Fuel Cell Engineer Job Description
Fuel Cell Engineer Job Profile and Description
With the intense environmental concerns and a determined focus to shift from non-renewable fossil fuels to sustainable alternative sources, a new breed of power generating engineers – the fuel cell engineers, have cropped up to design, evaluate, develop modify, and construct electrochemical fuel cell powering components and systems for transportation, stationary, or mobile applications. These energy sources are your rechargeable and lithium-ion or polymer batteries in smartphones and laptops, hydrogen fuel cells and metal hydride batteries in hybrid cars, UPS devices, etc.
Fuel Cell Engineer Duties and Responsibilities
- Design and develop fuel cell systems and subsystems, assemblies and ancillary components like power electronics and electric traction motors and power electronics.
- Analyze fuel cell test data using statistical methods.
- Determine the power efficiency of a fuel cell system or process.
- Perform testing of fuel cell products using fuel cell test stations, electrochemical diagnostics such as hydrogen pumps, cyclic voltammetry, and impedance spectroscopy
- Conduct failure analyses, using electromechanical diagnostic procedures
- Design and develop fuel cell materials and fuel cell test equipment.
- Fabricate prototypes of fuel cell components for the relevant commercial application
Fuel Cell Engineer Skills and Specifications
- Must have analytical and detail-centric comprehension skills
- Must have excellent grounding on power generation and engineering skills
- Must have excellent interpersonal skills
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
Fuel Cell Engineer Education and Qualifications
- A Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical, Electronics Engineering or equivalent college course is basic.
- Passing the licensure board exams to become a Professional Engineer may not be required but provided a competitive edge in promotions
- 2-3 years of experience in power generation is an advantage
Fuel Cell Engineer Salary
The median annual salary for Fuel Cell Engineers was $37.03 hourly in 2009 or $77,020 annually. Just for comparison, Petroleum Engineers earned a median salary of $108,200 annually and Nuclear Engineers about $97,200.