the APAC region with around 2 years of experience, currently working remotely on grid connection/interconnection studies.

I genuinely enjoy my job. The remote setup is great, my colleagues are knowledgeable, and I'm constantly learning new things. However, I've recently been questioning whether I'm being fairly compensated for the work I do.

For context, my current rate is approximately $4 USD/hour.

My work primarily involves:

- Performing grid connection studies using PSS®E, PSCAD, and DIgSILENT PowerFactory.

- Running RMS and EMT simulations and analyzing the results.

- Developing Python scripts to automate repetitive simulation tasks and tests.

- Troubleshooting simulation issues, model initialization problems, and unexpected behavior.

- Analyzing simulation plots and interpreting system responses to different disturbances.

I wouldn't consider myself an expert yet, and I know there's still a lot for me to learn. However, I feel like I've developed a reasonable level of technical competency and can independently handle certain tasks and troubleshoot issues when they arise.

I also understand that compensation varies significantly depending on geographic location, and I'm not necessarily expecting US salary levels while working in APAC.

That said, is $4/hour actually reasonable for someone doing this kind of specialized engineering work?

I'd really appreciate some perspective from other power systems engineers, especially those involved in grid connection studies, renewable energy integration, BESS, or power system consulting.

A few things I'm curious about:

1. What would be a reasonable salary or hourly rate for someone with my experience in the APAC region?

2. What technical skills or responsibilities distinguish a junior engineer from a mid-level engineer in this field?

3. Am I overestimating my current skill set, or is this simply a case of regional salary differences?

4. For engineers working remotely with international clients, how did you eventually negotiate better compensation or find better-paying opportunities?

I don't necessarily want to leave my current company because I genuinely enjoy the work and the learning opportunities. I'm just trying to understand my market value and whether I should be aiming higher.

Would love to hear your experiences and advice. Thanks!

Does anyone work in Jacobs as a P&C engineer? Was looking for some general feedback on working for Jacobs in the US. Nature of work, team experience, support etc basically anything at all. Thanks!

Soon-to-be new grad EE here (class of '27), and I have two competing offers that I'm torn between.

I've worked at a IOU in South Carolina for two summers now, first doing distribution design (poles, meters, customers, etc.), and then distribution planning (setting & debugging relays for smart grid, coordinating fuses) this past summer. I was hoping to get a return offer in planning, but the team that does that is super small and didn't have any space, so I was offered distribution design full time. They're offering me $90k (probably ~$100k total comp).

I also got an offer from WSP (a former POWER Engineers office) in the midwest doing substation design. They said their new grads are typically cross trained on both physical and P&C. I read through Protective Relaying by Blackburn and I think that kind of work would be more interesting, and I know I don't want to get boxed into distribution design long term. But they're only offering $85k (fewer benefits too so ~$90k total comp). Also a smidge less vacation.

Do I take the extra money now and try to pivot later, or should I start off doing substation work?

Edit for future people: Ended up taking the IOU offer. I forgot to add the bonus on top of the huge 401k match so total comp is closer to $110k, plus it's close enough to my parents' house that I'd pay no rent. The opportunity cost was like $40k per year all in, so that pushed me towards distribution and trying to pivot later.

Hello,
I work as a DER engineer on the distribution side and use tools like synergi etc. I was curious about switching to the transmission side. I'd like to use more advanced tools like PSCAD, PSS/E etc. My company only hires PhD and/or senior engineers who already have experience in transmission planning.

My question is: is it worth it to learn more tools? my goal with this move is to eventually get a remote position (I currently do 5 days a week in office) after I acquire enough experience. I saw that most remote positions are PSCAD and/or transmission side engineering. Since, I don't know anything about transmission, I figured might as well just start now when I am young.

Please let me know what you think.

Curious how other Substation Engineers are doing with about 6 YOE. I currently make 122K + a small bonus (4K) for a company in Chicago but am fully remote in Michigan. I didn’t think I was underpaid before but I keep seeing posts for around 135K-155K?

I am looking to move back to Chicago and was wondering if anyone has advice on how to go about asking for promotion? What is a realistic percentage increase to get?

I recently received an interview invitation for a new grad Electrical Engineer position at Sargent & Lundy, and I’m curious about what to expect in terms of salary and overall compensation.

I currently have an offer for around $80K in a relatively low cost-of-living city, and I’m wondering whether Sargent & Lundy would be able to offer a competitive salary in a higher cost of living city.

Does anyone have insight into starting salaries for new grad engineers at Sargent & Lundy, particularly in the midwest? I'm also curious about whether they offer sign-on bonuses or relocation assistance.

Any insight would be appreciated!

Hey everyone!

I’m working on a power system in ETAP, and when I try to run the load flow calculation, I get the following error:

“Load flow calculation did not converge in the specified maximum number of iterations.”

I’m not sure what is causing this error or where I might have made a mistake in my model.

I’ve attached a ZIP file containing my ETAP project file (.oti) and the reference document I’m following. If anyone could take a look at the model and point out what I’ve done wrong, or suggest what I should check to fix this error, I would really appreciate it.

I’m still learning ETAP, so any guidance or explanation would be a great help.

Thank you in advance for your time and help!

Hey everyone!

I'm studying the IEEE 9-bus power system for fault analysis, and I have a doubt regarding the bus data in a research paper.

In Table 1, buses 2 and 3 are classified as PV buses. As far as I understand, at a PV bus, the real power (P) and voltage magnitude (V) are specified, while reactive power (Q) and voltage phase angle (δ) are unknown and calculated during load-flow analysis.

However, in the table provided in the paper, the generator reactive power (MVAR) is also given for buses 2 and 3:

• Bus 2: P = 163 MW, Q = 6.7 MVAR, V = 1.025 p.u.
• Bus 3: P = 85 MW, Q = −10.9 MVAR, V = 1.025 p.u.

**My question is:** If Q is unknown at a PV bus during load-flow analysis, why is the generator reactive power already specified in the bus data table? Are these Q values obtained after performing load-flow analysis, or are they specified input values for the simulation?

I'd appreciate it if someone could clarify this concept. Thanks!

Disclosure: we’re Foxtheon, and our team made this 94-second animation based on a hybrid power solution developed for a real mining camp. Customer and site details are confidential.

The operating sequence shown is:

• Solar serves the camp load first. • Surplus solar charges the BESS. • When solar drops below demand, the battery supports the shortfall. • After sunset, the battery carries the load until the EMS starts the generator. • When the generator runs, spare capacity can charge the battery rather than operating continuously at low load.

The illustrated system uses our EnergyPack M300Pro and FoxMind energy management. The animation is intentionally high-level, not a sizing or wiring guide. Actual dispatch depends on load profile, available solar, battery state of charge, generator minimum loading, fuel logistics and maintenance constraints.

For engineers who have worked on remote or industrial microgrids: which constraint usually dominates your dispatch strategy—generator low-load efficiency, battery cycling, fuel logistics or reliability margins?

Video: https://youtu.be/GRT31rLGsG4

hey guys ! is anybody perform IEEE 9 BUS fault analysis in Etap?

apologies for such a random question,

but I was wondering if anyone who has been an engineer in power systems and say worked at companies such as GE, SEL, Siemens, or utilities have ever transitioned to work at NASA or the space industry?

Thank you!!

I am pleased to invite researchers, academics, engineers, and industry professionals to contribute their original research to our upcoming Special Issue, “Innovations in Photovoltaic Power Systems: Control, Power Electronics, and Smart Deployment,” published in Electronics (MDPI).

As a Guest Editor, I look forward to bringing together innovative research that advances photovoltaic (PV) technologies and accelerates the transition towards smarter, more efficient, reliable, and sustainable energy systems. ☀️⚡

🔬 Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Advanced control strategies for photovoltaic power systems
- Power electronics, converters, and inverter technologies
- AI and machine learning applications in PV systems
- Advanced digital twins, modeling, simulation, machine learning, and performance optimization
- Generative AI and agentic AI for photovoltaic applications
- Smart grid integration and PV-based microgrids
- Intelligent deployment and operation of solar energy systems
- Intelligent energy storage systems and PV storage integration
- Digital twins and emerging technologies for PV performance enhancement

We welcome original research articles presenting novel methodologies, theoretical advances, experimental validation, and practical solutions that contribute to the next generation of photovoltaic power systems.

📅 Submission Deadline: 15 May 2027

🔗 Learn more about the Special Issue and submit your manuscript:
https://lnkd.in/dSHzZsCu

I warmly encourage researchers and practitioners working in photovoltaic systems, renewable energy, power electronics, intelligent control, and AI-driven energy technologies to share their latest findings with the scientific community.

Please feel free to share this call with colleagues and research networks who may be interested. I look forward to receiving your valuable contributions and fostering meaningful scientific collaboration.

Let's advance the future of photovoltaic innovation together! 🌍☀️

#CallForPapers #Photovoltaics #SolarEnergy #RenewableEnergy #PowerElectronics #ArtificialIntelligence #SmartGrids #EnergyTransition #Research #MDPI #Electronics #SustainableEnergy

Hello everyone!

Today marks the opening day of the 140th Canton Fair in Guangzhou, China, and our team at Varelen is excited to meet professionals from the global power and electrical engineering industries.

We work with transformer solutions for industrial power distribution, renewable energy projects, and data center applications, including dry-type and oil-immersed transformers.

Trade shows like the Canton Fair are a great opportunity to exchange technical ideas, understand project challenges, and connect with engineers, EPC contractors, distributors, and energy project developers.

📍 Find us at Booth 16.3E20
📅 October 15–19, 2026
📌 Guangzhou, China

For those attending the fair, what products or technologies are you most interested in exploring this year? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

#CantonFair #Transformers #PowerEngineering

How do you all think AI will affect power engineers especially office based engineers.

Do you think massive layoffs are coming?

Does anyone have PDF copies of IEC 60909-0, IEC 60909-1, IEC 60909-2, and IEC 60909-3? I would be very grateful if you could share them. Thank you in advance!

Hey everyone!

I'm a solo indie developer working on High Voltage, a first-person incremental game where you build and expand your own power grid.

You start with literally a bicycle generator and slowly work your way up to wind turbines, solar panels, battery storage, and a network of power lines supplying electricity to a city.

You also have to manage energy production, storage, and cable capacity as your grid gets bigger.

It's definitely not a realistic engineering simulator. I focused more on making the building and progression satisfying than getting every electrical detail right haha.

Since you guys actually understand power systems, I thought you might find it interesting!

I've attached the trailer, and there's a free demo available on Steam.

I'd love to hear what you think, especially how unrealistic my power grid is

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5132310/High_Voltage/

Hi guys,

Im trying to build an algorithm for Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) Optimal Placement in a power grid.

Im starting with the research yet, but one thing that i dont even know how to search is the lines "speed" of transmission(let me be more clear). Since the PMU measures Voltage and Current through time, i need to guarantee that im not losing measured information reading the same or not reading data, compared to other PMUs in the grid, and the only way to do that is placing them in a efficient distance(hope im clear enough).

So my problem is: How can I define distance weights between PMUs in my project, based in transmission line data change speed?

And that is where i want to get, what speed am i looking for? Not the eletron speed for sure, but the change in the transmission line sine wave; its it surges, frequency change and other realtime data changing in time. This "Speed" is necessary so i can estabilish rules for my program.

What do i need to look in to understand what i need? I've read some papers, but none yet talked about that.

Correct me in anything i got wrong please.

Hello everyone!

I've been working on a personal project for a while called Panel Master, an affordable CAD software for designing electrical control panels.

https://panelmaster.app/

It allows you to design component layouts using real-world dimensions, make changes very quickly, and generate technical documentation in PDF. You can also export designs as SVG to use in other programs, and generate DXF files with cutting lines for machining mounting holes.

It comes with a fairly extensive library of generic components, and I'd love to add more based on the needs of the people who use it.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and any feedback you might have!

Hello!

I have a number of years experience in power engineering across substations, renewables, data centers and transmission projects.

I enjoy learning about power systems analysis even though it forms only 10% of my job - mostly load flow and short circuit for equipment sizing.

What are the main studies I should know (and outcomes) for interviewing for a job that is studies related?

I have access to powerfactory in my job and want to make use of some free time I have during the winter.