Are you looking for a Sales Engineer – Cogeneration sector but are having difficulties recruiting? Have you relied on personnel selection companies but have not had the expected results?

In this article we explain who this figure is and what he/she does and the advantages of turning to Ricercamy as a partner in the search and selection of profiles in the energy and environment sector.

It should be pointed out that the issue of sustainable energy is one of the main objectives set by the European Union in line with the indications contained in the Europe 2020 Strategy, which is declined on the specific theme in the document Transport 2050, and this will lead to an increase in demand for personnel for this sector and project. In fact, by 2050, the European plan envisages a 60% reduction in CO2 emissions from fossil fuels used in transport and allowing only environmentally friendly vehicles to circulate in European urban centres. This implies a decisive rethink with respect to traditional modes of transport.

What is cogeneration?

Cogeneration is the simultaneous production of mechanical energy (usually converted into electrical energy) and heat, which can be used to heat buildings and/or industrial production processes. The range of electrical and thermal performance of cogeneration plants varies from a few to hundreds of megawatts. Since around the year 2000, more and more washing machine-sized plants, so-called mini and micro CHP power plants for single-family homes, small businesses and hotels, have been available on the market. In 2009, VW started a project to install 100,000 small cogeneration plants with a total output of around 2 GW.

Cogeneration is a technology for increasing the overall energy efficiency of an energy conversion system. But to explain why, it is necessary to analyse the efficiencies.

The coefficient of performance is characteristic for each type of engine and represents the ratio between the energy yield derived from it and the fuel introduced. In the case of a car engine, it indicates the ratio between the kilometres travelled and the quantity of hydrocarbons introduced; in the case of large engines for electricity production, the coefficient indicates the ratio between kilowatt hours produced and fuel consumed.

These ratios are characteristic for each type of engine. For example, petrol car engines have efficiencies of between 20 and 30 per cent; cars with diesel engines between 25 and 35 per cent, the remainder becoming waste heat.

Large engines have a higher efficiency and, while generalising a lot, it can be said that for thermoelectric engines, the coefficient of efficiency is fairly high and can reach 55%. But the same engine, when producing in cogeneration mode, has coefficients of up to 85%, because the calorific value of the fuel is used to the full, with effective optimisation of processes.

Of course, the investment required to adapt the engines of a thermal power station to cogeneration is considerable, but if it is possible to create a district heating network, the results are always advantageous. The period of use of these machines should be considered, which can be up to 30-40 years.

A cogeneration plant usually consists of:

Prime mover;
Electric generator
Engine system;
Heat recovery units;
If we were to subdivide by prime movers, we could distinguish:

Turbogas plants;
Turbofan plants;
Alternative internal combustion engines
An example of this is the operation of a car: the power taken from the crankshaft is used for traction and electricity generation, the heat taken from the cylinders is used to heat the passenger compartment and the exhaust gas pressure is used to drive the turbocharger. Exploiting heat and pressure does not lead to an increase in fuel consumption as they are waste products from the engine’s conversion process from chemical to mechanical energy. Exploiting heat and pressure makes it possible to transform the primary energy input (fuel provides chemical energy) into different forms of secondary energy output (motion, heat). A system that operates cogeneration is called a co-generator.

The thermal energy can be used for industrial purposes or environmental conditioning (heating, cooling).

Cogeneration is carried out in particular thermoelectric power stations, where the hot water or process steam and/or fumes produced by a prime mover fuelled by fossil fuel (natural gas, fuel oil, etc.) or non-fossil organic fuels (biomass, biogas, synthesis gas, or other) are recovered: this results in significant energy savings compared to the separate production of electrical energy (through power station generation) and thermal energy (through a traditional thermal power station).

A particular field of cogeneration systems is trigeneration.

Trigeneration involves the simultaneous production of mechanical energy (electricity), heat and cold using a single fuel. In fact, a trigeneration plant is “able to produce electrical, thermal and cooling energy in a combined manner… guaranteeing a significant reduction in the use of fossil fuels and equivalent CO2 emissions. This is achieved because conventional thermal power plants convert only 1/3 of the fuel energy into electricity, with the rest being lost in the form of heat. Hence the need to increase the efficiency of electricity production. One method that goes in this direction is combined heat and power (CHP), where more than four-fifths of the fuel energy is converted into usable energy, with both financial and economic benefits.

Co-generation systems can be designed and manufactured to work with any primary heat source. These systems are now technically mature and economically viable enough to be widely adopted, and the many possible configurations include

cogeneration systems with fossil fuels;
trigeneration systems with fossil fuels;
co-trigeneration with thermosolar systems;
co-trigeneration with biogas;
hybrid cogeneration and trigeneration systems.
In this context, the Sales Engineer – Cogeneration sector operates, whose main objectives are:

Manage the service contracts stipulated with customers, with reference to all technical, administrative and profitability aspects of the contract;
Coordinate with Field Service Managers in order to allocate field resources in the most effective and efficient way, according to plant requirements;
Identify the most suitable solutions from a technical point of view, and ensure the functionality of the plant;
Schedule maintenance to maximise yield and minimise costs and downtime.
The following skills are required

In-depth knowledge of the world of cogeneration;
Good knowledge of the main computer applications;
Good knowledge of the English language, good ability to read mechanical drawings, electrical diagrams and PLCs.
The main activities to be carried out are

Modelling the energy consumption of client companies
Energy audits according to D.lgs.102/2014;
Identification of actions aimed at reducing energy consumption and costs;
Cost-benefit analysis of the identified improvement actions;
Construction and analysis of Business Plans;
Feasibility studies to rationalise and reduce energy consumption;
Developing sales activities in the field of energy efficiency;
Elaboration and validation of business plans for EPC projects / offers;
Contractual elaboration of EPC projects;
Calculation of costs and margins of projects;
Developing sales activities in the field of energy efficiency;
The profile is obviously completed by important soft skills, such as: aptitude for team work, proactivity and creativity, good organisational skills and result orientation.

In the energy and environment sector there is strong competition on the market and speed in contacting them and a study of remuneration are the bases for optimising a selection process.

Ricercamy, a revolutionary and dynamic head hunter, born in March 2012, has, since its inception, been committed to introducing innovative elements into the world of Search and Selection that would improve the redemption of Recruiting activities.

According to a study by Linkedin, 75% of talents are passive and already working, not proactively looking for new professional opportunities. Only 25% of them are more consistently interested in actively searching for new job offers. Therefore, investing the company’s budget in subscriptions and/or offers from job posting platforms cannot be the only effective solution.

It is necessary to adopt a methodology that allows us to reach the best candidates: headhunting calls!

This is how our specialised headhunters find qualified staff for our clients.

Our consultants’ anonymous calls are able to intercept any profile with different seniorities.

Through a very thorough and technical telephone pre-screening, in addition to the personal data, we collect all the specifications on the candidate’s experience necessary to assess its validity and thus allow the candidate to access the next step.

All of the above is carried out and shared in real time via a cloud file in which it is possible to work hand in hand with the client company’s human resources representative, who does not have to wait 2-3 weeks to receive the first shortlist of valid profiles, but just a few hours!

Transparency and immediate sharing is a distinctive trait of Ricercamy, which has specialised over the years in the search and selection of technical figures in the energy sector, thanks to the development of specific skills and knowledge of the profiles sought and the reference market.

By searching for personnel on a daily basis, our headhunters have acquired know-how and specialisation in their sectors, which allows us to be leaders in this market crowded with recruiters.

On the strength of our tools, since its inception, Ricercamy has helped from the smallest Start-Ups, to the big Giants in the selection of qualified personnel who are difficult to find and to place. Thanks to the SMART commercial offer, our clients ask us to carry out selections that they have always tended to do internally, but since we have certain costs and do not provide completion fees or exclusivity, they feel free to delegate the management of their vacancies, or those more difficult or repetitive activities, thus easing their workload.

If you are also looking for these profiles, don’t wait!

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Manuele Epifanio

HR Consultant

Ricercamy