5 Responses

1. Electical and Electronic Engineering maybe?

2. civil eng’g and environmental eng’g if you want hydroelectric plant design,electrical & chemical eng’g for the plant’s operation.

3. Electrical and Civil Engineering would serve you well, however, you should decide what facets of hydroelectricity you want to be involved in. Civil Engineering is founded in architectural design – building public works like dams, highways, etc. Electrical engineering would teach you how to maintain power plants and infrastructure. There’s also geology, which would teach you the geophysical dynamics of coaxing power from the earth (i.e., from water, for instance).

   You should speak with a college advisor and plan a suitable course of study for what you want to do. If you’re still in high school, you should concentrate (as much as possible) on advanced math and science (geology and chemistry) for a good head start.

4. Not really unless you where trying to get approvals to build a new dam. There are not many if any new dams going to be built ever again. USA has maxed all its hydro potential.

   So what degree? Well in engnieering there is

   Electrical Engineering. In the OLD days many electrical engineers went into the power industry. Than electronics and computers came along in the 40’s and now many electrical engineers do not spcialize in power distribution. You would want to specialize in power.

   Mechanical engineering or Civil engineering would also have great need in the hydro plant field. Civil engineers are needed because these dam dams are set in earth and are the ultimate in civil engineering design and construction. There is much on going maintence and life extension programs going on. Mechanical can do it all as well.

   Management. There is the management of the assist. So a business degree or technical management degree would serve you well.

   Again there are no NEW hydro projects, unless you do some cutting edge ocean wave or tide hydro designs. There are some ideas how to harness the power of the wave to make power. In the scandinavian countries with large tidal flow they have locks that dam up high tide and than let it flow out at low tide, driving turbines. They are small in size and of course not continuous like a river or lake dam.

   The FUTURE power will be in new nuclear, wind, solar and geothermal power plants.

   Good luck (my degree masters is in mechanical engineering)

5. i assume Hydrotechnical engineer ..there are others ofcourse