Power Distributor / Dispatcher

Coordinate, regulate, or distribute electricity or steam.

O*NET reports this occupation under titles such as: Control Area Operator; Control Operator; Dispatcher; Distribution System Dispatcher (DSD); DSO (Distribution System Operator); Electric System Operator; Power System Dispatcher; Power System Operator; Systems Operator; Transmission System Operator (TSO)

Tasks

• Coordinate with engineers, planners, field personnel, or other utility workers to provide information such as clearances, switching orders, or distribution process changes.
• Respond to emergencies, such as transformer or transmission line failures, and route current around affected areas.
• Control, monitor, or operate equipment that regulates or distributes electricity or steam, using data obtained from instruments or computers.
• Direct personnel engaged in controlling or operating distribution equipment or machinery, such as instructing control room operators to start boilers or generators.
• Distribute or regulate the flow of power between entities, such as generating stations, substations, distribution lines, or users, keeping track of the status of circuits or connections.
• Manipulate controls to adjust or activate power distribution equipment or machines.
• Prepare switching orders that will isolate work areas without causing power outages, referring to drawings of power systems.
• Monitor and record switchboard or control board readings to ensure that electrical or steam distribution equipment is operating properly.
• Implement energy schedules, including real-time transmission reservations or schedules.
• Calculate load estimates or equipment requirements to determine required control settings.
• Track conditions that could affect power needs, such as changes in the weather, and adjust equipment to meet any anticipated changes.
• Record and compile operational data, such as chart or meter readings, power demands, or usage and operating times, using transmission system maps.

Knowledge

• English Language
• Public Safety and Security
• Computers and Electronics
• Engineering and Technology
• Mathematics
• Telecommunications
• Customer and Personal Service
• Mechanical
• Education and Training
• Physics

Skills

• Reading Comprehension
• Active Listening
• Critical Thinking
• Monitoring
• Speaking
• Writing
• Active Learning

Abilities

• Problem Sensitivity
• Oral Comprehension
• Oral Expression
• Inductive Reasoning
• Written Comprehension
• Deductive Reasoning
• Written Expression
• Near Vision
• Information Ordering
• Perceptual Speed
• Speech Clarity
• Category Flexibility
• Flexibility of Closure
• Visualization
• Selective Attention
• Far Vision
• Speech Recognition