National Engineers Week: Benjamin Shepard
At Avangrid, we’re accelerating transformation for our customers and communities by pioneering a brighter energy future. By balancing decades of experience with a relentless pursuit for forward-thinking innovation, we’re creating a smarter, stronger grid, growing our energy generation system, and pursuing new solutions every day. In honor of National Engineer’s Week, we are highlighting the brilliant minds behind the innovations we’re making. Meet Ben Shepard, Director for CMP’s Lines Projects.
What made you pursue engineering?
It all started when I was growing up playing with Legos. I even had an entire Lego city built in my basement when I was a child.
How do you see engineers playing an important role in the future of energy?
With the push to achieve less carbon emissions, it will require investment and upgrades to the electric grid beyond what many people can imagine. This important work won’t be possible unless we have engineers that can design these upgrades, help manage projects and achieve buy-in from regulators and permitting authorities for this work.
What advice do you have for high school and college students interested in pursuing a career in engineering?
Many people believe going into the engineering profession that most of the job will be sitting at a desk all day doing design work. To truly be a successful to execute projects, an engineer needs to spend much of their time working and communicating with other people in other professions to work as a cohesive team to get projects done. Also spending time in the field is the best way to gain experience on how design work comes together in real life.
Can you share an example of a project or idea you have been working on that you believe will shape the future in a positive way?
The work that is done by me and the team I work with upgrades old transmission lines, or builds new transmission lines. The transmission lines operated by our networks business serve millions of people all over New England and New York. Our work will lay the foundation to our energy future to allow more use of electricity from lower carbon resources to heat and cool our buildings, or electrify our transportation.
