Green technology: big interest,
great career

Jobs are both generated and impacted by companies’ involvement in green engineering and technology

Green-technology jobs attract a diverse workforce of men and women, ethnic groups and educational backgrounds

By Sue Marquette Poremba
Contributing Editor

Interest in sustainable products and environmental issues is growing fast. Manufacturers and a broad range of industries are working to find best practices in green technology.

Green technology aims to provide cleaner, more efficient energy sources, cars that don’t depend on fossil fuels only, ways to recycle the growing mountains of e-waste and much more, all in the praiseworthy interest of shrinking our nation’s mega-sized carbon footprint.

“We must actively work to inspire, engage with and convince others to take action,” says Peter Darbee, chair and CEO of Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E, San Francisco, CA). “Perhaps no other issue has ever demanded the kind of long-term, cooperative and multidimensional effort that will be required to overcome this challenge. Yet, despite its immensity, the challenge can be met.”

The forward-looking career path of green technology attracts a diverse workforce. At Shell Wind Energy (Houston, TX), for example, media representative Timothy O’Leary says, “There’s a strong, diverse team here with a high proportion of minorities.”

“We have a diverse group of men and women, minorities, even educational backgrounds,” agrees Laura Schinnell, who manages a lab at Areva (Richland, WA).

Young but growing
Unlike most other engineering and technical fields, green technology is still in its infancy. According to The State of Green Business 2008 by the editors of GreenBiz.com, there’s not enough data to show how companies overall are doing in moving the needle on issues like climate change, toxic reduction, water conservation and resource efficiency, at least in the U.S.

But it seems clear that green technology and green business are under way. More and more companies are buying in, realizing why these practices are important, and working to suit their products or services to both environmental needs and customers’ demands.

“The work we are doing helps our clients get started and identify sustainability priorities for their organizations,” says Helen Wu of Johnson Controls’ innovative services unit (Hasbrouck Heights, NJ). “Clay Nesler, our VP for global energy and sustainability, likes to say that ‘Planning is good, but doing is better!’”

Ravi Sankaran: wind energy development at Shell Oil
Ravi Sankaran is a business development manager at Shell Wind Energy, a subsidiary of Shell Oil Co (Houston, TX). His company, he notes, understands the need to look beyond fossil fuels for future energy needs.

Sankaran is responsible for development activities related to Shell’s wind energy projects in the southwestern U.S. desert. Since 2006 he’s handled essentials like land leasing, permitting, interconnection and power marketing to the point of commercial operation.

He has a BA in math from the University of Virginia, and first became interested in wind energy while working on his 2003 MBA at the University of Texas at Austin. “I did an internship in the wind industry,” he says.

“At the time there weren’t many MBA students with an interest in green technology. I was one of maybe five students in a class of 400.” Now, he notes with a smile, “MBA schools have green energy clubs.”

Sankaran had worked for Shell in the late 1990s. After grad school he worked for a utility company for three years: excellent preparation for his current job, he notes.

“The utilities are the buyers and customers of wind power, and I was on the supply procurement end. I learned how to dispatch generating assets and manage load flows.”

Then he returned to Shell. “There’s a lot of satisfaction helping to take an oil giant into the clean energy space,” he says.

Sankaran is currently handling a number of large-scale land-based wind projects in various phases of development. “Some are in an early stage, like land leasing and wind measurements,” he explains. “In others we’re already in discussion with grid operators, utilities and permitting agencies.”

He’s also involved with the SunZia project, a proposed 460-mile transmission line designed to harness mostly renewable energy sources. “It could deliver power from renewable energy pockets in New Mexico to the Phoenix, AZ region and beyond,” he explains. Shell is one of five partners in the project, and Sankaran is Shell’s representative.

His past work has proved invaluable in his current role. “In the wind industry there isn’t always good understanding of utility integration challenges,” he notes.

The most technical part of his work involves the transmission intersection process. “Most of the technical challenges in integrating wind are in interconnection with utilities’ systems,” he explains. “I understand things like the challenges of matching generation with load, and the need for regulation and ancillary services.”

Outside work, Sankaran was instrumental in developing the Houston Renewable Energy Network, made up of people working in the energy sector and others simply interested in renewable energy.

Dr Bei Zhang: greening up the plants at Monsanto
Plants, the epitome of “green,” need green technology of their own. Developing seed for crops that use fertilizer more efficiently is Bei Zhang’s job at Monsanto (St. Louis, MO), the agricultural company.

Zhang grew up in China where she earned a degree in plant biology. She came to the U.S., completed a PhD in plant molecular biology at the University of California-Los Angeles in 1996, and went to work for Monsanto. “In grad school I read papers published by Monsanto. I found them quite interesting, and I wanted to know what a biotech company was like.”

Today she’s a platform lead in biotechnology. She heads a group of scientists using biotechnology to improve the efficiency of nitrogen use in corn.

“Nitrogen is a major fertilizer and a major cost for farmers,” Zhang says, and excessive application has a negative impact on the environment, ending up in the water system when plants don’t use the chemical efficiently. “We achieve higher corn yields with less nitrogen application. That reduces the impact of nitrogen and leads to cleaner water and less contamination in our waterways.”

Right now, Zhang and her research team are focusing on identifying genes that can improve nitrogen-use efficiency when introduced into corn plants. “Eventually we want to find ways to use nitrogen better on many other crops as well.

“Protecting the environment is critical,” she says. “There is only so much land available for farming, so we need to help agricultural production become more efficient for long-term sustainability.”

Laura Schinnell manages analytical services at Areva
“I consider nuclear power to be green power,” says Laura Schinnell. “I think nuclear is one of the least harmful ways to generate electricity. In my career with various utility companies I’ve permitted many different kind of facilities: nuclear, wind, biomass, solar and coal plants. I really believe in nuclear power.”

Schinnell grew up in New York State. Her high school chemistry teacher got her interested in the environment, and on the teacher’s recommendation Schinnell decided to attend Hamline University (St. Paul, MN) for her 1974 BA in chemistry. She followed that with an MS in environmental health from the University of Minnesota in 1980.

“I’ve always been interested in environmental science, so that’s how I ended up in environmental health,” she explains. She took engineering and technical classes, focusing on areas like wastewater management and sanitary engineering.

Her career began with Northern States Power Co (Minneapolis, MN) and the state of Minnesota. She went on to the State of Washington Public Power Supply System (now Energy Northwest), working in permitting and environmental compliance.

“This type of work was still very new,” Schinnell notes. “I led a lot of efforts to get others to understand what my job meant.”

About eighteen months ago Schinnell moved to Areva (Richland, WA) as a manager of analytical services. Areva’s Richland location is a nuclear fuel manufacturing facility. “We manufacture the nuclear fuel pellets, the rods that contain the pellets, and the fuel assemblies that go into nuclear reactors,” Schinnell explains.

Her job is overseeing the analytical services lab where her group turns out production samples. “For example, we’ll analyze ceramic pellets of the uranium fuel to make sure they are the proper enrichment, and we analyze environmental samples to make sure they are in compliance with environmental regulations.”

The lab is also running samples for a supercritical fluid carbon dioxide project. “Some of the other processes create an ash that contains uranium. The supercritical project extracts the usable uranium, and the lab is helping to determine the optimum conditions for doing that,” Schinnell explains.

Helen Wu directs innovation services at Johnson Controls
“Every day our employees consciously contribute to saving the planet in some way,” declares Helen Wu, director of innovation services at Johnson Controls’ innovative services unit (Hasbrouck Heights, NJ).

Wu loves her company’s commitment to green technology. “Johnson Controls Innovation Services is a professional services organization,” she explains. “We provide clients with innovative planning tools and consulting to assist them with strategic planning, capital budgeting, infrastructure planning and workplace design.” That, she adds, “helps our clients address critical steps in their facilities and infrastructure-related planning activities, using tools adopted from market research and Six Sigma disciplines.”

A key tool is the award-winning Solutions Navigator game-board planner. It helps cross-functional teams do planning exercises interactively and objectively.

The data-driven planning process maximizes stakeholder involvement and helps build consensus and accountability within the team, Wu points out. “For our clients, this is our recommended first step on the path to sustainability.”

Wu’s group provides workshop services to industries worldwide. “Currently the interest is
high among municipalities in the U.S.,” she notes. More than 800 cities have signed on to the U.S. Mayors’ Climate Change Protection agreement and many are now launching their sustainability plans.

“Climate disruption is an urgent threat to the environmental and economic health of our communities. Action is needed at the local, state and federal levels to meet the challenge. Some cities come to us to help them bring all key stakeholders together and agree on an approach,” Wu explains.

Wu grew up in New Jersey with an interest in math and science. She got her BSME in 1990 from Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken, NJ). Then she went to work for Johnson Controls, holding various technical sales and management positions on the way to her post as director of innovation services. This year she will move to Singapore to take on a global role as director of business development for Southeast Asia and India.

Anisha Ladha: global e-waste program manager for Intel
Today’s society depends on electronics. We all know that gadgets don’t last forever, but a recent EPA study showed that only 15 to 20 percent of “e-waste” is recycled in the U.S.

E-waste consists of obsolete and otherwise unwanted electronics, including computers, peripherals, monitors and TV sets, and this is where Anisha Ladha comes to the rescue.

Ladha is a global e-waste program manager for Intel (Hillsboro, OR). “I’m responsible for how e-waste is managed, both internally and externally,” she explains.

Some countries and U.S. states regulate the disposal of e-waste, and it’s up to Ladha to make sure Intel complies with those regulations. “Managing e-waste is a shared responsibility,” she notes. “All entities with a stake in the lifecycle of the product: manufacturers, retailers, consumers, governments, and recyclers, share the responsibility for e-waste recycling.”

Intel also hosts or sponsors recycling events where individuals can drop off their e-waste. The electronics are sent to a local recycler where they are de-manufactured and shredded. Glass, metals and plastics are separated for reuse.

“When we use recyclers, we audit their environmental and safety practices before we sign on,” Ladha says. “Responsible management of the recycled materials is important.”

When Ladha first began college she thought she wanted to be a hospital administrator, but she soon realized she wanted a job that would have a bigger impact on society. She completed a BS in environmental studies at Florida International University and an MS in environmental change and management from Oxford University in England.

Intel had offered her a job, and after a few months with a consulting company she flew to Oregon in 2000, liked what she saw, and joined Intel. Her first job was managing chemical waste for the company.

Her current job, she admits, is more management than engineering. But her technical skills are vital for understanding all the regulations.

“Managing e-waste is a huge issue, and we all need to do our part,” she says. “We need to do
a better job of protecting the health and environment of the communities where we live
and work.”

Ladha is also responsible for Intel’s environmental health and safety marketing and communications. She works closely with other teams as the contact for environment, health and safety issues. It’s her job to draft the environmental section of Intel’s annual corporate social responsibility report.

Dr Yanbing Wang is a senior research chemist with Henkel
Yanbing Wang came to the U.S. for his PhD and stayed because he liked the country. Now he’s working on developing new materials to improve fuel cells, an alternative fuel source for cars and other applications.

Wang got his 1997 BS in polymer engineering in China. After receiving his PhD in polymer science in 2006 from the University of Connecticut he went to work for Henkel Corp (Rocky Hill, CT) as a senior research chemist.

Sustainability issues are important to Henkel, which produces hundreds of products for home and beauty as well as adhesives and sealants. Every aspect of Henkel’s products, from the materials used in the products to their packaging, is selected with sustainability in mind.

“The strategic research of our products is geared toward the next generation,” Wang says. His own research focuses on seals employed with new energy technologies like fuel cells and solar.

“My job is to come up with new formulations and maybe new materials,” he explains. “I communicate with the customers about what they need and what kind of characteristics they have in mind.”

For example, the search for a new battery seal is vital to the future of fuel cells in cars, Wang says, especially since today’s fuel cells are designed for vehicles with combustion engines.

“Right now the fuel cell isn’t ready for that application, especially if you want to keep the car long term,” Wang says. “Price and performance are the two biggest barriers to using fuel cells efficiently. We need to make them better, and we need to make them cheaper.”

The work Wang’s team is doing is not the only Henkel research effort in green technology. Other studies are looking at wind energy and more.

Wang is very glad his career brought him to these new technologies. “Working in next-generation materials makes my job more challenging and more interesting,” he says. “It’s a chance to make a difference.”

Liping Zhang: environmental manager at John Deere
Liping Zhang pursued a green technology job with John Deere (Moline, IL) because she believes protecting the environment is good for the present and critical for the future. “I feel good doing something to contribute to this, especially when we do projects in different countries, installing advanced emission control and wastewater treatment plants,” she says.

Until recently Zhang was responsible for the environmental design of water and wastewater treatment facilities and tank farms, emission control equipment selection and environmental permitting for new construction projects from Mexico and Brazil to China and Russia. But last fall Deere promoted Zhang to a North American environmental manager. Now she gets to partner with cross-divisional environmental professionals, unit managers and the corporate environmental engineering group.

Zhang received her BSCE from Tianjin University in China in 1985, followed by a 1988 MS in applied chemistry from China’s NanJing Institute of Chemical Engineering. She came to the U.S. to join her husband, who was working on his PhD here, and went on to a 1997 MS in CE and EnvE from the University of Toledo (Toledo, OH). She worked for the City of Toledo as an environmental specialist, then moved to John Deere in 1997.

Her job, she explains with a smile, has never directly involved tractors. “I’m an environmental engineer, working to reduce or eliminate the environmental risks and impact of our manufacturing facilities. I design water treatment plants to remove pollutants from the wastewater we discharge.

“We not only meet wastewater discharge standards, but often go beyond the requirements,” she notes with pride. “We choose energy-efficient equipment, low NOx boilers and low toxic paints and continuously reduce our environmental footprint.”

Right now Zhang is working on a project in Russia. “We are building a new facility near Moscow,” she explains. “I am working on environmental permitting and water treatment design.”

Russia, she notes, has very stringent environmental regulations. “The wastewater discharge limits are from ten times to a hundred times more stringent than discharge limits in the U.S., depending on the parameters. The water we discharge must be better quality than the water we take in.

“We’re designing a closed-loop system to recycle and reuse all the water.”

Eugene Park: IT senior director at PG&E
“As an IT person, my job has little specific impact on being green,” says Eugene Park, IT senior director at Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E, San Francisco, CA), which serves California customers from Eureka to Bakersfield.

“But,” he adds, “the systems we build help our employees and customers become more green.”

In most houses around the country the electric meters are read the old-fashioned way, by a meter reader who comes to the house once a month or so. But a growing number of customers in the PG&E service area are now fitted with the SmartMeter, which can be read remotely by the company. Future generations of the meter will report a power outage immediately, even before the customer calls.

“Each meter has a little computer on it that feeds back hourly data,” Park explains. “I get twenty-four reads a day on a meter. That lets me understand how much electricity is used during any specific time period.”

Of particular interest are the hours from two to six PM, peak hours for electric use in the San Francisco area, especially on summer days. “That’s a very critical time for us and the time of day when we want people to conserve their energy use,” he says.

The idea is to get customers to understand how much electricity they are using at certain times of the day and how it affects the overall community. “If we can provide the right incentives, like different rates at off-peak hours, we can encourage customers to be green.”

Park graduated from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Terre Haute, IN) in 1993 with a BS in EE and CS. He came to PG&E in 2005 to run IT for the new SmartMeter project. Last April he became IT senior director, running all applications at the company and managing a team responsible for all IT-related business processes within PG&E.

“I make sure the systems are running every day,” he says, “and I look to find ways to lower our costs to run those systems.” For example, data-center usage tends to be an energy hog, and Park and PG&E are taking steps to optimize energy use in the company’s own data centers as well as advising its large-scale customers how to reduce their energy usage. “If you move your servers so cold air flows one way and hot air flows another way, it has a very positive effect on cooling costs,” Park notes.

SmartMeters are one of the more visible indications of PG&E’s interest in reducing its carbon footprint. The company is installing some 8,000 a day, on all new construction and any time an old meter needs to be replaced. So far a million-plus SmartMeters are in use. PG&E and Park plan to have them on every building in the company’s territory within the next five years.

D/C

Sue Marquette Poremba is an engineering and construction writer in State College, PA.

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