Job Details
Forecasting energy demand requires an inter-disciplinary approach that encompasses physics and chemistry behind energy systems, some economics, public policy, data science, quantitative analysisand communication of results!
Vignesh Venugopal, our next pathbreaker, works as Managing Consultant at Energy and Environmental Economics Inc (San Francisco), a consulting firm that helps big producers and users of electricity reduce their carbon emissions and reduce their impact on global warming.
Vignesh talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about being drawn to the field of Energy Economics after working on solar forecasting using artificial intelligence during his masters at Stanford which exposed him to the intersection of energy, economics and computer science.
For students, try to combine your interests and personal ambitions with your higher sense of purpose !
Vignesh, Your background?
I grew up in Mumbai, and studied science at Mithibai college. I liked playing cricket, volunteered in my school s nature club. Honestly, I did not know what career I wanted, but kept trying new things and kept my options open.
What did you do for graduation/post graduation?
I studied Chemical Engineering at DJ Sanghvi College in Mumbai. I really liked Chemistry in junior college. I also found that Chemical Engineering was very diverse in terms of subjects offered, that would help me keep my options open in the long run. I later went on to get a MS in Energy Resources Engineering (ERE) from Stanford University in the US.
What were some of the drivers that influenced me to pursue such an offbeat, unconventional and cool career?
In my 3 rd year of undergraduate degree at DJS, I made a list of all my courses, projects and internships. I color-coded ones that I enjoyed and ones that I did not, and analyzed the pattern. I found that I really liked areas related to energy and the environment. I wanted to join the renewable energy industry. With the experience that I had, I could only have joined an oil and gas company which is not environmentally sustainable. I thus applied to masters programs that would help me learn about and join the renewable energy industry and I ended up at ERE in Stanford. In retrospect, the pollution in Mumbai, its health impacts and load shedding in some parts of the city (which are even worse in poorer parts of the country), all may have influenced my desire to join the energy industry to ensure electricity access for all, while also not harming the environment.
How did you plan the steps to get into the career you wanted? Or how did you make a transition to a new career? Tell us about your career path
Once I realized where my interests are, I used LinkedIn to reach out to people who studied/worked in my field of interest to understand what they do and seek guidance on what to study and how to prepare myself. I used elective subjects in college, projects and internships to learn more about energy internships at Bhabha Atomic Research Center to learn about nuclear energy, at RCF to learn about energy use in chemical factories, and then at Jacobs to learn about energy from an engineering design and consulting standpoint. I found these internships by talking to my professors and my friends who had friends/family members who worked there and were willing to give me an opportunity to learn. I also made use of online courses through Coursera, EdX etc. many of which are free, to learn more about topics not covered in my college.
At Stanford, I continued to take this approach by finding and pursuing energy research opportunities, taking courses, communicating with my professors and networking with people in the industry who told me about their jobs, skills needed so I could prepare myself accordingly.
The MS in ERE program at Stanford used to be a program in Petroleum Engineering. By the time I found out about the program, luckily, the program had diversified to include both fossil fuels and renewable energy courses in the curriculum. At ERE, I got to learn about the technical aspects of various energy technologies. With electives and my research projects, I also got to learn about machine learning, optimization and economics, all of which I applied in my research which set me up well to do my job today. Given the primary focus on engineering, my batch in ERE comprised of people who had undergraduate degrees in engineering fields like Chemical, Petroleum, Electronics, Material Science, Mechanical, etc. This was a thesis-based program and my research on solar power forecasting became the core of that thesis. I highly encourage students to consider thesis-based programs given the practical exposure it will bring, the job opportunities it may open in the future and the possibility of getting financial aid while pursuing your degree.
How did you get your first break?
My first break was getting selected for my masters at Stanford that also came with the opportunity to do research on solar energy. I got my break by doing well in college, maintaining good grades, taking online courses to supplement my learning, and taking on additional projects from my professors, which provided me with practical knowledge. They also kindly gave me good letters of recommendations, recognizing my hard work. Finally, a strong statement of purpose (SOP) which is your story, for why you want to pursue your selected field of study played a big role in getting me this break. All along the way, do not be shy of using LinkedIn or Facebook groups which consist of Indians studying in different universities. Reach out to people who are where you want to be some day and seek advice from them.
What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?
It was very challenging to switch from Chemical Engineering to Energy Resources Engineering because I wanted to switch from oil and gas to renewable energy. It s important to be patient with yourself, work hard and seek guidance wherever needed. Consult with your professors, smarter classmates, etc. as needed. Remember that natural talent is given too much importance. Even if you feel you are not talented, you can end up in a better position by working hard, with experience and guidance. The more you do something, the better you get at it. So, to deal with the challenges of this transition, I took as many courses, research projects as I could, which were related to renewable energy. With every experience, I learned a little more, felt a little more confident and comfortable.
Where do you work now? What problems do you solve?
I work at Energy and Environmental Economics Inc. It is a consulting firm in the US that helps big producers and users of electricity reduce their carbon emissions and reduce their impact on global warming. One example project includes helping my client, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) plan in meeting the NY State goal of 100% carbon-free electricity starting 2040 with least impact on total energy bills for state residents. So, my work with them involves (1) Forecasting electric demand thinking about population changes, adoption of electric vehicles and other appliances, energy efficiency improvements etc. (2) Optimizing electricity supply to meet this demand thinking through optimal timing and location of carbon-free power plants like wind, solar, storage, etc., role of emerging technologies like green hydrogen and optimal retirement of existing fossil-fueled assets to reduce emissions cost-effectively while ensuring lights stay on (3) Reliability assessment ensuring there is enough buffer in the system to ensure enough electricity can be generated when weather is harsh, solar and wind generation is low, demand is high, power plants or transmission lines face outages, etc.
What skills are needed in your role? How did you acquire the skills?
Skills required include understanding of physics and chemistry behind energy systems, some economics, public policy, data science and optimization to do the quantitative analysis and communication skills to ensure complex technical analysis can be simply and effectively communicated to non-technical clients and make investment decision making easy for them.
What s a typical day like?
Typical day includes communicating with clients to understand their problems, relaying that information to my team, creating a game plan, reviewing results produced and then presenting it to the client.
I love the fact that my work is helping my clients reduce their carbon emissions and reduce their impact on global warming without compromising energy access for their customers.
How does your work benefit society?
It helps maintain energy/electricity access for people to live a happy, healthy life while reducing the bad environmental impacts of using dirty sources of energy/electricity, through better planning and investments in renewable energy sources.
Tell us an example of a specific memorable work you did that is very close to you!
At Stanford, I worked on solar forecasting using artificial intelligence. It exposed me to the intersection of energy and computer science, and helped me realize that computer science can be used to solve real problems in energy, healthcare, etc. and not just at large advertising or social media companies. Though it was a hard skill to pick up, having a strong why helped me push through. I eventually gave up that project and moved on to something else because I found that it would not lead to a viable product or service that people could use. Cheaper and better alternatives existed. So, the experience taught me the value of always asking am I in the right place doing the right thing? Or should I quit and try something else? . We sometimes face a lot of pressure to stick with our field of study, our projects, our relationships etc., and quitting is seen as failure. But the reality is, it is hard to know what the right thing is from the very beginning. You try something and if you find evidence that you ll be better off doing something else, you should switch. Not stay stuck and fall prey to the sunk cost fallacy. Switching may be painful in the short term but switching to something that is a better use of your time and capabilities can lead to better outcomes for you and for the world in the longer term.
Your advice to students based on your experience?
Try to combine your interests and personal ambitions with your higher sense of purpose. People who single-mindedly pursue money are never happy. People who pursue their interests, get good at it and solve real problems for others, make money no matter what field they are in and are truly happy at the end of the day. See life as a series of experiments. Try new things, each thing will teach you something, even if you fail. Don t wait to find your passion. You find your passion by trying new things. Never think you are not talented or naturally intelligent. The more problems you solve, better the intuition you build, more knowledgeable you become, more intelligent you and others will see you as.
Future Plans?
I want to continue helping companies and governments extend/maintain electricity access for everyone while reducing carbon emissions. I would love to extend my work beyond the US to the global scale.
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