Meet our people: Shuhan Li

Please tell us about your experiences as a student and also your current responsibilities at Hitachi Energy.

After studying electrical engineering at a university in China, I worked for a manufacturer in the power transmission and distribution field in China. During this period, I became interested in researching more about the growing impact of renewable energy on the power system, so I decided to enter a graduate school in Japan. I learned about Japan's power system there, and after that I joined Hitachi Energy to leverage my study and experiences as an engineer.

Currently, as an engineer in the Grid Automation Business Unit, I am involved in the implementation of grid edge solutions that include battery storage solutions. Hitachi Energy's solutions are designed based on international standards, so it is sometimes difficult to apply them directly to projects in Japan due to some specifications and requirements unique to Japan. Therefore, I communicate with both customers and Hitachi Energy's global team to align on how to effectively apply our solutions to our local customers.

It has been almost a year since you joined Hitachi Energy. Please tell us about what you have found challenging and what has been memorable so far in your career with Hitachi Energy.

Shortly after I joined the company, engineers from Hitachi Energy's global team came to Japan for a test of a product to be delivered to a customer, and I was assigned to make on-site adjustments. At that time, I had studied Hitachi Energy's products and the Japanese power system before the test, but we encountered some unexpected circumstances on site that I could not have anticipated. However, a senior employee who was accompanying me seemed to have anticipated such a situation and led the test to a successful conclusion by responding flexibly. I strongly recall this experience somehow, and thus I would like to become an engineer who can respond to any situations like my seniors by nurturing my expertise and experience in a variety of fields.

What three keywords would you use to describe Hitachi Energy?

The first is “global”. In my daily work, I interact with colleagues from various countries and regions like India, Spain, and Australia, so I feel that I am in a global environment. In addition, Hitachi Energy provides solutions to power transmission and distribution markets around the world, so I think our strength comes from the fact that we have a wealth of global experience.

The second is “professionalism”. I strongly associate this word with my experience I mentioned earlier, when I saw how the senior employee responded flexibly when an unexpected situation occurred and how the engineers on the global team accurately answered customers' questions based on their extensive knowledge.

Last but not the least, “innovation”. Hitachi Energy has a combined corporate heritage of over 250 years and has a lot of experiences and achievements in the field of power transmission and distribution. However, we do not stop there. Instead, we embrace the culture of innovation, actively experimenting with new technologies to achieve carbon neutrality. I feel that Hitachi Energy is leading the industry in innovation.

What makes you proud to be a Hitachi Energy employee?

The world's electric power system is undergoing a great transformation along with the expansion of renewable energy generation systems and a significant increase in demand for electric power. In this context, I am delighted to have opportunities to contribute to the realization of carbon neutrality with my own capabilities. Hitachi Energy is a global company, and I have plenty of opportunities to learn from trends in the field of power transmission and distribution around the world. I would like to acquire more specialized knowledge, gain experience, and become a professional engineer like many of our trusted senior colleagues.