Concern about the climate led to a degree in energy and environmental engineering

Text and photo: Siiri Welling  

How can we do our part to prevent climate change? Heini Lehtinen pondered this idea a lot before deciding to apply to Turku University of Applied Sciences to study energy and environmental engineering.   

"I wanted to do something for the climate. I believed that education could provide solutions to the climate crisis and provide more information on renewable energy and energy technology," Lehtinen says. 

The training corresponded to Lehtinen's wishes. It covered topics such as solar panels and solar energy, but there were also courses on circular economy and water and environmental engineering. Although Lehtinen was able to choose a circular economy or water trend, she decided to focus on renewable energy.   

"I was interested in circular economy, but I was attracted to more traditional engineering studies. The trend made it possible to get acquainted with energy efficiency, that is, how to save energy.”  

Design work is the basis of everything  

Lehtinen ended up working for the then Pöyry already during her studies, in the spring of her third year. She worked as an intern and drew PI diagrams. They are two-dimensional drawings that describe in detail the progress of the process and information about technical solutions.  

During the internship, Lehtinen also decided to do her thesis for Pöyry, which later changed its name to AFRY after the acquisitions. Her thesis dealt with the preliminary study and modifications of the process heat recovery system. Lehtinen has worked at AFRY since her graduation. Today, her title is process engineer.   

"In practice, I design industrial processes. If, for example, a large factory needs a new production line, I define the necessary equipment and what and how many consumables are needed on the line. How the production line is controlled, and whether control valves, pressure measurements, flow measurements and so on are needed for the line”, explains Lehtinen.   

Process design is the basis of all other planning. Once the design values and equipment and pipe drafts between them have been defined for the process, it is easier for other design disciplines to move forward. In her current position, Lehtinen has been helped by Turku UAS' teachings on heat transfer and flow technology.   

"Two years ago, my expertise also expanded a bit. I took part in an energy audit that looked at a company’s energy use and how it could be improved or reduced. My supervisor had previously heard that I was interested in just these types of tasks, so a year ago I was able to take a Motiva energy audit course. As a result, I can now conduct energy audits for companies that receive 20 per cent of the total costs from the state”, says Lehtinen.   

In practice, Lehtinen travels to the company's main location and finds out how much energy the company consumes and produces. Based on this, Lehtinen makes an energy balance that determines whether it is possible for the company to recover energy.   

"This so-called energy consultant position is still new to me, but I want to do more of this," says Lehtinen.   

Lehtinen mainly works in the chemical industry, for example, but of course the global engineering company AFRY has customers from many different industries.   

Lehtinen openly recommends studies in energy and environmental engineering at Turku University of Applied Sciences to a wide range of students. According to Lehtinen, many other UAS graduates have also found employment at AFRY later on, although they specialize in infrastructure and network planning, among other things. More generally, an energy and environmental engineer focuses on engineering-level conceptualization and design tasks.   

“Finally, I would like to emphasise that I feel that I have been an ordinary student in every way. My thesis was not mega-revolutionary, but even the average person can make good progress in life and find employment in good jobs”, Lehtinen sums up.