My supervisor then began to teach me how to use ETAP, which is a power power systems simulation tool. It has capabilities to model solar panels, inverters, transmission cables, switchboards, circuit breakers, transformers, utility inputs, and much more. I was given a practice circuit from a previous client to model in ETAP and run load flow and short circuit analyses. I was surprised by ETAP’s capabilities to give the voltage and current phases for all components in the circuit. I learned that it uses the adaptive Newton-Raphson method to determine the solutions of the AC transmission circuit, and runs its for hundreds of iterations until converging on a satisfactory result.

I also completed a 13-hour AutoCAD training course since it an essential tool used in create single-line diagrams of the solar power systems sites, which are basically large circuit diagrams. Lastly, I ended up getting involved in small portion of an Arc-Flash study, which uses a software called SKM Power Tools to determine how much energy is being dissipated when a short happens anywhere in the power system uses powerful electrical and thermal analysis techniques. Knowledge of this parameters allows Kimley-Horn to create Arc-Flash labels which warn workers or people roaming in the power system site on what type of PPE equipment to wear and what safety protocols to follow when repairing or working on the site.