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 magazine

Volume 16 • Number 5 • September/October 2018

www.ieee.org/power

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42
on the
cover

features

contents
32 T
 rends in Electric Power 64 Electrical Power Engineering Education
Engineering Education Down Under
By Dennis Ray, Nilanjan Ray Chaudhuri, By Nirmal Nair, Daniel Martin, Tapan Saha,
and Sukumar Brahma Syed Islam, and Neville Watson

42 Power Engineering Education 74 The Power of Internships

By C. Nagamani, M. Venkata Kirthiga, By Laurel Hennebury and Christopher Root
and Mini Shaji Thomas
82 Online Power Education
53 Electric Power Engineering By Michael F. Ahern
Education
By Gianfranco Chicco, Peter Crossley, 87 Toward a 21st Century Power Education
and Carlo Alberto Nucci By Masood Parvania and Hyde M. Merrill

96 columns &
departments
4 From the Editor 106 Book Reviews
8 Letters to the Editor 108 Awards
16 Leader’s Corner 113 Calendar
24 Guest Editorial 120 In My View
96 History

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2017.2789003

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 1

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2 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

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DIgSILENT has set standards and trends in power system modelling,
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stochastic data sets. The 2018 release also incorporates a variety
of new and enhanced models, as well as further improvements to
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new version incorporates a new data model extension concept,
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parameters based on distribution curves and their correlations
Remedial Action Schemes (RAS) for comprehensive post-fault
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New Frequency Response Analysis of dynamic models
Real-time data streaming for RMS simulations, based on IEEE C37.118
Save and restore time domain simulation state (snapshots) for
subsequent analysis
Enhanced Cable System Analysis with improved cable layout
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Revision of DIgSILENT global library, with all protection devices
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opening up almost unlimited data handling possibilities
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For more Information about DIgSILENT PowerFactory visit www.digsilent.com.

 from the editor
Michael Henderson

a multifaceted graduate
power engineering enters a complex new age

W
What a terrific time to be ✔ ✔ the development of traditional ✔✔ a case study of the creation of
an electric power engineer! The rapid power systems courses and inter- an engineering school in 1850
pace of technological advances and disciplinary and specialized of- and the more recent establish-
their implementation presents interest- ferings needed in today’s power ment and i m plementation of
ing challenges and opportunities for systems in India a power engineering program
employees and researchers alike. New ✔✔ the power engineering curricula there.
members of our industry will require in the United Kingdom and Italy, The “In My View” column discus­
extraordinary technical capabilities, which are quite different than those ses several changes currently being
an understanding of interdisciplinary in North America experienced by our industry. The
interactions, and soft skills, such as
outstanding communication and inter-
personal competence. But how can we
prepare to develop the next generation
of qualified professionals?

In This Issue
This issue, with the theme of electrical
power engineering education, provides
a worldwide view of power engineer-
ing education. In her guest editorial,
Edvina Uzunovic discusses the im-
portant role that the IEEE—and par-

©istockphoto.com/Hendra Su
ticularly the IEEE Power & Energy
Society (PES)—plays in educating
students and seasoned professionals
alike. It is worth noting that the PES
Scholarship Plus Initiative provides
scholarships and real-world experi-
ence for undergraduates interested in
power and energy engineering careers.
The seven well-written articles in our
issue discuss
✔ ✔ the results of a survey show- ✔✔ electric power engineering educa- a­ uthor, Joseph Mutale, also examines
ing an expansion of the power tion in Australia and New Zealand the state of power engineering educa-
engineering cur r iculum into and plans for IEEE educational tion in Africa.
nontraditional subjects that ad- surveys
dress power and energy industry ✔✔ the roles of internships and vital History
changes in North America information for student candidates Our issue features a column by Robert
and employers D. Barnett on the competing technolo-
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2844421
✔✔ the pros and cons of distance- gies for alternators and the first poly-
Date of publication: 17 August 2018 learning opportunities phase ac generating station at Adams

4 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

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 Plant Number 1. The ingenuity of the PES Updates fully engages other IEEE Societies to ad-
early pioneers of electrification is Congratulations to our new IEEE Fellows dress many interdisciplinary issues, such
truly astounding. I found the peer- and award recipients who were recog- as the implementation of smarter grids.
review process of the nized at the 2018 PES You, our volunteers, and the dedication
Institution of Electrical General Meeting. of IEEE staff make all of this possible as
Engineers particularly
This issue Electric power and the IEEE, and PES in particular, contin-
interesting. provides a energy remains a mis- ues to grow. Thanks for your support!
sion-critical industry
Book Review worldwide worldwide, especially Thanks
Thanks to Ramu Ra- with the expected long- A special note of appreciation to Mel
manathan, our issue
view of power term growth of electrifi- Olken, who continues to provide guid-
features a book review engineering cation. Damir Novosel, ance and tutelage, and to the IEEE
of Load Flow Optimi- in his “Leader’s Corner” Publications staff, who make this pub-
zation and Optimal education. column, discusses how lication possible. Thanks to the many
Power, written by J.C. PES supports and coop- contributors to this issue, especially
Das. The book comprehensively covers erates with governments, regulators, and our guest editor, Edvina Uzunovic, and
system modeling and different solu- other industry organizations globally on authors. A particular note of apprecia-
tion techniques for load flow and op- technical issues related to power, energy, tion goes to Associate Editor John Pas-
timal power flow. It should be of keen and policy topics. PES hosts innumer- erba and to Robert C. Henderson, who
interest to both students and industry able conferences and industry events of provides editorial assistance.
p&e
practitioners. superior quality worldwide. Our Society 

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 letters to the editor

share your thoughts

send comments to [email protected]

R
Readers are encouraged to turns ratio. The ratio of the PMU nor the transformer anomalies in Ex-
share their views on issues affecting transient readings (roughly 200 A: ample 5 were identified by other existing
the electric power engineering pro- 7 A), however, are close to the sensors on the utility grid. Both sets of
fession. Send your letters via e-mail turns ratio. anomalies were in the form of transient
to Michael Henderson, editor-in-chief, ✔ ✔ The d ifferences in the volt- events that were visible only to the sensors
[email protected]. Letters may be ages presented in Figure 2 are with high sampling rates at milliseconds,
edited for publication. intentionally shown in the cur- such as nPMUs. Although the real-life
rent scales to highlight the fact nPMUs that provided the measurements
Corrections and that the fault occurs on feeder 1. to perform the analyses in Examples 4
Additional Explanations ✔✔ Figure 4 shows that a remote PMU and 5 were not initially intended for the
Readers provided questions and called (at the feeder head) may detect analyses in either example, they were able
several typographical errors to our at- equipment problems on a circuit. to provide highly insightful remote mea-
tention that occurred in the article of In this example, phases A a nd surements to detect incipient failures.
our May/June 2018 issue, “Distribu- C show evidence The application of in-
tion Synchro­phasors” [1]. We asked the
authors to provide some additional ex-
of t h e d elaye d
switching of a ca­­
Distribution- cipient failure detection,
coupled with close to re-
planations and to correct some of the pacitor bank. level phasor al-time communication,
figures and texts. Additional questions will allow early correc-
and comments are wel- measurement tive actions. For instance,
From the Authors comed and can be direct­ in Example 5, the action
Distribution-level phasor measure- ed to [email protected] units provide to reduce transformer
ment units (PMUs) provide exciting
new technical applications, and we look
.edu.
Some typographical
exciting new load was taken quickly,
without major operator
forward to continuing the conversation errors that occurred in technical or field crew interven-
through IEEE activities. The following the original “A Note on tion, and the transformer
comments are intended to briefly ad- Examples 3 and 4” sec- applications. was then flagged for
dress some of the questions and com- tion of the article are also repair. Such proactive
ments received: corrected in red in the following section. app­ro­aches help prevent consumer inter-
✔ ✔ As shown in Figure 1, nPMU Figure 1(b), (d), and (e) and Fig- ruptions, enable utilities to repair rather
sensor location 1, at the feeder ure 2(b) and (c) showed in­­correct scales. than run to failure, and minimize field
head, sees the entire loading of The pro­­per figures and scales are pro- crew dispatch time.
the 12.47-kV circuit, and nPMU vided here with the changes shown in
sensor location 2 shows readings red. Figure 4(a) and (c) also showed in- Reference
for the local 480-V commercial correct labels. The proper figures and [1] H. Mohsenian-Rad, E. Stewart, and
load. As such, the steady-state labels are shown here with the changes E. Cortez, “Distribution synchropha-
currents ratios are different from indicated in red. sors,” IEEE Power Energy Mag., vol.
the 12.47-kV to 480-V transformer 13, no. 3, pp. 26–34, 2018.
A Note on Examples 4 and 5
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2844419 It is worth emphasizing that neither the —Hamed Mohsenian-Rad,
Date of publication: 17 August 2018 capacitor bank anomalies in Example 4 Emma Stewart, and Ed Cortez

8 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

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 69 kV/12.47 kV

Grid

12.47 kV/480 V

Sensor 1 Sensor 2

7,190 288
SCADA
7,170 µPMU 286
Voltage (V)

Voltage (V)
7,150 284

7,130 282 (e)

(b)
7,110 280
0 5 10 15 20 0 5 10 15 20
Time (min) Time (min)

(a) (d)

7,164 288
Voltage (V)

Voltage (V)

7,156 285

7,148 282

7,140 279
0 200 400 600 800 1,000 0 200 400 600 800 1,000
Time (ms) Time (ms)

(b) (e)

110 450
Current (A)

Current (A)

105 350
100 250
95 150
90 50
0 200 400 600 800 1,000 0 200 400 600 800 1,000
Time (ms) Time (ms)

(c) (f)

figure 1. An example of nPMU readings compared to a standard SCADA or meter reading: (a) SCADA and nPMU
­measurements at sensor location 1, (b) the voltage magnitude measurement by nPMU at sensor location 1 after z­ ooming
in, (c) the current magnitude measurement by nPMU at sensor location 1 after zooming in, (d) SCADA and nPMU
­measurements at sensor location 2, (e) the voltage magnitude measurement by nPMU at sensor location 2 after zooming
in, and (f) the current magnitude measurement by nPMU at sensor location 2 after zooming in.

10 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

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 Grid Feeder 1
Circuit
Breaker Fuse
µPMU 2 µPMU 1
Animal
µPMU 3 Fault

Feeder 2

360 8,000 8,000

300
7,000 7,000
240
Voltage (V)

Voltage (V)

Voltage (V)
6,000 6,000
180
5,000 5,000
120
60 4,000 4,000
µPMU 1 µPMU 2 µPMU 3
0 3,000 3,000
0 200 400 600 800 1,000 0 200 400 600 800 1,000 0 200 400 600 800 1,000
Time (ms) Time (ms) Time (ms)
(a) (b) (c)

figure 2. The impact of an animal-caused short-circuit fault recorded at three geographical locations. (a) The s­ hort circuit
fault momentarily brings the voltage down to zero at the location of nPMU 1, causing a brief interruption. (b) The short
circuit fault also creates a severe voltage sag at nPMU 2. (c) nPMU 3 records a considerable voltage sag on another
feeder, although much less severe than what nPMU 2 captured.
 µPMU 1

Grid
Capacitor Bank

(No Sensor)

7.3 100 360

A A

Phase Angle (°)

Magnitude (kV)

A
Magnitude (A)
7.25 80 240
C B B
7.2 60 120
B C C
Voltage Current Current
7.15 40 0
0 400 800 1,200 1,600 2,000 0 400 800 1,200 1,600 2,000 0 400 800 1,200 1,600 2,000
Time (ms) Time (ms) Time (ms)
(a) (b) (c)

figure 4. A switching-off event of a switched capacitor bank remotely observed by a nPMU. (a) Switching off the capaci-
tor results in a permanent drop in voltage. (b) A severe current overshoot on phase A and a severe current undershoot on
phase C occur during the capacitor bank switch-off event. (c) The capacitor bank is apparently not initially de-energized on
phases A and C at the time of switching until several cycles later; as seen based on the changes in phase angle for current.
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more power to the future

industry trends in electrical power and energy

T
The electrical power and improving reliability and safety, trans- cal issues related to power, energy, and
energy industry is a cornerstone of a mission congestion, and managing ag- policy topics, the IEEE has formed the
prosperous society because almost ev- ing assets. Industry Technical Support (ITS) Task
ery crucial economic and social func- We may not have a crystal ball to pre- Force. The ITS Task Force, consisting of
tion depends on the secure and reliable dict the future, but as electrical power de- industry leaders, has a goal to reach out
operation of the electrical power and livery is getting more distributed, there is to IEEE membership, stakeholders, and
energy infrastructures. The projec- a need for a robust, hybrid, modernized various organizations (e.g., technical
tions are that the world’s total energy transmission and distribution (T&D) grid committees, Smart Grid, Smart Cities,
consumption will double by 2050, and that allows connection to consumers and Chapters) to facilitate developing vari-
electrical power and energy represent generation resources for reliability and ous documents (e.g., standards, guides,
a huge part of that growth. Although market reach as well as to tap on remote and reports), offer relevant tutorials and
major reductions in energy usage have renewable generation resources, such workshops, help address education
been reached through energy-effi- as wind and solar farms and hydro and needs for those organizations, and
ciency programs and technologies, pump-hydro plants. participate at conferences and meet-
the need for electrical energy will con- ings. The task force works closely with
tinue to grow (e.g., electrical transpor- Industry Technical the IEEE Standards Association (SA),
tation, data centers, and smart cities Support Task Force IEEE-USA, and other IEEE Societies
with increased electrical energy needs) Regulators and government agencies on an as-needed basis. The term of of-
and will be accompanied by popula- have a defining role in how industry fice for all members is one year, with el-
tion growth. addresses the previously mentioned igibility to be reappointed for additional
The proliferation of renewable en- goals and issues. The IEEE is uniquely one-year terms, not to exceed five years
ergy resources, storage, and electrical positioned to provide independent and of total service in this position. More
vehicles has created remarkable op- objective technical knowledge through information can be found at https://
portunities for providing reliable and its diverse global membership, lead- www.ieee-pes.org/ieee-cooperation-
cost-effective power while address- ing the industry and society to grid structure-on-policy-support. Some of
ing environmental needs and allow- modernization. To facilitate the pro- the cooperative initiatives are described
ing consumers more choices. As more cess, the IEEE has signed several me­­ in the following.
energy resources are distributed, it is morandum of understanding (MOU) The IEEE SA and the IEEE Power
important to set goals to use and con- agreements with the U.S. Department & Energy Society (PES) have been
nect them in the most effective way, as- of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Federal En- working with NERC to identify a list
suring that cost, reliability, safety, and ergy Regulatory Commission (FERC), of priority topics and create a plan to
security are not adversely impacted. the North American Energy Reliability address them. One of the priority top-
This includes addressing the follow- Corporation (NERC), the Ministerio de ics has been developing a guide on the
ing issues: bidirectional power flow, Electricidad y Energía Renovable del impact of inverter-based generation
low fault currents and secure and de- Ecuador, the North American Trans- of bulk power system dynamics and
pendable protection operation, volt- mission Forum (NATF), and the En- short circuit performance. A working
age management, low system inertia ergy Systems Integration Group, Inc. group was formed from various tech-
requiring improved frequency regulation, To better support and cooperate with nical committees to develop this guide
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2842338
governments, regulators, and other in- on a fast track by September 2018. The
Date of publication: 17 August 2018 dustry organizations globally on techni- objective is for NERC to use the guide

16 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

 ADVERTISEMENT

A
A NEW CHALLENGE IS AHEAD FOR THE
electrical safety community. The revision process of
IEEE Std. 1584 Guide to Performing Arc Flash Hazard
Calculations is almost complete. Engineers everywhere
will be challenged with understanding how to apply
this new model. The Industry has awaited this update
for almost two decades, and now that it is here, safety
experts are getting ready to explain why the thermal
incident energy calculations may be different!
The new arc flash model is the result of the NFPA
and IEEE collaboration effort to improve the accuracy
of the IEEE 1584-2002 incident energy calculations.
Immediately after the first arc flash model was released,
a few researchers published their findings about missing
electrical conductor configurations known in the industry Further laboratory testing performed by IEEE and
as vertical conductors in a box terminating in an insulating NFPA led to the development of a new model to represent
barrier (VCBB), horizontal conductors in a box (HCB) the physical behavior of arc current and incident energy.
and in open-air (HOA). If present in actual equipment, The new model includes the effects of both horizontal
these configurations yield higher energy outputs and may (HCB, HOA) and vertical conductor orientations (VCB,
require higher PPE arc rating selections. VOA, VCBB), plus refined models for arc current variation
and enclosure size effects on the incident energy.
Perhaps the most difficult question that safety experts
may have to deal with is how to detect and classify
equipment into one of the five electrode configurations.
In conclusion, the new IEEE 1584-2018 model poses
a big implementation challenge. Fortunately, ETAP has
actively participated in the development and validation
of this model to ensure its correct application in power
system analysis software.
For more information, watch the latest technical
webinar, titled: ‘New IEEE 1584-2018 Arc Flash
Figure 1. New Electrode Configurations as described in
Incident Energy Calculation Method using ETAP’ at
IEEE 1584-2018 D6
etap.com/arcflash

•
•
•
•
for its standards and for the IEEE to de- The IEEE has engaged regulators and without the major contributions of
velop follow-up documents. other industry organizations [e.g., DOE, IEEE volunteers. My sincere thanks to
Initiatives with FERC included a NERC, FERC, NATF, the California all of you!
workshop on IEEE 1547, the distributed Public Utilities Commission (CPUC),
energy resource (DER) interconnec- and the European Network of Transmis- Other Initiatives
tion standard, and a tutorial on energy sion System Operators for Electricity] As part of our strategic goals to engage
storage by the Energy Storage and Sta- in IEEE conferences and workshops, and grow industry membership glob-
tionary Battery Committee. Both have including IEEE PES Innovative Smart ally, we have focused on communicating
­provided technical information to FERC Grid Technologies 2018 (chaired by the value of IEEE membership to com-
to help it make more informed regula- Michael Pesin, DOE deputy assistant pany management so as to encourage en-
tory decisions. Also, the IEEE Working secretary) and the PES San Francisco gagement by their employees. Under the
Group on Definition and Quantification Chapter workshop on DER integration leadership of the PES vice president of
of Resilience provided a response to at the CPUC. IEEE representatives New Initiatives, Shay Bahramirad, we
the FERC resiliency docket AD18-7- have presented at FERC technical con- created the Executive Advisory Coun-
000 in a very short time frame. ferences as well as at conferences by cil (EAC) for North America, and we
The DOE asked the IEEE to develop state regulators. are in the process of creating EACs for
a white paper on the impact of the IEEE Under the leadership of its task other regions.
1547 standard on smart inverters. The force, the PES technical committees The PES has also developed corpo-
fast-track working group on this topic provided input to the IEEE European rate engagement packages to encour-
delivered the paper in May 2018 (in ap- public policy initiative position state- age member companies to support em-
proximately six months). Our volun- ments on electrification of transpor- ployees in joining and participating
teers have also supported other DOE tation, energy storage for renewable in various IEEE initiatives. In return, the
initiatives, such as the next-genera- integration in the European Union, and IEEE would offer training, engagement
tion distribution system platform and other topics. These significant achieve- opportunities, and more. For example,
grid digitization. ments would not have been possible under the leadership of current PES
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 President Saifur Rahman, the IEEE nual/biannual industry workshops fo- and PES have been jointly organizing
has signed an MOU with State Grid cusing on industry executive and tech- electronic power grid workshops. The
of China Corporation. We are also nical panels and tutorials. A number of Third IEEE Workshop on Electronic
working with other organizations (e.g., workshops were held in 2017, and the Grid will be held in November 2018
NextEra) to explore corporate member- trend continues. in Charleston, South Carolina (www
ship opportunities. As our industry is becoming more .ieee-egrid.org).
As we have a tradition of hosting and more interdisciplinary, the IEEE Based on all of the initiatives men-
first-class conferences and industry has an opportunity to tap expertise tioned, we believe that the IEEE is a
events, our volunteers have undertaken across Societies. The role of power key organization for implementing
some very exciting initiatives to ex- electronics in the electric utility in- smar ter grids worldwide and pro-
pand industry and global participation. dustry is changing from an enabling viding unparalleled benefits to our
To build on the success of the T&D technology for renewable generation members and industry by educating
Conference and Exposition, we are or- and energy-efficiency improvement to students and professionals, publish-
ganizing similar events in Latin Amer- an underpinning technology for grid ing leading papers, developing and
ica and Asia (e.g., T&D Latin America modernization. Electrical power sys- applying standards, and sharing global
in Lima, Peru, in September 2018 and tem engineers need to better under- best practices.
GT&D Asia in Bangkok, Thailand, in stand the benefits and opportunities I would like to ack nowledge all
2019) and expanding them to include of power electronic equipment, and of the volunteers and IEEE staff who
energy generation resources. Under the power electronics engineers should have led and supported these initiatives.
leadership of the PES president-elect, better understand power system needs Thank you all for your dedication and
Frank Lambert, our Chapter volunteers and requirements. To address this your amazing capabilities, which make
have proactively started organizing an- need, the Power Electronics Society us all a great benefit to our industry!

20 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

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 Why I Volunteer helped me better communicate what we and with young and upcoming engi-
Looking back at the impressive accom- have accomplished, which, in turn, has neers who are on the path to become
plishments of the PES volunteers and opened doors to new collaboration and industry leaders. Those interactions
staff during the last couple of years business opportunities. shaped my career, and I thank you all for
has reminded me of the importance of While working for a vendor, I real- being a very important part of my profes-
being an active IEEE Member. At my ized the importance of standards, both sional life.
first IEEE PES Power System Relaying for users and for vendors. Vendors need To summarize, thanks to your efforts,
Committee meeting in May 1992, I was standardized requirements to develop PES continues to grow at an impressive
in awe of meeting industry legends. cost-effective products, and users need rate, 7.4% in 2017, representing 40%
Thanks to the IEEE, some of these leg- to protect their life-cycle investment by of the overall IEEE growth. With close
ends became my mentors and friends. choosing products that will comply with to 40,000 members, PES is presently
Participation in working groups helps standards. In addition, it is necessary for the second-largest IEEE Society. This
me learn not only about technical is- users to participate in standards develop- growth shows the value our Society pro-
sues but also how to work with peers. ment to assure that the standards fit their vides through industry-leading initiatives
Later on, chairing working groups was needs as well as to be educated on those by our diverse, global membership. The
an invaluable experience in developing standards. These are some of the reasons strength of the IEEE is in having academia,
my management skills. There is a say- why my company, Quanta Technology, utilities/international standards organiza-
ing, “If one can manage volunteers, one supports IEEE membership and ac- tions, vendors, regulators, researchers,
can manage any group of people.” My tive participation for all engineers. and others working together and learn-
colleagues and I have published papers I have been privileged to work with ing from each other for the betterment of
and participated in conferences that have some of the best experts in the industry the Society and our industry. p&e

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22 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

UTILITIES & ENERGY
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 guest editorial
Edvina Uzunovic

education for engineering

the changing future of power education

M
My daughter finished her exist yet. The world’s power systems are these academic needs in power educa-
second year of high school this spring, no different. New communication and tion. For example, the Italian education
and we have started thinking seriously information technologies previously not system adopted the “Bologna system,”
about her future: higher education and, employed in the power industry have or “3 + 2,” where a bachelor’s degree is
beyond that, career paths. Although her made the grid more resilient, intelligent, awarded after three years, and the sec-
chromosome origins are the product and capable of self-healing. Add to this ond or master’s-level degree is awarded
of two engineers, she is rather serious the growth of interest in renewable en- after the next two years. For one to ob-
about medicine as her future profes- ergy resources, and we have a never- tain the third-level or doctorate degree,
sion. Because of my firm belief that en- before-seen obstacle in front of power an additional three years are needed.
gineering is the future (and the slightly engineers today. Italian universities are committed to of-
vain desire to have her follow in my fering reduced tuition, depending on the
footsteps), I suggested that she first ob- Disruption in income of the student’s family, thus of-
tain a bachelor’s degree in engineering Power Education fering affordable education to all regard-
before pursuing her medical studies. Changes in the power industry itself cre- less of economic status. Models like this,
After all, I argued, engineering is not ate a parallel set of challenges for electri- if employed worldwide, could greatly
only the future of medicine; it will be used cal power education. In addition to teach- improve racial, gender, and class diver-
in the future to obtain food, clean water, ing traditional power system courses, sity in the world of electric power.
and electricity for the planet. For exam- colleges and universities now need new
ple, in 2017, the IEEE introduced a new courses in power electronics, information The Changing Face
technical topic called food engineering, and communications technologies, policy, of the IEEE
to play an active role in “the worldwide and economics, to mention a few, while The betterment of humanity depends
technological and social challenge of still ensuring students graduate within the on inclusion, engineering, and educa-
preparing a healthy and enjoyable future traditional four-year time frame. tion (IEE). Sound familiar? If it does,
for mankind on Earth (and in exploring As their curricula become more high you are most likely an engineer who
new planets).” The food engineering tech, many colleges and universities enjoys history and remembers the be-
topics are multidisciplinary and collect are also embracing technology to make ginnings of the IEEE.
engineering knowledge and practices to program delivery more accessible. Nu- Back in the late 19th century, a group
innovate efficient, safe food production merous courses that were once only avail- of technically inclined individuals met in
and delivery methods that can impact bil- able in a face-to-face environment are New York City and formed the American
lions of people. now being offered online, allowing for Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE).
But even if a teenager upsets the nat- a more flexible, self-paced learning ex- The group’s mission was to apply innova-
ural order of things and listens to her perience. In the United States, we are tion for the betterment of humanity. The
mother, her journey through engineering witnessing a growing interest in online word “American” was dropped for good
education and careers will look nothing bachelor’s and master’s degrees in elec- from the title back in 1963, when the
like my own experience. The engineers trical power education. There is also an AIEE merged with the Institute of Radio
of tomorrow will have to collaborate increased demand for continuous edu- Engineers to form the IEEE.
across disciplines in new ways to create cation in the existing power and energy The IEEE is now the world’s larg-
solutions for problems that don’t even workforce in the form of webinars and est technical professional organization
tutorials relevant to the smart grid. with a membership of 417,429 (accord-
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2843898
Throughout this issue, you will learn ing to the IEEE’s membership develop-
Date of publication: 17 August 2018 how different countries are rising to meet ment report from December 2017), and

24 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

The Department of Electric Power Engineering at the Faculty of Information Technology and
Electrical Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), invites applications
for full-time tenured Professor/Associate Professor appointments in the following two areas:
• ElectricalEnergyInformatics(EEI)– Blockchain Technology and
Artificial Intelligence for Electricity Markets and Power System Operation
• DigitalPowerSystemProtectionandControl(DPSPC)
(DPSPC)
For more information,
please refer to:
These are industry sponsored positions, http://bit.ly/eei-iel
created in collaboration with Statnett, http://bit.ly/dpspc-iel
the Transmission System Operator (TSO)
of Norway. www.statnett.no/en All applications must be submitted
through www.jobbnorge.no/en
EEI: The Professor/Associate Professor Further details about the
positions can be obtained from
View job IDs 153465 and
will have responsibility for research
Associate Professor Vijay Vadlamudi, 153462. The deadline for
and teaching within Electrical Energy
[email protected], or the submitting applications is
Informatics. The focus is on the deployment
of Blockchain Technology (BT), Artificial
Head of Department, Professor 30September2018.
Ole-Morten Midtgård, ole-morten.
Intelligence (AI) and Big Data (BD) for [email protected].
Electricity Markets and Power System
Operation. She/he will lead the research
activities investigating transmission
system operator- and distribution system NTNU is committed to equality and diversity in recruitment.
operator related innovations by exploiting We endeavour to take actions aimed at eliminating barriers in the
the complementarity between BT, AI recruitment of women, and create policies and practices to advance diversity.
and BD. We are seeking best qualified candidates, specifically women, for these
positions, who would complement and invigorate the research, education and
Applicants must hold a PhD in Computer Science
innovation activities at the Department.
or Information and Communication Technology, or
Electrical Engineering, or similar, with sufficient ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT:
specialization in energy informatics, BT, AI and
At the Department of Electric Power Engineering, the mission is to contribute
BD. If not already possessing sufficient familiarity
with electric power systems to understand to the fundamental and applied knowledge of electric power engineering,
the application domain, the candidate should and to develop technology and systems for the planning, operation and
demonstrate a strong willingness to strengthen her/ maintenance of efficient, sustainable energy systems. We have five research
his background in this regard. groups that are responsible for research and education within their areas:
Electricity Markets and Energy System Planning, Power System Operation
DPSPC:The Professor/Associate
and Analysis, Power Electronic Systems and Components, Electrical Machines
Professor in DPSPC will have
and Electromagnetics, and High Voltage Technology. More information about
responsibility for teaching and research
the Department can be found at https://www.ntnu.edu/iel
within digital protection and control
in modern power systems. The focus ABOUT NTNU:
is on relay protection and wide-area NTNU is the largest university in Norway with history dating back to
1910. NTNU’s vision is to create knowledge for a better world. NTNU is
protection, including relay planning
also Norway’s most international university in terms of student exchange.
and testing, real-time simulation and
NTNU collaborates with more than 730 institutions in more than 100
the use of phasor measurement units in
countries. NTNU is ranked as number one in the world in collaboration with
power system monitoring, protection industry partners, according to the Times Higher Education (THE) World
and control. Applicants must hold a University Rankings in March 2017. NTNU has four strategic areas of research
PhD relevant for the specified fields of in 2014–2023: sustainability, energy, oceans, and health. NTNU is also either a
research and teaching. host for or a partner in 35 large research centres.
 REGISTER ONLINE UNTIL 8 OCTOBER

the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) has a membership

STOCKHOLM of almost 40,000 as of 31 December 2017, with an annual

Grid Integration week

growth rate over 5%. Figure 1 shows this growth as well as
the annual drop in PES membership numbers by mid-Febru-
ary, which then rebounds as people renew their memberships
15 - 19 October 2018 in the first two quarters of the year.
As an industry, we continue to ponder how to solve the
2nd E-Mobility Integra�on Symposium puzzle of power professionals retiring without proper re-
8th Solar Integra�on Workshop placements. I am happy to share good news in this regard; in
2017, annual PES student membership was 34% higher than
17th Wind Integra�on Workshop in 2016. Table 1 shows PES memberships by grade and Re-
gion. In 2017, the number of PES Student Members was 7,365,
PA N T S compared to 5,587 in 2016. This trend indicates that PES is on
IC I
T

+ the trend to become a young, thriving association once again.

PA R

500 Many thanks to Juan Carlos Montero, PES vice president of

ED

T
EXPEC Membership and Image, for providing IEEE and PES mem-
bership numbers, including Figure 1 and Table 1.
As PES becomes an organization with younger members, it
e
is also becoming more diverse. This is why I chose to highlight
IEE in this article. Although the beginnings of the IEEE were
predominantly associated with white men, we are changing
with the rest of society to include more minorities and women
of all ethnicities. As of December 2017, the IEEE Women in
Engineering (WIE) membership was 22,968, or 5.5% of the
windintegra�onworkshop.org
total IEEE membership number. Not all IEEE women mem-
bers belong to WIE, so the total percentage of women in the
organization is slightly higher. Nevertheless, are we to be sat-
isfied with these numbers? We owe it to the industry to work
toward even greater inclusion for all qualified professionals,
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regardless of their gender, ethnicity, geographical location, and
religion within IEEE and professional societies in general.

PES: Keeping Pace

with an Evolving Industry
PES is actively engaged in continuous education by of-
fering numerous and timely technical documents, white pa-
pers, webinars, and tutorials accessible online to its members
via the PES Resource Center (http://resourcecenter.ieee-pes
.org/). Many of the PES online webinars and tutorials come
with education credits (continuing education units/professional

41,000
Total Membership: 38,924
39,000
37,000
35,000
33,000
31,000
2017
29,000
2016
27,000 2015
25,000
br y
M ry
ch
ril
ay
ne

Se ug y
em t
O ber

em r
em r
r
pt us

ov e
ec be
be
Fe uar

A l
Ju
Ap
ua

N tob
ar

M
Ju

substation
n

c
Ja

liners
D

figure 1. PES total membership growth in the last three years.

1.800.231.6074 • reefindustries.com
development hours) for those who need students for the following North Ameri- In addition, PES sponsors student con-
to maintain professional engineering can PES conferences: IEEE PES Trans- ference activities and maintains a bud-
license requirements. Moreover, for a mission and Distribution Conference get for that purpose in Regions 8–10.
growing number of professionals work- and Exposition (T&D), General Meet- This year, for the first time ever, PES
ing in the power and energy industry but ing (GM), and North American Power also organized a contest for area high
with no power engineering background, Symposium. In 2016, PES sponsored school students during the T&D North
PES organizes Plain Talk workshops housing and registration for 260 inter- America Conference in Denver. This con-
where technical aspects of the electric national and domestic students in Re- test was a pilot project in an effort to in-
power system are explained in easy-to- gions 1–7 (North America) for the GM. crease science, technology, engineering,
understand terms. All of these activities
are branded within the PES community
as PES University.
Back in 2016, PES organized a new
committee, New Product Development
(NPD), with the objective of manag-
ing and overseeing the policies, op-
XGSLab - the Easy to Use,
erations, development, and marketing
of PES online and face-to-face con- Full-Featured Grounding Solution
tinuing education products. Two NPD
subcommittees, Webinar and Tutorial XGSLab is the full featured grounding solution that can
and Plain Talks, are responsible for
take you from a basic single-soil-layer step and touch
the production of webinars, tutorials,
analysis to the most advanced multilayer/zone soil
and plain talks, respectively, while the
third subcommittee, called Selection
models. All this comes at a fraction of the base price
and Quality Control, oversees the qual- and cost of ownership of comparable packages.
ity of all continuous education prod-
ucts under the PES University brand. It
· Ground grid design and grounding system analysis
is important to mention that the NPD
· Uniform, multilayer and multi-zone soil models
committee and subcommittees are
· Step and touch potential analysis
populated with industry and academia · Below and above ground systems
PES members. PES continuing educa- · Lightning effects and electro-
tion products are created for PES mem- magnetic interferences
bers who seek to maintain and improve · Fault current distribution
their engineering skills in this fast-paced · Time and frequency domain
environment of the smart grid.
In addition, there is the long-stand-
ing PES Power and Energy Educa-
tion Committee (PEEC) with a scope
that includes improving relationships
Global Solution
among all segments of the power in-
The only software in the
dustry and all elements of the engineer- market that takes into account
ing education community. PEEC also International (IEC),
supports “research and researchers at European (EN) and
universities and encourages the support,
dissemination, and use of university re­­
USA (IEEE)
search in power engineering.” More on standards
PEEC can be found at its website: http://
sites.ieee.org/pes-peec/.
The PEEC subcommittee that PES Explore more online and
Graduate Student and Student Members request a free demo copy at:
are most familiar with is the Power and
Energy Student Activities subcommittee. www.EasyPower.com/grounding
This subcommittee, with the support of
local conference committees, organizes
® EasyPower is the exclusive representative
programs for international and domestic of XGSLab software in the USA and Canada.
Power made easy.
 table 1. IEEE PES membership numbers by grade and Region for 2017.

Type of Membership
Total
Region LF F LSM SM LM M AM GSM StM AF Memberships
Region 1 58 19 187 243 218 1,414 29 96 114 46 2,424
Region 2 46 19 137 260 202 1,290 24 93 56 23 2,150
Region 3 59 32 225 523 270 2,285 32 192 139 47 3,840
Region 4 25 22 142 282 219 1,809 30 129 79 34 2,771
Region 5 31 27 174 364 207 2,284 46 163 94 45 3,435
Region 6 71 32 255 451 330 2,367 43 169 150 56 3,924
Regions 1–6 290 151 1,120 2,123 1,446 11,449 204 842 632 251 18,508
Region 7 36 35 84 251 92 1158 22 137 72 29 1,916
Region 8 29 61 90 705 85 2871 72 677 1,308 71 5,939
Region 9 14 9 64 277 35 1204 43 236 1,682 26 3,590
Region 10 47 42 69 714 84 2998 69 1,151 3,671 96 8,941
Total 416 298 1,427 4,070 1,742 19,680 410 3,043 7,365 473 38,924
LF: Life Fellow; F: Fellow; LSM: Life Senior Member; SM: Senior Member; LM: Life Member; M: Member; AM: Associated
Member; GSM: Graduate Student Member; StM: Student Member; AF: Affiliate Member.

and mathematics (STEM) interest in high professionals. The high school students Reception, and members of a wining
school students and provide them with were active and equal participants in the high school team were awarded scholar-
opportunities to learn new skills, net- PES student-sponsored activities, in- ships toward full-time STEM study at the
work, and interact with energy industry cluding the Student Poster Session and accredited two- or four-year college or
university of their choice. These students
can use the scholarship for tuition, fees,
books, or supplies. PES also organized a
chaperoned tour around the T&D exhibi-
tion hall for PES student members and
high school students (Figure 2).
In 2011, PES provided seed money
for the first PES scholarship program
for power engineering undergraduate
students in Regions 1–6 (https://www
.ee-scholarship.org/). The PES Schol-
arship Plus Initiative provides schol-
arships and real-world experience to
undergraduates who are interested in
power and energy engineering careers.
The ultimate aim of this initiative is to
attract highly qualified engineering stu-
dents to the field and help replace the re-
tiring power and energy workforce with
new talent. The program has been main-
tained with PES volunteers and power
and energy industry funds from Regions
1–6. In 2015, a similar PES scholar-
ship initiative was established in India
(http://ieee-pes-ipisa.org/). In 2016, the It-
aly PES Chapter instituted the IEEE PES
Now Enrolling in Power Systems Italy Scholarship Award Fund with the
Online Graduate Programs aim of attracting bright and meritorious
students to power engineering. IEEE PES
Learn more: bit.ly/wpi-pwr-info
has established and currently maintains a worldwide demand for Indian students General Certificate in Education courses
budget for PES Regions 8–10 to provide and professionals. like mathematics and physics and high
seed money for self-sustainable student “Electric Power Engineering Edu- grades in other relevant high school
scholarship initiatives. cation” offers a description of third-year courses. The British government of-
B.Eng. and fourth-year M.Eng. degrees fers funds that cover tuition fees and an
In This Issue in electrical and electronics engineer- enhanced living stipend to doctorate
This issue of IEEE Power & Energy ing (EEE) in the United Kingdom. To degree students. The stipend has been
Magazine is dedicated to power engi- obtain entrance for a B.Eng. degree in offered for an initial period of five years
neering education worldwide. The most a leading EEE university, an A (grade to British and European Union nationals
recent PEEC survey, conducted during higher than 90%) is required in relevant who have had residency in the United
the 2015–2016 academic year, as well as
findings of 15 prior university surveys
of power engineering education re-
sources since the 1969–1970 academic
year indicates how well Canadian and
making life visibly safer
U.S. universities have responded to these
changes. The survey’s objective was to
promote power education and research
in these two countries by reviewing cur-
rent research topics as well as sources of
funding. For example, the most recent
survey shows that U.S. governments pro-
vided almost 70% of research expendi-
SpanLite TM

ture, with the rest almost equally divid- Self-Illuminated

ed between utilities and other industry Power Line Marker
funding. The survey reveals an expansion
of the power engineering curriculum
Meets FAA Advisory
into nontraditional subjects addressing
Circular 70/7460-1L
power and energy industry changes. The
(Dec. 2015)
PEEC survey results are summarized in
article “Trends in Electric Power Engi- Installs directly on
neering Education.” live lines up to 500 kV
In “Power Engineering Education,”
we get a brief review of power engi-
neering education in India and how in
a mere 100 years since 1917—when the
first Indian university offered electri-
cal engineering courses—Indian power
and electrical education, in general, has
grown tremendously to a total intake
capacity of 1,324,246 engineering stu-
dents during the 2010–2011 academic
year. As the proverb says, “It takes a vil-
lage to raise a child,” it takes the whole
country and every citizen’s dedication to
education to achieve such an undertak-
ing in electrical engineering education.
A long list of core and elective courses
in power engineering offered in India is Bird LED Obstruction Low Line
presented in this article, ranging from Diverters Lights Flags & Markers
traditional power systems courses to
interdisciplinary and specialized offer-
ings needed in today’s power systems.
Their holistic, forward-thinking approach
has led to strong student interest and a

making life visibly safer

800-722-8078 • pr-tech.com
6709
 try for the past decades, the demand for
power engineers has grown to such pro-
portions that prospective employers are
using different approaches to find and
hire engineering talent. This climate
has led to a rapid development of online
education with U.S. universities offer-
ing online undergraduate and graduate
power system courses. The article “On-
line Power Education” explores the pros
and cons of American online education
in power at this moment.
figure 2. PES students visit the 2018 T&D Conference and Exhibition in Denver. By the turn of the 20th century, many
U.S. universities had either reduced sub-
Kingdom for at least three years. (For electricity commercially, thus making it stantially or extinguished power engi-
a summary of the Italian portion of the comparable with New York City. In both neering programs due to low demand
article, see the section “Disruption in countries, a bachelor of engineering de- for new engineers in the U.S. power
Power Education”). gree is awarded after four years of study, and energy industry. “Toward a 21st
“Electrical Power Engineering Edu­­­ where the first two years are composed of Century Power Education” describes a
cation Down Under” discusses the general engineering courses, and the third successful re-creation of the power en-
PEEC survey and the state of power ed- and fourth years are dedicated to courses gineering program at the University of
ucation in New Zealand and Australia. with a strong power systems curriculum. Utah after many years of no or minor
It was interesting to learn that electric- Given that the education systems in Eng- activity in this field. The intent of this
ity’s beginnings “down under” coincid- lish-speaking countries are more or less article is not commercial; the authors
ed with its beginnings in the United similar to the North American educa- tell the story in the hope that their ex-
States. In 1882, Brisbane was one of tion system and there was strong interest perience will help those who engage in
the first Australian cities to start using among power engineering colleagues in the same process.
Australia and New Zealand, PES plans The issue concludes with the “In My
to extend a slightly modified PEEC sur- View” column, “Education Challenges.”
vey to these two countries in the first The article summarizes the changes the
phase. On the basis of the success of this industry has experienced in the last de-
trial, the survey will then be gradually cade and the emerging new technologies
expanded into other PES Regions in suc- and power engineering curricula that re-
cessive phases. flect the industry changes, albeit with a
Although internships for university delay. One section of the article reviews
students have been around for decades in the current status of power education in
the United States, it is becoming increas- Africa and calls for a strengthening of ties
s Meets FAA Specifications! ingly popular again as a way of screen- between education stakeholders and in-
Color – Size – Shape!
– International Orange
ing and hiring perspective engineering dustry. It is clear that, in every corner of
s Tested and approved by employees. This practice benefits both the world presented in this issue, there is
major power companies! sides of this partnership: industry has a a continued need for power engineering
s Thousands still in service
after 40 years way to screen potential employment can- curricula to better and more expediently
s Universal attaching! Fits any didates and develop relationships with reflect the changes in industry.
wire .1" to 1"! universities, while students get a chance This issue on power education would
s Installs in 5 minutes!
s Withstands hail! to engage in real engineering work while not be possible without the hard work
s No maintenance! Does not earning money to pay for their studies. and insight from the authors who worked
slip, oscillate, chafe, cause
electrolysis or harmonic The authors of “The Power of Intern- diligently on their articles and were very
vibration. ships” offer some tips to students plan- patient and responsive. Many thanks
s Ships in halves nested. ning their internships and give advice to also to Editor-in-Chief Mike Henderson
9, 12, 20, 24, 30, and 36" balls industry on how to run a successful in- for his guidance and unwavering sup-
& special sizes available
ternship program. port. I hope the readers will enjoy, as I
Call now 573-796-3812 Because of rapid retirement rates in have, this review of power engineering
ext. 2001 the power and energy workforce and the education around the world.
p&e
Fax 573-796-3770 hiring policies of the U.S. utilities indus- 
www.tanawiremarker.com
TANA WIRE MARKERS
P.O. Box 370, California, MO 65018

634276_Tana.indd 1 23/03/13 10:38 AM

 IEEE T&D PES
Conference and Exposition

LATIN AMERICA
2018

2018

DESTINATION: LIMA
2018 IEEE PES Transmission and Distribution Conference and Exhibition - Latin America
18-21 September, 2018 • Lima, Peru • ieee-tdla2018.org

Sustainable Electric Energy for the future of Latin America

Mark your calendars for the largest and most progressive conference and exhibition in the
power industry. Hundreds of professionals from all over the Latin America and Caribbean
Region will be in attendance, creating an unprecedented opportunity for networking, gaining
new industry insights, showcasing your products and advancing your professional education.
This is one show experience you do not want to miss!

Topics Include:
• Impact of asset management on electrical systems
• Cybersecurity and smart grids
• Integration of energy storage in renewable energy projects in LATAM
• Impact of electric vehicles in electrical systems
• New technologies in HVDC and AC
• Challenges of the regulation of electricity markets in LATAM

For more information, visit ieee-tdla2018.org or email [email protected]

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2860338
 Trends in
Electric Power
Engineering
Education
By Dennis Ray,
Nilanjan Ray Chaudhuri,
and Sukumar Brahma

U
University power engineering educa-
tion has undergone considerable changes over the last
ten years. Student interest has risen, and more faculty
and staff are being employed to meet the increased
enrollment. Research funding has grown as well, and
curricula have evolved to meet the educational needs
of the next generation of power engineers.
Provided in this article are insights into the trends
in power engineering education based on a survey of
U.S. and Canadian universities for the 2015–2016 aca-
demic year. The survey was conducted by the IEEE
Power & Energy Society (PES) Education Commit-
tee, with active participation from a volunteer survey
team. The survey’s objective was to help universities,
industries, governments, and students better under-
stand the current status of power engineering edu-
cation, which could improve education and provide

images licensed by ingram publishing

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2833264
Date of publication: 17 August 2018

32 ieee power & energy magazine 1540-7977/18©2018IEEE september/october 2018

 An Analysis of
Future Challenges

information to help make informed decisions on ways to advance the growth and quality of
power engineering education opportunities.
This article focuses on data submitted by universities with accredited four-year engineer-
ing programs that voluntarily replied to an online survey between July and December 2016. A
faculty member at each of the 137 responding universities (127 in the United States and ten in
Canada) submitted data on their electric power engineering programs, including information
on the faculty and staff who provide instruction, student enrollments and degrees granted,
course offerings and enrollments, and research areas and expenditures. The survey team’s
analysis of the data also incorporated the results of 15 prior university surveys of power engi-
neering education resources since the 1969–1970 academic year. Canadian universities were
included in the survey starting with the 1989–1990 survey.
The survey covered instruction and research topics focused on electric power engineering
associated with grid operations, planning, and maintenance; power electronics was included
as a separate topic. Other engineering topics, such as communications and information tech-
nology, were included to the extent that they addressed power engineering challenges and
were in the power engineering education curriculum at the responding universities. As a dis-
cipline, today’s power engineering profession requires a more diverse skill set and broader
knowledge than in the past, and it was expected that courses and research topics outside of
traditional core areas of power engineering education would be in the survey responses.
The survey focused on power engineering education. Listed faculty and staff were
expected to have spent time delivering course instruction as part of their university respon-
sibilities. The reported courses should have been ones that were in a university’s curriculum
to help students prepare for a power engineering career.
Various methodological and data analysis issues arise from any survey, particularly vol-
untary surveys like this one. Details about these issues are elaborated in the survey team’s
report (see the “For Further Reading” section). For the purpose of this article, we focus on
the findings as best as we could ascertain from the results acquired from the universities that
responded to the survey.

Degree Offerings
Degree offerings for students interested in power engineering careers varied across the
137 responding universities. All the universities offer undergraduate electrical engineering
degrees with mandatory or elective courses available in power engineering. Undergradu-
ate students focusing on power engineering still receive electrical engineering degrees
like other students rather than power engineering degrees. Roughly 40% of Canadian and
28% of U.S. universities offer specific tracks that allow students to identify a specializa-
tion area related to power engineering. These opportunities were either for 1) power engi-
neering or systems (including smart grids); 2) a specialization within power engineering,
such as power system protection, power electronics, or drives; or 3) broader areas, such as
renewable or sustainable energy, energy finance, energy policy, cybersecurity, and engi-
neering management.
Undergraduate co-op programs are designed to enhance students’ industry knowledge.
All of the Canadian and 70% of the U.S. universities offer co-op opportunities. When such
a program is available, it is usually optional. Internships were undoubtedly encouraged, but
data about internships were not captured in the survey.

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 33

 Of U.S. universities, 88% offer graduate degrees, and between the 2005–2006 and 2015–2016 surveys. Enrollment
75% offer doctoral degrees; all the Canadian universities totals are not available for undergraduate students.
offer them. While most graduate programs are on cam- Figure 1 illustrates the average number of graduate stu-
pus, students can also access some online. Such oppor- dents per university, which is computed from the universities
tunities exist at one Canadian university and at 35 U.S. reporting nonzero total enrollment of graduate students. The
universities, while online doctoral degrees are available number of master’s students declined from the mid-1970s
at 13 U.S. universities. to the mid-1980s and then rose through the 1990s. After
a decline, as shown in the 2005–2006 survey, the average
Student Enrollments number of master’s students doubled from 13.0 to 26.2 in the
Student interest in power engineering careers has grown 2015–2016 survey. The number of enrolled doctoral students
substantially over the last decade. Graduate student enroll- has been growing since the 1990s, going from a low of 2.7
ments over time are displayed in Figures 1 and 2, and they students per university in 1993–1994 to an average of 14.0
show that the number of graduate students roughly doubled in 2015–2016.

30
Master’s Students
25 Doctoral Students
Graduate Students

20

15

10

0
2

6
97

97

97

97

98

98

98

98

99

99

00

00

01

01
–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–2

–2

–2

–2
71

73

75

77

79

81

85

87

89

93

01

05

13

15
19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

20

20

20

20
Survey Year

figure 1. The average number of master’s and doctoral students per university. These averages were computed with data
from the universities reporting at least one graduate student.

30
Domestic Students
25 International Students
Graduate Students

20

15

10

0
4

6
97

97

97

98

98

98

98

99

99

00

00

01

01
–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–2

–2

–2

–2
73

75

77

79

81

85

87

89

93

01

05

13

15
19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

20

20

20

20

Survey Year

figure 2. The average number of domestic and international graduate students per university.

34 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

 As a discipline, today’s power engineering profession
requires a more diverse skill set and broader knowledge
than in the past.

Figure 2 shows the trends in the number of domestic and crease of 5.1% at Canadian universities and 4.5% at U.S.
international graduate students indicating that the average universities. This decline appears to be due to fewer en-
number of domestic graduate students declined from the rolled master’s students because the number of doctoral
early 1970s to a low of 7.3 in the 1987–1988 survey. The aver- students was approximately level.
age number of international graduate students did not exceed ✔✔ Part-time graduate student enrollment did not change
the number of domestic students until the 1985–1986 survey. much at Canadian universities but declined by nearly
The resurgence in graduate students from the 2005–2006 to 10% at U.S. universities. It appears that interest in
the 2015–2016 survey was principally due to growth in the getting advanced power engineering degrees may be
number of international students from 11.9 to 25.5 students waning among people who are already employed.
per university (114% growth). The average number of domes- This could be a result of improving job security in the
tic graduate students grew more modestly from 9.2 to 14.7 U.S. economy.
(60% growth). The graph suggests that the number of domes- ✔✔ Overall, the average number of graduate student en-
tic graduate students plateaued or declined in recent years, rollments increased 8.5% at Canadian universities and
while the number of international students continued to grow. just 1.1% at U.S. universities.
The following summarizes the percentages of international
and domestic graduate and undergraduate student enrollments. Degrees Granted
✔✔ From 2015 to 2016, international students were the The trend in types of degrees earned strongly indicates
highest percentage of full-time graduate students, a growing student interest in power engineering education.
reaching 78% and 73% of full-time doctoral students in Survey respondents were asked to estimate the number of
the United States and Canada, respectively. degrees granted to students who were likely to pursue posi-
✔ ✔ Domestic students had the highest percentage of tions in electric power engineering; the results are reported
part-time graduate students, reaching 80% and 91% in Table 1. The average for each student category (e.g.,
of master’s students in the United States and Canada,
­respectively. Many part-time students were likely try-
ing to get an advanced degree while working. table 1. The estimated number of degrees granted
✔✔ Undergraduate students were predominantly domestic to students for a career in power engineering. The
average for a particular category includes only
students. It is estimated that 81% and 83% of under-
universities that granted degrees for that category.
graduate students in Canada and the United States,
respectively, were domestic. 2015–2016
Graduate student enrollment trends are somewhat different Categories Canada United States
among full- and part-time students. Between the 2005–2006
and 2015–2016 terms, the average number of full-time gradu- Total reported number of
degrees granted
ate students roughly doubled from 16.2 to 32.2 students per Undergraduate 410 2,669
university (at universities reporting at least one graduate stu-
Master’s 181 1,268
dent). Much of this growth can be attributed to international
Doctoral 91 352
students. Between 2005–2006 and 2015–2016, the average
number of part-time students rose from 4.9 to 8 (63% growth). Average number of degrees
granted per university
From a historical perspective, until the mid-1970s, there were
actually more part-time than full-time graduate students. Undergraduate 41 21
Near-term trends in student enrollments between the Master’s 18.1 11.4
2013–2014 and 2015–2016 surveys were examined using Doctoral 9.1 4.4
data from universities responding to both surveys. Adjusted total number of
✔✔ In terms of enrollments, Canadian and U.S. universi- degrees granted
ties had growth rates of 24.8% and 4.6%, respectively, Undergraduate 420 2,889
for international graduate students.
Master’s 184 1,362
✔✔ Universities in both countries experienced a decline in
Doctoral 91 365
enrollments for domestic graduate students, with a de-

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 35

 Research brings state-of-the-art knowledge to the classroom
and enables university faculty to address new challenges
arising from changing technology.

undergraduate) was computed over the number of universi- number of degrees granted for graduate students; this aver-
ties reporting a positive number of degrees granted within age was computed from those universities with a positive
that category. For example, the average for doctoral degrees sum of master’s and doctoral degrees. Between the 1993–
granted does not include universities reporting no doctoral 1994 and 2015–2016 terms, the average grew from 5.5 to
degrees. All the Canadian universities granted at least one 11.9 for master’s degrees and from 1.4 to 3.6 for doctoral
master’s or doctoral degree. Of the 127 responding U.S. uni- degrees. The number of degrees granted varies considerably
versities, 111 granted at least one master’s degree and 81 at across universities.
least one doctoral degree. ✔✔ The median values are approximately 19, nine, and
Of interest is the total estimated number of degrees granted four for undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral stu-
at Canadian and U.S. universities. The survey team adjusted dents, respectively (not including zero as a response
the reported number of degrees to include data from 15 uni- in a category).
versities that responded to the 2013–2014 survey but not ✔✔ Eighteen percent of universities granting at least one
the 2015–2016 survey. The results illustrated in Table 1 are undergraduate degree reported 40 or more undergrad-
impressive. An estimated 3,300 undergraduate degrees, 1,550 uate degrees.
master’s degrees, and 460 doctoral degrees were granted in the ✔✔ Eighteen percent of universities granting at least one
2015–2016 term. Using the previously reported percentages master’s degree reported 20 or more master’s degrees.
of domestic students, it is possible to adjust the undergraduate ✔ ✔ Twenty percent of universities granting at least
totals to estimate the number of degrees granted to domestic one doctoral degree reported seven or more doc-
students. For example, with an average of roughly 83% of toral degrees.
undergraduate students in the United States being domestic, During the period in which PES partnered with the IEEE
the total estimated number of domestic undergraduate stu- Foundation to increase the number of U.S. undergraduate
dents that graduated in the 2015–2016 term pursuing power students pursuing power engineering careers, there was an
engineering careers would be approximately 2,400 (i.e., 83% increase in the number of undergraduate degrees granted. In
of 2,889 degrees granted). spring 2011, the PES Scholarship Plus Initiative started pro-
Universities are experiencing historic highs in the num- moting power engineering as a career as well as its under-
ber of degrees conferred. Figure 3 summarizes the average graduate scholarships. The first scholarship was awarded

12
Master’s Students
10 Doctoral Students
Degrees Granted per University

0
2

6
7

1
19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

20

20
1–

3–

5–

7–

9–

1–

5–

7–

9–

3–

3–

5–
7

1
19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

20

20

Survey Year

figure 3. The average degrees granted across universities reporting graduate students. These averages were computed
with data from the universities that reported a positive number of total graduate degrees granted.

36 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

 The universities were invited to submit information about courses in their
curriculum to help students prepare for a career in power engineering,
and 749 undergraduate and 809 graduate courses were reported.

in the fall of 2011. The program’s goal was to increase the electric power industry, such as “policy” or “smart” in
number of degrees granted to U.S. domestic undergradu- “smart grid,” were much less frequently observed. However,
ate students to 2,000 per year. As indicated previously, the it may be that such topics are taught as part of core power
estimated number of U.S. domestic undergraduate degrees engineering courses.
granted by the end of the 2015–2016 academic year had risen Distance education (i.e., long-distance learning) has made
to roughly 2,400. The number of U.S. undergraduate degrees inroads into the delivery of university courses, particularly at
granted rose by approximately 9% between the 2013–2014 the graduate level. During the 2015–2016 term, the number of
and 2015–2016 terms. The PES effort undoubtedly contrib- universities with distance education students was 18% at the
uted to this growth. undergraduate level and 32% at the graduate level. In terms
of courses, 9% of undergraduate courses and 28% of graduate
Courses courses had distance education students. Some courses had
The universities were invited to submit information about high numbers of distance education students, with roughly
courses in their curriculum to help students prepare for a 4% of undergraduate courses and 12% of graduate courses
career in power engineering, and 749 undergraduate and 809 having ten or more distance education students.
graduate courses were reported. Nearly all of the respond-
ing universities offer undergraduate elective courses in Electric Power Engineering
power engineering; however, the number of mandatory Instructional Faculty and Staff
undergraduate courses is declining. Approximately 70% of During the recent growth of student interest in power engi-
Canadian universities have mandatory courses, compared to neering education, there has also been growth in the number
46% of U.S. universities. In 1994, the percentage of universi- of instructional faculty and staff. The faculty included full,
ties offering mandatory courses reached an all-time high of
roughly 80% for Canadian and U.S. universities combined.
The number of undergraduate students in courses with table 2. Course topics based on the occurrence
the highest enrollment at each university indicates interest of selected keywords in 749 undergraduate
in power engineering as well as the exposure of engineer- and 809 graduate course titles.
ing students to power engineering concepts. Nearly 7,500 Undergraduate Graduate
students were reported to have participated in such classes Course Title Course Title
during the 2015–2016 academic year. The average class size Keywords Occurrences Occurrences
was 56 students, with one university reporting a class size of Communication 2 7
334. Fourteen courses at 13 universities with significantly Distributed 4 14
high student enrollment (greater than 120 students) were
Economic 5 15
identified, with six of them being electives. The following is
a summary of these course topics: Electronic (e.g., 130 102
power electronics)
✔✔ common electrical engineering (power/electric cir-
cuits, electromechanics, machines, basic electronics, Energy system 56 39
and electric power) Machine 52 44
✔✔ electric energy systems Policy 1 1
✔✔ green/sustainable energy and energy and society Power system 217 271
✔✔ power engineering and power systems.
Renewable 23 22
Details about course subject matter are not available in
Smart 21 36
the survey. Some insights into the focus of the courses can
be found by examining word counts for selected keywords Solar 6 7
and their derivatives in course titles (for instance, a search Storage 3 5
for “communication” would include counts of “communica- Sustainable 14 14
tions”). The results of this analysis are given in Table 2. Of Vehicle 9 6
the selected keywords, “power system” was the most com-
Wind 4 14
mon. Words associated with broader concepts in today’s

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 37

 associate, and assistant (i.e., untenured) professors. For the technology, bioengineering, energy and resources, mining,
survey, staff included adjunct professors, emeritus profes- civil engineering, informatics, and computing and cybersys-
sors, and instructors/lecturers. During the 2015–2016 aca- tems. The involvement by faculty in departments other than
demic year, 549 faculty and 123 staff were reported to be electrical engineering reflects the growing interdisciplinary
engaged in instruction. The average number per university cooperation needed to address research and instruction in
was 4.9, but that ranged from a low of one to a high of 16. today’s electric power field. Disciplinary distinctions within
Not surprisingly, more faculty and staff were needed as the electrical and computer engineering departments were not
number of students receiving degrees rose. Universities with identified in the survey, so, in all probability, there was even
one to ten degrees granted averaged 1.9 faculty and staff, more disciplinary variety than what was identified.
whereas universities with more than 100 degrees granted Figure 4 gives the average number of faculty and staff
averaged 7.7 faculty and staff. per responding university by survey year beginning with
Most faculty and staff were in departments associated the 1969–1970 term. Figure 5 provides percentages of total
with electrical engineering (typically electrical and computer faculty and staff. The figures show that universities have
engineering), but others were in departments such as com- been adding faculty in the last decade, particularly asso-
puter science, industrial engineering, economics and policy, ciate and assistant professors. The total number of faculty
mechanical engineering, math, materials science, engineering reported in the surveys rose from 339 at 125 universities in

2.5
Average per University

1.5

0.5

0
0

6
97

97

97

97

97

98

98

98

98

99

99

00

00

01

01
–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–2

–2

–2

–2
69

71

73

75

77

79

81

85

87

89

93

01

05

13

15
19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

20

20

20

20
Survey Year
Full Professor Associate Professor
Assistant Professor Staff

figure 4. The average number of faculty and staff per university by survey year.

60
All Faculty and Staff (%)

50
40
30
20
10
0
70

72

74

76

78

80

82

86

88

90

94

02

06

14

16
19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

20

20

20

20
9–

1–

3–

5–

7–

9–

1–

5–

7–

9–

3–

1–

5–

3–

5–
6

1
19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

20

20

20

20

Survey Year

Full Professor Associate Professor

Assistant Professor Staff

figure 5. The percentages of faculty and staff by survey year.

38 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

the 2005–2006 term to 549 at 137 universities in 2015–2016. for planning faculty and staff hires, as it may take up to six
Given the rise in the number of students and the prospect years for an assistant professor to become tenured, a process
of senior faculty retirements, this is a positive trend that that requires the mentorship of senior faculty.
will help sustain power engineering education over time.
As shown in the “Research Activities and Funding” section, Research Activities and Funding
the hiring of younger faculty has occurred in the context of Research funding adequacy is an important measure of the
higher research funding to support them. sustainability and quality of a university’s power engineer-
At the same time, the rising number of students and the ing education program and the opportunities for research inno­­
increasing breadth requirements in the curriculum to pre- vations. Research brings state-of-the-art knowledge to the
pare students for today’s power industry appear to have also classroom and enables university faculty to address new chal-
motivated increased staff hiring, including adjunct profes- lenges arising from changing technology. Adequate research
sors, instructors, and lecturers. When emeritus faculty (many funding is also needed to support faculty who are ­working
of whom continue teaching after retirement) are counted toward tenure and all faculty who are providing graduate
as staff, more than 18% of all instruction personnel were research assistantships to students. Without adequate poten-
staff. There was a decline in the use of staff in the 1980s, tial for ongoing research funding, university administrators are
as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. This was likely a result of reluctant to hire new faculty.
a decrease in the number of students in power engineering In the survey, universities were asked to report on the
specifically and in engineering in general during that period. research expenditures by their faculty providing power engi-
Staff members are generally not tenured, so their numbers neering instruction. As illustrated in Figure 6, research fund-
are more likely to change as budgets and education needs ing came from three sources: 1) government, 2) utilities, and
change compared to those for faculty. It is possible that some 3) industries other than utilities. The averages in Figure 6 are
adjunct professors, instructors, and lecturers came from the of universities that reported positive research expenditures
power engineering industry to teach in academia either full and are based on reported research expenditures adjusted for
or part time. inflation to the 2015–2016 term. No conversion of Canadian
The reported hiring and departure data for all responding dollars to U.S. dollars was done in the historical analyses,
universities are indicative of the rise in the total number of but the expenditures are deemed U.S. dollars for the pur-
faculty and staff. On average, the universities reported hiring poses of this article because total U.S. research funding
two faculty and staff for each one that left. Not surprisingly, is so much larger than total Canadian research funding.
the hiring of young faculty results in less faculty experience Inflation-corrected research funding has increased substan-
in academia. Nearly half of the U.S. faculty and staff (as tially in the 21st century from an average of US$776,000
compared to roughly one-quarter of Canadian faculty and per university in the 2001–2002 term to US$1,392,000  in
staff) had ten or fewer years of experience in academia. 2015–2016, an increase of 79% (in 2015–2016 dollars). The
Retirements through 2026 could be substantial. Approx- increase in average inflation-adjusted government funding
imately 37% of faculty and staff were reported as being from US$571,000 to US$963,000 was the major reason for
retirement eligible in the 2015–2016 term or within the next the growth in total research support. The small decline in
ten years. An awareness of retirement eligibility is important average research expenditures between the 2013–2014 and

1,600
1,400
Average Funding (US$)

1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
70

72

74

76

78

80

82

86

88

90

94

02

06

14

16
9

0
–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–2

–2

–2

–2
69

71

73

75

77

79

81

85

87

89

93

01

05

13

15
19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

20

20

20

20

Survey Year

figure 6. The average inflation-adjusted research funding from government, utilities, and other industries. These averages
were computed with data from the universities that reported positive (i.e., nonzero) total research expenditures.

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 39

 2015–2016 surveys suggests that, at the very least, the strong ✔✔ Research expenditures vary considerably across uni-
growth in research funding may be weakening. This possible versities. Twenty-nine percent of the universities re-
trend will have to be examined further in a future survey. ported total research expenditures of between US$1
Figure 7 illustrates that the reliance on government ver- and US$250,000, while 18% reported expenditures
sus industry funding sources has varied over time. In the exceeding US$2 million.
2015–2016 survey, government funding for research expen- The universities that responded to the 2015–2016 survey
ditures accounted for nearly 70% of total research contribu- were generally optimistic about their research funding out-
tions from government, utility, and other industry funding. look. Approximately 39% and 35% of universities had an
The percentage of total research contributions from industry expectation of rising research funding over the next three and
exceeded government contributions during the 1980s and ten years, respectively. Only 15% of universities thought that
early 1990s, but, in the 21st century, government contribu- funding would decline over the next three years from 2015–
tions have surpassed those from industry. 2016, and 10% believed that funding would decline in the next
Interestingly, since the 1993–1994 term, the average infla- ten years. These were the perspectives when a survey was sub-
tion-adjusted funding from other nonutility industries has mitted, and they may differ from current perspectives.
grown from US$28,000 to US$221,000, while the average fund- An important factor to consider is whether the growth in
ing from utilities increased from US$182,000 to US$208,000. research funding has been commensurate enough with the
Thus, the funding from other industries rose significantly. This rising number of faculty to provide adequate research sup-
trend reflects industry changes, e.g., growth in the deployment port in future years. Research funding per faculty member is
of smart grid technologies, that have brought new businesses one indicator of funding adequacy and this has shown strong
into the electric power industry. The following are additional growth in the 21st century, particularly in the 2013–2014
observations about the research expenditure data (converted and 2015–2016 surveys. The survey analysis suggests that
from Canadian to U.S. dollars) for the 2015–2016 term. this growth may have peaked and, if not already, started to
✔✔ For all reporting universities in Canada and the United decline. The longer-term trend will have to be discerned
States, the combined nonequipment research expendi- from future surveys.
tures at approximately US$143 million far exceeded The survey respondents were asked to identify their uni-
the equipment expenditures of approximately US$29 versity’s research areas. The research areas from which they
million. Nonequipment research expenditures are par- were to select generally followed the IEEE PES technical
ticularly important because they are used, in part, to committee names. The most frequently reported research
support graduate students. areas were intelligent grid and renewable generation. The
✔✔ In both U.S. and Canadian universities, government least reported were the more hardware-oriented areas of
funding was the dominant source for nonequipment transformers, substation automation, switchgear, and surge
research expenditures, providing approximately two- protection devices.
thirds of the funding.
✔✔ Equipment expenditures at Canadian universities were Concluding Remarks
nearly 90% from government, whereas, at U.S. uni- This article provided an overview of power engineering
versities, industry funding constituted roughly 29% of education trends in the United States and Canada since the
equipment expenditures. collection of data started in the 1969–1970 academic year.

90
80
Research Funding (%)

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0

6
97

97

97

97

97

98

98

98

98

99

99

00

00

01

01
–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–1

–2

–2

–2

–2
69

71

73

75

77

79

81

85

87

89

93

01

05

13

15
19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

20

20

20

20

Survey Year

Government Utilities Other Industries

figure 7. Funding from government, utilities, and other industries.

40 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

There have been demonstrable changes in power engineer- port,” IEEE Trans. Power App. Syst., vol. 100, no. 11, pp.
ing education: 4456–4463, Nov. 1981.
✔✔ the substantial growth in the number of student en- “Electric power engineering educational resources,
rollments and degrees granted, particularly to interna- 1981–1982 IEEE Power Engineering Society Committee
tional students in graduate programs report,” IEEE Trans. Power App. Syst., vol. 103, no. 5, pp.
✔✔ the growth in the number of faculty in all ranks, but 921–932, May 1984.
particularly tenure-track assistant professors “Electric power engineering educational resources,
✔✔ the expanded use of adjunct professors and lecturers/ 1985–1986 IEEE Power Engineering Society Committee re-
instructors, who were likely needed to meet the new port,” IEEE Trans. Power App. Syst., vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 1340–
instructional needs brought about by more students 1353, Aug. 1988.
and technological changes in the industry “Electric power engineering educational resources,
✔✔ the strong growth in research funding by government, 1987–1988 IEEE Power Engineering Society Committee re-
funding by utilities that has more than kept pace with port,” IEEE Trans. Power Syst., vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 379–392,
inflation, and the continuation of a long-term trend of Feb. 1991.
increased funding by other nonutility industries that “Electric power engineering educational resources,
are playing a greater role in today’s diversified electric 1989–1990 IEEE Power Engineering Society Committee re-
power industry port,” IEEE Trans. Power Syst., vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 1611–1622,
✔✔ the use of distance education that expands the ways in Nov. 1992.
which education is delivered “Electric power engineering educational resources,
✔✔ the diversification of the engineering curriculum into 1991–1992 IEEE Power Engineering Society Committee re-
nontraditional topics, such as sustainable energy. port,” IEEE Trans. Power Syst., vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 1182–1193,
The survey results suggested that three key challenges in Aug. 1994.
university power engineering education are “Electric power engineering educational resources,
✔✔ motivating domestic students to pursue graduate de- 1993–1994 IEEE Power Engineering Society Committee re-
grees with a focus on power engineering port,” IEEE Trans. Power Syst., vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 1146–1158,
✔✔ evolving curricula to address the changes and chal- Aug. 1996.
lenges facing the electric power industry “Electric power engineering educational resources,
✔✔ maintaining sufficient research funding to sustain in- 2001–2002 IEEE Power Engineering Society Committee
novation, advance electric power and ­energy technol- report,” IEEE Trans. Power Syst., vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 1703–
ogies, and support young faculty members who will 1722, Nov. 2004.
eventually replace retiring faculty. “Electric power engineering educational resources,
2005–2006 IEEE Power Engineering Society Committee
For Further Reading report,” IEEE Trans. Power Syst., vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 1–24,
“Electric power engineering educational resources, 1969– Feb. 2008.
1970 IEEE Power Engineering Society Committee report,” Power and Energy Education Committee. (2017, Nov.).
IEEE Trans. Power App. Syst., vol. 91, no. 1, pp. 277–283, Electric power engineering education resources: 2015–16
Jan. 1972. US and Canadian university survey results. IEEE Power &
“Electric power engineering educational resources, Energy Soc. [Online]. Available: https://www.ieee-pes.org/
1971–1972 IEEE Power Engineering Society Committee professional-development/education/university-power-
report,” IEEE Trans. Power App. Syst., vol. 93, no. 2, pp. programs
529–534, Mar. 1974. IEEE Power & Energy Society. (2015, June 2). State of
“Electric power engineering educational resources, power engineering education in the U.S. and Canada: Over-
1973–1974 IEEE Power Engineering Society Committee view of the results of the 2013–2014 PEEC survey. [Online].
report,” IEEE Trans. Power App. Syst., vol. 95, no. 4, pp. Available: http://resourcecenter.ieee-pes.org/pes/product/
1194–1201, July 1976. webinars/PESVID1267
“Electric power engineering educational resources,
1975–1976 IEEE Power Engineering Society Committee
report,” IEEE Trans. Power App. Syst., vol. 97, no. 3, pp. Biographies
802–809, May 1978. Dennis Ray is with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“Electric power engineering educational resources, Nilanjan Ray Chaudhuri is with Pennsylvania State
1977–1978 IEEE Power Engineering Society Committee University, State College.
report,” IEEE Trans. Power App. Syst., vol. 100, no. 2, pp. Sukumar Brahma is with New Mexico State University,
721–728, Feb. 1981. Las Cruces.
“Electric power engineering educational resources,
p&e
1979–1980 IEEE Power Engineering Society Committee re- 

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 41

 By C. Nagamani,
M. Venkata Kirthiga,
and Mini Shaji Thomas

I
India has emerged as one of the world’s
fastest-growing economies, and the Indian industrial
sector competes globally by manufacturing engineering
equipment, automobiles, chemicals, and software. Techni-
cal education, in general, and electrical engineering educa-
tion, in particular, hold prime significance in this context.
Electrical power engineering is a subject of choice for
many aspirants in India who seek admission to a bachelor’s
or graduate degree in top-tier engineering schools. Electri-
cal engineering graduates are much sought after for their
superior analytical skills; they are employed across a va-
riety of sectors in India and abroad. This article describes
the growth of engineering education in India and changes
in the programs and courses offered and also provides sug-

image licensed by ingram pubishing

gestions for improvement.

Engineering Education
Throughout the World
The global community faces a plethora of challenges
as it traverses multiple phases of economic and social

Power
Engineering
Education
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2843899
Date of publication: 17 August 2018

42 ieee power & energy magazine 1540-7977/18©2018IEEE september/october 2018

 A Description of
Current Academic
Developments in India

development. Acute and chronic medical disorders, energy at Madras to train Indian personnel in modern land survey-
crises, environmental degradation, poverty, and food scar- ing to assist British surveyors.
city are just a few concerns demanding sustainable solu- The legendary “father of Indian industry,” Sir Jamshedji
tions. World agencies, along with governments, have been Tata, an industrialist and a devout nationalist, established
struggling to find cost-effective measures that are durable the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) at Bangalore in 1909,
to resolve these issues. Multiple breakthroughs spurring which offered a certificate and an associateship course in
societal prosperity have happened in the realms of science, electrical engineering at the degree level. The great educa-
engineering, and technology, with the marvels of electrical tor and visionary Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya influenced
engineering at the center of many revolutionary changes. the history of Indian education in 1917 by setting up Banaras
In the initial stages of research and planning, numer- Hindu University, the first of its kind in the country, where
ous discoveries and innovations centered on the generation degree courses in mechanical engineering, electrical engi-
and deployment of electrical power. However, the field of neering, and metallurgical engineering were offered. Later,
electrical power engineering has spread to several new the Bengal Engineering College at Shibpur offered courses
branches, such as electronics, communications, control, in mechanical and electrical engineering in 1935–1936.
and computers. Kofi Annan, the former secretary-gen- Courses in these subjects were also introduced in Guindy
eral of the United Nations, said, “Education is the prem- and Poona around the same time.
ise of progress, in every society, in every family.” A well- In 1936–1937, the government, unveiling a major reform
educated and skilled youth paves the way for a country’s in technical education, started a model institution called
prosperity. Every major engineering advancement has had Delhi Polytechnic, which later became the Delhi College of
a notable impact on the lives of common people, as shown Engineering. In the aftermath of World War II, the urge for
in Table 1. India, like many other developing countries, has advancements in science and technology increased world-
evolved in its journey by embracing global technological wide, leading to important changes in technical education
developments, even while creating a niche as a knowledge- that would help it adapt to rapid developments in the world.
driven economy. The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) was
set up in November 1945 as a national-level apex advisory
The Evolution of Engineering body to survey the facilities available for technical education
Education in India and promote development in the country in a coordinated
The initial impetus for the creation of technical training cen- and integrated manner.
ters in the country came from the British, prior to indepen- In 1947, India, a nascent country following its independence,
dence. In 1794, English traders established a survey school faced an acute shortage of technicians and graduate-degree

table 1. The phases of major engineering advancements.

1750–1850 Textile (first wave) Iron, water power, mechanization, textiles, commerce
1850–1900 Stream, rail, steel (second wave) Steam power, railroad, steel, cotton
1877–1925 Electricity, chemicals, internal combustion engines Electricity, chemicals, internal combustion engines
(third wave)
1900–1950 Oil, auto, mass production (fourth wave) Petrochemicals, electronics, aviation, space
1950 IT, biotechnology, materials (fifth wave) Digital networks, biotechnology, software, IT
2005 Sustainable green engineering (sixth wave) Sustainability, radical resource productivity, whole system
designs, biomimicry, industrial ecology, renewable
energy, green chemistry, nanotechnology
Note: UNESCO report “Engineering: Issues, challenges and opportunities for development,” 2010.

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 43

 engineers and a paucity of material resources. In his vision for corporate computer science and information technology
a modern India, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first prime min- (IT)-related courses in their curricula.
ister of India, established five Indian Institutes of Technology India, emerging as a hub in the sphere of IT, yielded
(IITs) through an act of parliament, declaring them to be institu- numerous opportunities for education and training in IT and
tions of national importance. related areas. To leverage the strong talent in IT and meet
In another significant development, the decision was made the growing demand for IT professionals, a large number of
in 1959 to create Regional Engineering Colleges (RECs) in private institutions were permitted to be set up in the coun-
rural settings to churn out high-caliber engineering gradu- try during the 1990s. From 36 institutions with an annual
ates. The RECs became institutions of national importance enrollment of about 2,500 students in 1947, the number of
and were rechristened the National Institutes of Technologies institutions rose to 1,346 with an annual intake of about
(NITs) in 2002. There are 31 NITs in India now, with one for 440,000 students in 2005 (https://www.aicte-india.org/).
each state. The IITs and RECs/NITs began offering sought- Figure 1 shows this burgeoning of engineering education,
after undergraduate and graduate-degree programs in electri- postindependence.
cal power engineering. As shown in one survey, there were 3,241 engineering
Many new engineering colleges were established from institutions with a total enrollment of 1,324,246 students in
1950 to 1960 as the premier institutions of the pre-1947 pe- the 2010–2011 academic year. Since 2012, there has been a
riod underwent a major expansion and consolidation to in- marginal increase in the number of engineering institutions

Indian Engineering Education Development

1790
The Madras Survey School (1794)

Hindu College Bengal (1817)

1830
Elphinstone Institution Bombay (1844)
Saharanpur School (1845)
Roorkee Engineering College (1848)
Universities at Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai
Poona Civil Engineering College
1870

Four New Engineering Colleges, 20 New Survey and Technical Institutions, and 50 New Industrial Schools
IISc, Banglore (1909)
1910

First-Time Women Students Are Permitted

1950 IIT, Kharagpur (1950)
IIT, Bombay (1958)
IIT, Kanpur, and NIT, Warangal (1959)
IIT, Madras
IIT, Delhi (1961)
NIT, Trichy (1964)

1990
IIT, Guwahati (1994)
IIT, Roorkee (2001)
Six New IITs (2008)
Ten New NITs (2010)
Five New IITs, 1 NIT, 2 IITs (2015)
Three New IITs (2016)
Three New NITs (2017)
2030

figure 1. The developments in Indian engineering education.

44 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

 Electrical power engineering is a subject of choice
for many aspirants in India who seek admission to a bachelor’s
or graduate degree in top-tier engineering schools.

in India, including government, government-aided, private, the other institutions offer these subcategory programs under
and deemed universities. Currently, there are 3,325 AICTE- separate departments of electrical and electronics, electron-
approved engineering institutions in India with 1,662,518 stu- ics and communication, and computer science engineering. A
dents enrolled in the 2017–2018 term. This growth is an indi- close look at the curricula of the bachelor’s degree in electrical
cator of both the overwhelming preference for engineering and electronics engineering program reveals that the first year
programs as well as the demand for engineers from various of study consists of basic subjects like mathematics, physics,
industries. This positive trend is shown in Figures 2 and 3, chemistry, engineering mechanics, engineering drawing, com-
using the AICTE data; government contribution toward aca- puter programing, and professional communication, as well
demic institutions, and particularly to engineering educa- as other extracurricular programs, e.g., National Cadet Corps,
tion, has increased considerably, which points toward India’s National Social Service, and National Sports Organization,
progress in technological developments. ensuring overall personality development.
The second year of study offers an introduction to the various
The Structure of Undergraduate branch-specific courses; the third and fourth years involve inten-
Electrical Engineering Degree sive training in core subjects while also offering a few elective
Programs in India subjects to enrich the choice of specialization. The second-year
Generally, the undergraduate engineering degree in India courses, which act as typical gateways to power engineering,
requires four years of study. Some centrally funded institutes, are electrical machines and the transmission and distribution of
mostly the IITs, offer a bachelor of technology (B.Tech.) degree electrical energy. The undergraduate-degree students are also
in electrical engineering as an umbrella course, with latitude for taught the basics of electromagnetic field theory, analog circuits,
specialization in power (electrical and electronics), electronics linear-integrated circuits, and digital electronics.
and communication, control systems, and computer science In the third year, power electronics, control systems,
engineering offered by the same department. However, most of measurements, and instrumentation are introduced. In the

4,000
3,464 3,460 3,325
3,443 3,488
3,500 3,391
Number of Engineering Institutions

3,000

2,500

2,000
1,460
1,346 1,507
1,500 1,346
1,415
1,207
1,057
1,000 838
662 776
558
500 337 356 375
288 288 328
226 286
118 163
10 58
0
50
60
70
80

9 9
91 1
92 2
93 3
94 4
95 5
96 6
97 7
19 98 8
20 9–2 9
20 0–2 0
20 –2 1
20 2–2 2
20 –2 3
20 4–2 4
20 5–2 5
20 –2 6
–2 7
8
20 2 .
20 –2 3
20 4–2 4
20 –2 5
20 –2 6
–2 7
8
12 ....
19 198
19 0–9
19 –9
19 –9
19 –9
19 –9
19 –9
19 –9
19 –9
9 –9
0 00
01 00
0 00
03 00
0 00
0 00
06 00
07 00
00

13 01
1 01
15 01
16 01
17 01
01
19
19
19
19

–
20

Year

figure 2. The growth of engineering colleges in India.

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 45

 final year, power-system analysis, protection, and econom- fulfilling additional criteria. Apart from the standard four-year
ics and control are taught. The spectrum of elective subjects degree, there are a few other variations to cater to the aspir-
varies widely, including topics on power systems, power ing youth. In a five-year dual-degree program, management is
electronics, control systems, microelectronics, very large offered as a secondary degree along with a primary degree in
systems integrated (VLSI), and communication engineering, engineering. The integrated master of technology (M.Tech.)
enabling students to focus on their career interests prior to degree is yet another five-year program where one is awarded
graduation. The lists of core and elective courses offered in a master’s degree in a selected specialization. A long list of
the undergraduate electrical engineering branch in a major- the possible electives indicates the students’ preference and
ity of the institutes are shown in Tables 2 and 3. makes a strong case for the career prospects of power engi-
While some well-established institutes offer additional neering graduates.
avenues, such as graduating with honors in power engineer- Admission to an undergraduate-degree program of all
ing, there are also cases where a supplemental minor degree public-funded institutes is through the joint entrance exami-
in a secondary discipline is awarded, subject to the candidate nation (JEE) main, conducted by India’s Central Board of

Programs Versus Institutes for the Academic Year 2017–2018

8,000

7,000
6,447

6,000

5,000

4,000
3,264
3,000

2,000 1,633
1,158
1,000
66 171 106 6
0
Applied Arts Architecture Engineering Hotel Management MCA Planning Town
and Crafts and Management Planning
Technology and Catering
(a)

Institute Type Versus Institutes for the 2017–2018 Academic Year

University Managed (Private) 56

University Managed (Government) 149
Unaided (Private) 824

Aided (Private) 32

Aided (Government) 293

Government 1,573
Deemed University (Private) 23

Deemed University (Government) 6

Central University 22

(b)

figure 3. (a) Engineering education dominating other professional courses in 2017–2018. (Image courtesy of https://www
.facilities.aicte-india.org/dashboard/pages/angulardashboard.php#!/graphs.) (b) The type of professional-education institutes
in India in 2017–2018.

46 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

 Most private institutions have to strike a balance between attracting
and retaining meritorious graduates through decent pay packages
and withstanding the consequential long-term financial implications.

Secondary Education. Figure 4 displays the closing rank Before the advent and widespread development of power
(CR) and opening rank (OR) of the JEE main for admission semiconductor technology (until early 1980s), courses on
into the B.Tech. (electrical and electronics engineering) pro- power electronics were offered as elective subjects rather
grams in the NITs, which clearly shows the demand for this than as postgraduate specializations (until the mid-1980s).
discipline. The first rank in JEE at which a branch is allotted Gradually, the technological developments in power elec-
to a student is the OR, while CR is the last rank. For admis- tronics and high-voltage dc systems, accompanied by many
sion to the IITs, another examination, the JEE advanced, is more publications in these fields, helped to overcome the
conducted by the IITs for the top-ranked candidates of the deficiencies. Courses and programs on electric drives were
JEE main examination. introduced later, which became very popular. Power auto-
mation, synchrophasor technologies, and smart grids were
Graduate-Degree Study in Power
Engineering in India
table 3. A list of commonly offered program elective
The inception of graduate-degree programs in power engi-
courses in undergraduate-degree programs in
neering in the IITs occurred in the 1950s, and they primar- electrical engineering.
ily focused on power engineering. Elective courses in power
electronics were introduced in the 1970s amid obstacles Power-Generation Systems
like a lack of resource materials and text books. Notably, Wind and Solar Electrical Systems
the General Electric manual Silicon Controlled Rectifiers
Industrial Automation
and the book Thyristors and Their Applications by Dr. M.
Ramamoorty were the only teaching resources available. High-Voltage Engineering
Distribution System Automation

table 2. A list of commonly offered core Fuzzy Systems and Genetic Algorithms
courses in undergraduate-degree programs
Object-Oriented Programing Using C++
in electrical engineering.
Computer Architecture
Electron Devices
Digital-System Design and Hardware Description Languages
Circuit Theory
Design with Peripheral Interface Controller
Dc Machines and Transformers
Digital Signal Processing
AC Machines
Artificial Neural Networks
Electromagnetic Field Theory
Extra-High-Voltage and High-Voltage dc Transmission
Analog Electronic Circuits
Digital Electronics Design of Electrical Apparatus

Transmission and Distribution of Electrical Energy Utilization of Electrical Energy

Linear Integrated Circuits Power-System Restructuring

Networks and Linear Systems Power-System Economics and Control Techniques

Control Systems Power-System Dynamics

Power Electronics Special Electrical Machines

Microprocessors and Microcontrollers Solid-State ac–dc Drives

Measurements and Instrumentation Power-System Economics and Control Techniques
Power-System Analysis Vehicular Electric Power Systems
Power-System Protection and Switchgear Operating-System Concepts

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 47

 Typically, a seasoned graduate in power engineering has not only
multiple career avenues to choose from at the time of graduation
but also no difficulty in moving from one position to another.

introduced in the last decade in the power-systems under- the recent success of GATE, graduate-degree engineers have
graduate and graduate-degree curricula, with India as one of been recruited to various public-sector units, also using the
the leading power-trading markets. Now, a majority of tech- GATE score as the eligibility criterion. Figure 6 depicts the
nical institutions offer various graduate-degree specializa- institute-wide preferences of the power engineering gradu-
tions apart from power systems and electronics under power ates for their postgraduate study in IITs, which shows that
engineering, as shown in Figure 5. power engineering courses are regularly sought after by
The two-year M.Tech. degree program offers theory and those with high GATE scores.
laboratory courses in the first year. The second year is gener-
ally dedicated to project work, which emphasizes hands-on Doctoral Programs
experience in designing, building, and testing laboratory- Most of the established institutes offer doctoral research
prototype systems. A summer internship of two months is programs that usually span four to five years. There is stiff
now mandatory for undergraduate-degree students, although competition for the limited number of seats under full-time
it is not mandatory for graduate-degree students. However, admission with financial support. Typically, the research
opportunities are available to carry out a one-year project in scholar has specific minimum course work and a subsequent
a relevant industry. The curriculum is updated by the boards confirmation review. Most commonly, the institutions have
of studies of respective institutes annually or once in two a stipulation of research publications in reputed journals.
years to enhance the career prospects of students, and it is With a growing concern for academic standing or national
based on the suggestions of experts from industry, academia, ranking, many colleges prefer Ph.D. degree holders for entry
and alumni in addition to the students’ input. Tables 4 and 5 positions. The government-funded institutes offer attractive
list the typical core and elective courses offered under vari- salary packages and a well-structured career road map for
ous streams in different institutions for postgraduate pro- talented graduates. However, most private institutions have to
grams in power engineering. strike a balance between attracting and retaining meritorious
Admission to master of engineering degree programs in graduates through decent pay packages and withstanding the
public-funded institutes is based on the score in the Gradu- consequential long-term financial implications.
ate Aptitude Test for Engineering (GATE), a national-level To attract talented youth toward high-quality research, the
entrance test conducted jointly by the Indian Institute of government of India recently initiated the Prime Minister’s
Science and the seven IITs on behalf of the Government of Research Fellowship, where the scholar receives a monthly
India. Admissions to participating institutions are carried out stipend that is nearly three times more than a regular sti-
through a centralized online counseling process. Following pend. With the new initiative for annual national ranking of
the engineering colleges, such as
the National Institutional Ranking
18,000 Framework, private as well as pub-
16,000 OR Trichy lic-funded institutes vie to attract
CR Trichy meritorious Ph.D. graduates.
14,000 OR Surathkal
OR/CR JEE Mains

12,000 CR Surathkal
OR Allahabad Prospects for Power
10,000 CR Allahabad Engineering Graduates
8,000
OR Warangal in India
CR Warangal
6,000 OR Jaipur There are innumerable opportuni-
CR Jaipur ties for power engineering gradu-
4,000 OR Rourkela ates in India. In the core sector,
2,000 CR Rourkela
they are sought after by all types
0 of manufacturing industries and
2014 2015 2016 2017
Year of Admission
companies dealing with domestic
appliances, aircraft engineering,
figure 4. The OR and CR in JEE mains for admission to B.Tech. in electrical and or atomic power plants. Public sec-
electronics engineering in the NITs, India. tor companies (such as the railways,

48 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

civil aviation, state electricity utilities, the Oil and Natural Institute and Central Electronics Engineering Research
Gas Corporation, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Steel Institute, have openings. There are also lucrative careers
Authority of India Limited, Coal India Limited, and Power in software development for embedded systems, in addi-
Grid Corporation of India Limited) and private sector compa- tion to the huge pool of IT-related jobs in which elec-
nies (such as Asea Brown Boveri, Bajaj, Crompton Greaves, trical engineers are preferred. Today, a teaching career is
Siemens, Reliance Power, and Wipro Lighting) recruit power also rewarding, with prestigious engineering colleges in
engineers in large numbers. For those focused on research India offering attractive remuneration packages, especially
and development, reputed research laboratories funded by after the implementation of the seventh pay commission
the government of India, such as the Central Power Research recommendations set up by the Indian government. A

IITs: Madras, Delhi, Bombay,

Varanasi, Roorkee, Danbad
Power Systems
NITs: Trichy, Agartala, Allahabad, Patna,
Calicut, Jaipur, Kurukshetra, Warangal,
Rourkela, Jamshedpur, Durgapur

IITs: Madras, Delhi, Roorkee, Kharagpur,

Bombay, Danbad, Mandi, Varanasi
Power Electronics and
Power Electronics and
Drives
NITs: Trichy, Agartala, Allahabad, Calicut,
Jaipur, Nagpur, Kurukshetra, Warangal,
Rourkela, Jamshedpur, Surat, Delhi, Durgapur,
Uttrakhand, Mizoram

IIT: Madras
Electrical
High-Voltage IISc: Banglore
Engineering
Engineering
NIT: Calicut

IIT: Kharagpur

Power and Energy

Systems Engineering
NITs: Surathkal, Meghalaya, Srinagar

Power Power Systems and

IIT: Kanpur NIT: Goa
Engineering Power Electronics

IIT: Guwahati
Power and Control
NITs: Raipur, Uttrakhand, Manipur

Power Electronics, IIT: Hyderabad

Power Systems, and Control
NIT: Sikkim

figure 5. A list of graduate-degree programs offered in centrally funded technical institutes in India.

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 49

 table 4. A list of commonly offered core courses
850
in graduate-degree programs related to power
engineering. 800

Cutoff GATE Scores

750
Advanced Power-System Analysis
700
Power-Conversion Techniques
650
Power-System Operation and Control
600
Advanced Power-System Protection 550
Power-System Stability 500
High-Voltage dc Transmission 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Year of Admission
Flexible ac-Transmission Systems
IIT M-PS, PE, and HV IIT D-PS
IIT D-PED IIT B-PE and PS
IIT K-PSE
table 5. A list of commonly offered program elective
courses in graduate-degree programs related to
power engineering. figure 6. The trend in cutoff GATE scores for power-
engineering-related graduate-degree courses in IITs. M-PS:
Linear and Nonlinear Systems Madras power systems; PE: power electronics; HV: high
Power-Electronic Drives voltage; D-PED: Delhi power electronics and drives; K-PSE:
Kanpur power engineering; D-PS: Delhi power systems;
Industrial-Control Electronics B-PE: Bombay power electronics; PS: power systems.
Microcontroller Applications in Power Converters
Advanced Digital Signal Processing
75,000
Advanced Digital-System Design Government Sector
60,000 Private Sector
Analysis and Design of Artificial Neural Networks
Digital Controllers in Power Electronics Applications
45,000
Salary ( )

Smart Grid Technologies

Distributed Generation and Microgrids 30,000
Energy Auditing and Management of Electric and Hybrid
Vehicles 15,000
Principles of Vlsi Design Modeling and Analysis of Electrical
Machines
0
Power Quality Scientists Technical Engineers Programmers
Staff
Power-System Restructuring and Pricing
figure 7. A salary comparison of entry-level positions for
Renewable Power-Generation Technologies
power engineers.

c­ omparison of entry-level salaries for various categories is Electricity Markets

shown in Figure 7. With increasing awareness about the latest consumables and the
With the steady trends pointing to ample demand for growing affordability of the average Indian consumer, industries
proficient power engineers over the years, the domino effect face tremendous competition to launch new products that can
is that the prospective engineering students on the verge of have a high market potential in a short span of time. This is
selecting their branches of study are positively influenced to amply reflected in the recruiting strategies of industry houses
select this ever-green and versatile branch of engineering. that keenly follow market trends. Power engineering gradu-
Typically, a seasoned graduate in power engineering has not ates trained in designing power systems, sensors, electronics,
only multiple career avenues to choose from at the time of embedded software in electronics, and control circuitry contrib-
graduation but also no difficulty in moving from one position ute significantly to infrastructure development and, thereby, to
to another. For instance, an engineer recruited by a software- the growth of the national gross domestic product.
development company can opt to move to a core company Once again, the structure of engineering education, which
years later or vice versa. is seen as the potential workforce resource for industries, is

50 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

influenced by the trends in recruitment strategies. Those Improving Teaching Methods
graduating from institutions constitute the nation’s fresh stock A five-member committee, widely known as the Kakodkar
of human resources with specialized skills and knowledge. Committee, submitted a report to the government in 2004
They are expected to share the national goals of growth through with recommendations on academic reforms. The salient
contributions to the economy and of societal development recommendations are as follows.
through competitiveness. Honed technical skills, along with ✔✔ Institutes should use student-centric interactive modes
commendable soft skills, are the hallmarks of a proficient en­­ of content delivery and learning, resulting in higher
gineer. An updated curriculum with the scope for research, problem-solving skills, project-mode teaching, and
innovation, and managerial skills helps to bring out the full- active learning in which design is an integral part.
est potential of budding engineers. ✔✔ They should focus on collaborative and cooperative
learning pedagogies while benefitting from leverag-
A Need for Educational Reforms ing information and communication technologies in
Confronted with the task of producing an adequate pool of this regard.
technical graduates in the country, the government of India ✔✔ Industry experts may be co-opted on academic boards
took several steps to increase the number of technical institu- to help design and develop an updated curriculum.
tions, both publicly and privately funded. However, the fast- ✔✔ The course content must be modified and updated at
changing and exponentially expanding technology spectrum regular intervals with market inputs and industry ap-
demands engineering graduates with self-learning abilities plication to provide students with real-life learning
and hands-on experience to match industry needs. In an and facilitate gainful employment. The NITs must
effort to uphold the quality of technical education, the gov- also seek industry support in establishing incubation
ernment initiated several policies such as the National Policy centers, research parks, and entrepreneurship-devel-
on Education (1986), the National Technology Policy State- opment cells.
ment (1983), the Technology Policy Vision for India 2020 ✔✔ Direct-to-student mode would supplement the teach-
(1996), the National Policy Initiative for Technician Educa- ing at NITs, rather than bypass it, and NITs also need
tion (1998), the Information Technology Policy Committee to develop and deliver e-course materials using vari-
on India Vision 2020 (2000), and the India as a Knowledge ous platforms like massive open online courses.
Superpower and Strategy for Transformation (2001). This committee’s report has been seriously considered for
The National Board of Accreditation (NBA) and the academic reforms in most of the reputed institutions, notably,
National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) the recommendations for the power engineering curricula for
are the two major bodies responsible for accrediting vari- both undergraduate and graduate-degree programs that are
ous programs. While the NBA accredits technical programs, now in place. Hence, academic study is no longer restricted
the NAAC accredits general colleges and universities. The to the classroom’s chalk and talk. On the contrary, the teacher
NBA is responsible for ensuring that standards are met. has become a facilitator for the course, and various resources
Through a rigorous process of course-wise study, grades are and tools are being utilized for effective teaching and learn-
awarded by the NBA for the guidance of all stakeholders ing. A few points in particular are worth noting here.
who help improve the quality of the colleges. Today, it is ✔✔ In leading centrally funded institutes such as IITs
mandatory for every technical institution to have all of its and NITs, students can choose to study for a B.Tech.
courses accredited by the NBA. The NBA is a full member (honours) degree or dual degrees or other integrated
of the Washington Accord, whereby the signatories are com- courses. To mention a few, IIT Delhi offers B.Tech.
mitted to the development and recognition of good practices degrees in electrical engineering–power and automa-
in engineering education. The power engineering education tions and dual-degree programs in B.Tech. (electrical
programs are also accredited and maintained by the NBA, engineering) and M.Tech. (information and commu-
and its expert panels ensure quality. nication technology), while IIT Roorkee offers dual-
According to various AICTE reports, flexibility of course degree programs in B.Tech. (electrical engineering)
structure and organization allows students a global grasp of and M.Tech. (power electronics).
knowledge in addition to the core discipline, such as mana- ✔✔ Leading academic institutions in India have already
gerial training and professional passion. Some of the other started customizing their curriculum structure ac-
recommendations are industry–institute interaction, impro- cording to industry requirements and the research and
vised teaching methods, and integrated practical training. A development needs of the nation. Content delivery
well-designed power engineering curriculum should offer a is being modified in such institutions so that more
judicious mix of basic sciences; power engineering sciences; emphasis is placed on design and practical aspects in
professional theory; engineering design; laboratory experi- various core courses to shape engineers in a self-sus-
ence; workshop skills; management; humanities and social tainable manner.
sciences; oral, written, and graphical communication skills; ✔✔ NIT, Tiruchirappalli (generally referred to as Trichy), has
computing techniques; and project work. moved to a flexible curriculum for all power engineering

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 51

 courses, with options for major and minor focuses award of a minor degree in a field of engineering other than
as well as honors in electrical. The system also offers the primary branch. Interdisciplinary topics for the final
faculty members flexibility in content delivery and as- year of project work can be encouraged. Such a push will be
sessment, so students can learn at their own pace with useful in Ph.D. and master’s (by research) degree programs.
formative assessment options and flipped classrooms. Overall, power engineering education in India is well-devel-
oped, and it is undergoing further reforms in keeping with
Industry–Institute Interaction the nation’s ambitious plans for its arrival in the devel-
Industry internships for six to eight weeks have been made oped world.
part of the curriculum in power engineering now in most
of the universities in India. The involvement of industry in Acknowledgments
curriculum development and content delivery is a growing We acknowledge the valuable input from Dr. M. Rama-
trend. Industry also provides ample opportunities for student moorty, renowned author and professor in the field of power
projects, complemented with expert lectures and assistance electronics. We also acknowledge the assistance by research
in prototyping while helping with startup mentoring. Stu- scholars S. Srividhya and S. Priyavarthini of the Electrical
dents are encouraged to visit power industries and power and Electronics Engineering Department at the National
plants to get first-hand experience during the early years Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India.
of study.
For Further Reading
Continuing Education for Power Engineers R. Banerjee and V. P. Muley. (2008). Engineering educa-
For fulfilling the continuing-education needs of power engi- tion in India. Dept. Energy Sci. Eng. Indian Inst. Technol.
neers, the National Power Training Institute was established Bombay Powai, Mumbai. [Online]. Available: https://www
by the government in 1965; it offers several long-, medium-, .gedcouncil.org/sites/default/files/Engineering+Education+
and short-term training programs in the areas of thermal, in+India+Dec1608-1.pdf
hydro, transmission and distribution, management, and reg- L. Morell. (2008). Engineering education for economic
ulatory affairs. This institute functions as a national organi- development. SEFI Biennial Rep., Univ. Puerto Rico at
zation for training in the field of operation and maintenance Mayagüez. [Online]. Available: https://luenymorell.files
of power stations as well as all other aspects of electrical .wordpress.com/2010/12/morell-engineering-eng-edu-sefi1
energy systems, including transmission, subtransmission, .pdf
and distribution. It also aims to identify any areas that re­­­ M. Jamal Deen. (2015). Engineering education’s con-
quire further training for personnel working in power sec- tribution to economic development. McMaster Univ. Ham-
tors in India. Power engineers are expected to acquire the ilton, Canada. [Online]. Available: http://www.gedcouncil
required know-how regarding recent trends by making use .org/sites/default/files/Engineering%20Educations%20​
of these facilities. Contribution%20to%20Economic%20Development%20-
The National Program on Technology Enhanced Learn- %20Jamal%20Deen.pdf
ing is a joint initiative of the IITs and IISc. Through this D. Mathur and R. Dhandhania. (2017). Survey of indus-
initiative, online courses and certification in multiple top- try-linked engineering institutes. All India Council for Tech.
ics are offered. Many courses on power engineering by IIT Edu. New Delhi, India. [Online]. Available: https://www
professors are being included as a part of the curriculum in .slideshare.net/ConfederationOfIndianIndustry/aicte-cii-
various institutes of higher education in India through the survey-of-industry-linked-technical-institutes-2017
Swayam online platform. A. Kakodkar, A. Jhunjhunwala, A. Sharma, S. S. Gokhale,
S. Sancheti, and G. Thapar. (2014). NITs as drivers for qual-
Interdisciplinary Research ity higher technical education–The way forward. Kakod-
As an initiative, AICTE has proposed a reduction in the kar Committee on NITs. [Online]. Available: http://www
minimum required credits for an undergraduate degree .svnit.ac.in/Data/Kakodkar-committee-report-on-NITs-
to 160 from the existing 200, which would help stu- presentation.pdf
dents explore their favorite topics and reach their pro-
fessional goals through self-motivation. The nation can Biographies
be assured of a bright and secure future from such self- C. Nagamani is with the National Institute of Technology,
accomplished youth. Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India.
An interdisciplinary expertise gained through open elec- M. Venkata Kirthiga is with the National Institute of
tives enables power engineers to fit in easily and work in the Technology, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India.
latest domains like smart systems, advanced control tech- Mini Shaji Thomas is with the National Institute of
niques, and system intelligence. Technology, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India.
Apart from open electives, NIT, Tiruchirappalli, has ini-
p&e
tiated a provision in undergraduate-degree programs for the 

52 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

Electric Power
Engineering
Education
By Gianfranco Chicco,
Peter Crossley, and
Carlo Alberto Nucci

©istockphoto.com/NicoElNino

C
Changes in the power-related
Cultivating the Talent in industrial and manufacturing landscape of
Europe, the restructuring of utilities, and
the United Kingdom and the drive toward a low-carbon economy
require the education of engineers with
Italy to Build the Low-Carbon a broader understanding of technology,
social behavior, and economics. These men
Economy of the Future and women need enhanced knowledge and
capabilities in leadership, human com-
munication skills, data analysis, business
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2841458
management, and economics, in addition to
Date of publication: 17 August 2018 the classical electrical engineering skills of

september/october 2018 1540-7977/18©2018IEEE ieee power & energy magazine 53

 In the era of smart grids, energy sustainability,
and increasing environmental constraints, many
opportunities are emerging for future engineers.

mathematics, circuit analysis, power systems, energy conver- play a growing role in all situations, significantly increasing
sion, data communications, and signal processing, although its share of the final energy demand (36–39%) with respect to
these still remain the pillars of their education. its current value (25%) by 2050. To contribute directly to sci-
The need for this bundle of skills is also, in part, a con- entific projects and research and demonstration programs, the
sequence of power system evolution from a traditional struc- European Union has defined a Strategic Energy Technology
ture standing on centralized generation and control, with Plan (SET-Plan). One of the actions in place, called Universi-
customers supplied through ac transmission networks and ties in the SET-Plan (UNI-SET), is coordinated by the Euro-
distribution feeders, to a new structure—the smart grid—in pean University Association and refers to research, innovation,
which significant renewable generation is located at the dis- and education in the energy field. In its recent report, examples
tribution level and operates through dc/ac converters. This are provided by focusing on three SET-Plan areas: 1) energy
change requires the massive and widespread use of informa- efficiency, 2) smart grids and energy systems, and 3) renew-
tion and communication technology (ICT) to ensure that a ables integration. In all of these areas, there is a close interac-
potentially volatile smart grid remains stable. tion with the competencies of electric power engineers.
In addition to engineering graduates who have a broader Electrical engineering curricula generally contain signif-
skill base and a drive to succeed in a leadership role, utilities icant interdisciplinary content, ensuring that electrical engi-
in Europe also require specialist graduates who understand neers are the most versatile of all engineers and their skills
computer-based system optimization, the design attributes of enable effective interaction with the wide range of personnel
resilient energy systems, and the application of digital tech- operating in the industrial and ICT sectors. For these rea-
nology to power system control, to name the most important sons, the public often raises questions about the difference
expertise requirements. The techniques and methodologies between electrical and electronics engineers or between
for transforming a traditional, fossil fuel-based power grid electrical and energy engineers. Indeed, as previously men-
into an active low-carbon grid are of utmost importance as tioned, the electric power engineer is educated in a num-
well. Graduates must fully recognize the role of consumers ber of core topics that are not taught in other engineering
and prosumers in keeping the lights on at an affordable eco- courses. As a matter of fact, the basics of power engineering
nomic and environmental cost to society. are absent in practically all of the other curricula associated
Traditional job security in power-related utilities and manu- with industrial engineering and information science.
facturing is declining. Long gone are the days when gradu-
ate engineers left universities to join formal two- or three-year Electric Power Engineering Education
graduate training programs and then climbed the corporate in the United Kingdom
ladder from second to first to senior engineer and then per- When considering their careers, students registered for three-
haps after ten to 20 years moved to a technical, commercial, or year bachelor of engineering (B.Eng.) or four-year master
corporate middle-management position. Electrical engineer- of engineering (M.Eng.) degree programs in electrical and
ing graduates often join smaller companies with shorter and electronic engineering (EEE) in the United Kingdom often
less formalized training programs and immediately move into inquire about the opportunities available in electric power
a technical support role, followed by rapid progression into a engineering and require answers to some or all of the fol-
leadership position within a small technical team. This change lowing questions.
from a traditional hierarchical pyramid organization into a flat ✔✔ Can career opportunities in the electrical power sector
“rapid-initial progression” structure tends to discourage cor- compete with those in the microelectronics, commu-
porate loyalty. Engineers regularly switch companies or trans- nications, software design, data analysis, and finan-
fer from the power utility sector to consulting companies that cial service sectors?
advise, design, and help build our future power networks. ✔✔ Is it possible to have a rewarding and challenging ca-
In the era of smart grids, energy sustainability, and increas- reer in a power utility?
ing environmental constraints, many opportunities are emerg- ✔✔ Will the United Kingdom continue to be a leading
ing for future engineers and, in particular, for electrical engineers. manufacturer of power equipment and systems, and
In “Energy Roadmap 2050” issued by the European Com- are jobs in the manufacturing sector secure?
mission, one of the conclusions from the analysis of differ- ✔✔ U.K. network utilities are financially encouraged to
ent decarbonization scenarios is that electricity is expected to deliver low-carbon smart grid trials, but when will the

54 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

 technology and ideas associated with these trials be ✔✔ The global success of a university depends on its abil-
rolled out as business as usual? ity to attract and keep the best researchers from Eu-
✔✔ If I want to become an electric power engineer, should rope and the wider world.
I join a consulting company, a construction company, ✔✔ New researchers and academics must receive greater
a generation company, a manufacturer, or a utility? support from industry, utilities, government research
✔✔ Regarding careers in network utilities, what are the councils, energy regulators, and universities to help
advantages and disadvantages of joining a distribution them develop their research, teaching, and innova-
network company, the Great Britain transmission sys- tion capabilities within the resilient low-carbon en-
tem operator, or a transmission network owner? ergy sector. This requires public and private organi-
The reasons for their lack of knowledge in these areas and zations to take a long-term view on the importance of
their perception of a traditional industry struggling to cope with electrical power networks, low-carbon technologies,
the impact of new technology are related to the partial failure and renewable energy sources and commit greater
of the energy industry, the media, professional bodies, and the funding for innovative and speculative research and
education sector to adequately inform society and especially outreach activities.
schools about the exciting opportunities available for profes- ✔✔ Undergraduate and postgraduate programs need up-
sional power engineers. How often does a mainstream TV dating to ensure students are educated and trained in
channel describe the importance of low-carbon electricity to the skills required for an energy future dominated by
society, the complexity of our networks, the challenges and renewables, storage, and demand-side management.
opportunities in switching from fossil fuels to renewables, and ✔✔ Many students do not have adequate access to practi-
the importance of electrical engineers in keeping our lights on? cal laboratories and often rely on offline computer
To ensure that an adequate number of appropriately simulators that fail to deliver an understanding of
trained electrical engineering graduates are available to join power engineering. Greater investment is required in
the power and energy sector, the following issues are becom- state-of-the-art laboratories (e.g., Figure 1) that allow
ing more important. students to use real-time digital simulators and re-
✔✔ British universities must offer attractive academic play test sets in experimental test benches to evaluate
careers for high-quality Ph.D. graduates in electrical commercial power system control equipment, power
power-related disciplines. electronic systems, and other low-carbon technologies.

figure 1. A student located in the control room is flying a drone too close to the HV Impulse Generator. (Photo courtesy
of the University of Manchester.)

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 55

 Electrical engineering curricula generally contain significant
interdisciplinary content, ensuring that electrical engineers
are the most versatile of all engineers.

Students need access to hands-on experimental lab- Students often do not recognize the importance of power
oratories and project activities to help them under- utilities and the challenges in operating the largest and most
stand how a smart grid will be designed and operated complex of all human-made systems, especially as we switch
in the future. from fossil fuels to renewable energy. This transformation
✔✔ Significant investment is required in many electrical requires greater use of advanced control technology, power
power laboratories to ensure that the experimental ac- electronics, and storage.
tivities are relevant and can be linked to simulation Many universities in the United Kingdom offer a three-
studies. These laboratories were often established year B.Eng. or four-year M.Eng. undergraduate EEE degree
using U.K. government funding, but modernization program. The entrance requirements for a B.Eng. degree
generally involves investment by individual universi- program in a leading EEE school are often a grade of A in
ties and sponsoring companies. Companies operating advanced-level General Certificate of Education in mathemat-
in the power sector and the professional bodies that ics and physics and an A or B in another relevant advanced-
represent power engineers need to do more to explain level course. The entrance grades for an M.Eng. degree are
the importance of power networks and the energy sec- normally slightly higher than for the B.Eng. degree.
tor to young people and the teachers, guardians, and The first year of a typical B.Eng. undergraduate EEE
advisors who influence their future. degree involves a 50:50 split between academic contact time
✔ ✔ Many teachers fail to recognize the importance of (lectures, tutorials, problem-solving classes, and laborato-
electrical power and low-carbon energy systems and ries) and independent study. In subsequent years, the expec-
why careers in this sector are personally, socially, and tations for independent study increase, and, by the third year,
financially rewarding. Universities need to engage the expected split has changed to 33:67. This is designed to
with teachers in secondary schools (where stu- encourage independent learning and prepare the student for
dents are ages 11–18) and ensure that they are aware postgraduate employment or further study at the master’s
of the career opportunities available for EEE gradu- degree or doctoral level. A typical first year involves compul-
ates. A typical graduate will normally have joined a sory courses in mathematics, circuit analysis, digital systems,
leading university EEE course with three very good microcontrollers, energy transport and conversion, electro-
advanced-level qualifications in mathematics, phys- magnetism, electronic circuits, programming, electronic mate-
ics, electronics, chemistry, computing, or addition- rials, and measurements. Most courses continue to offer a
al mathematics. broad EEE curriculum in the second year, with power-related
✔✔ Students perceive careers in IT and software as pro- specialization in year three. Most universities also offer an
viding major future employment opportunities but do individual project in the third year; this is generally on a topic
not realize that learning skills in these areas is direct- of interest to the student and the project supervisor.
ly applicable to careers in smart grids and the low- Many students graduating with a three-year EEE B.Eng.
carbon energy sector. degree will enhance their knowledge in electrical power by
✔✔ The media need to recognize the challenges and op- studying a one-year intensive master’s degree program. A
portunities in delivering a smart, low-carbon energy typical program in electric power systems engineering cov-
system and explain why smart grids, renewable en- ers the operation and plant aspects of a conventional utility
ergy, and carbon-reduction incentives are required to power system and the changes necessary to deliver a smart
achieve long-term sustainability. grid using demand management, storage, and intermittent
✔✔ The transformation of a fossil-fueled energy economy renewable sources of energy. The main emphasis is keep-
to one based on renewables and low-carbon sources ing things in balance: not just the balance between genera-
is probably the greatest challenge modern society has tion and load or the production and consumption of reactive
faced. Success will depend on consistent and logical power but also the balance between the cost of energy and
government policies and wider social support. One its environmental impact and between the reliability of the
priority is to ensure that the very best students study supply and the investment needed to develop the system.
engineering and receive a high-quality university edu- The program teaches the students to quantify these tradeoffs
cation that prepares them for a successful and reward- and improve the balances using technological advances and
ing career in the power and energy sector. sophisticated computational techniques.

56 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

 The basics of power engineering are absent in
practically all of the other curricula associated with
industrial engineering and information science.

The first semester of one particular program consists of supervisors, students can apply for funds to support their con-
four compulsory, three-week intensively taught units, each sumable costs, travel budgets, and conference/journal fees.
including laboratories and course work. It starts with an The strategic vision of the EPSRC CDT in Power Net-
introductory unit in EESs designed to ensure that all stu- works is to
dents have a reasonable understanding of energy systems. ✔✔ provide a stimulating and interdisciplinary doctoral
This is followed by units on the analysis of electrical power training program in power networks that empha-
and energy conversion systems; power system plant, asset sizes reliability, efficiency, and use of low-carbon
ma­n agement, and condition monitoring; and power system energy sources and maximizes the societal and
operation and economics. economic opportunities created by prosumers and
During the second semester, the program explores, in more flexible demand
depth, the operation and plant aspects of power systems. For ✔✔ produce highly employable, skilled, and talented re-
example, students learn how to integrate renewable generation searchers equipped to solve the multifaceted challenges
into a power system and how to assess and solve power-qual- facing the energy sector and the wider U.K. economy
ity problems. Units in this semester are power system dynam- ✔✔ develop researchers with the ability and drive to be-
ics and quality of supply, power system protection, smart grids come the next generation of internationally recognized
and sustainable electrical systems, and a generic unit on tech- power network academics
niques for research and industry applications. ✔✔ deliver a challenging and broad-ranging program that
Upon completion of classes in June, each student begins a fully prepares students for individual Ph.D. research
three-month dissertation project designed to enhance research projects building on expertise in interdisciplinary power
and engineering skills and generally explore in depth a topic network research
discussed during the course. ✔✔ ensure the standards for student supervision, manage-
ment, and mentoring are all high quality
The Engineering and Physical Sciences ✔✔ work with partners to ensure that students learn the
Research Council Centre for Doctoral essential transferable and generic skills required for
Training in Power Networks successful professional careers in the diverse power
In 2013, the U.K. Engineering and Physical Sciences Re­­ network sector
search Council (EPSRC) invited U.K. universities to apply ✔✔ ensure that all Ph.D. graduates have the ability to de-
for funding to support Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) liver cost-effective and high-quality research solutions
in a wide range of topics related to science and engineering. to the power network issues raised by the need for a
Funds were awarded and a multidisciplinary CDT in Power low-carbon energy future
Networks established in 2014 for 11 Ph.D. students per year, ✔✔ widely disseminate research results, ideas, and con-
for an initial recruitment period of five years, with a possible cepts to professional power network communities and
extension to ten years. Each of the existing Ph.D. students learned societies and ensure all Ph.D. students engage
in the center is registered for a four-year enhanced Ph.D. in outreach activities and are science/technology/
degree program that starts with a nine-month structured engineering/mathematics ambassadors
training program, referred to as a postgraduate diploma, ✔✔ create a cross-disciplinary center that delivers world-
which is followed by a Ph.D. degree-level research project leading research in the power network area, involving
lasting 39 months. academics and Ph.D. students from the humanities,
The center is funded by the British government, and con- engineering, and physical sciences disciplines as well
sequently most of the students joining the scheme must be as industrialists and policy makers from the wider
British citizens or EU nationals with residency in the United U.K. energy community.
Kingdom. However, some flexibility is possible for a small
number of students. For example, one international student Electrical Engineering Education in Italy
and one EU student who fails the residency requirement In 1999, the Italian educational system reformed by adopting
are recruited each year. During their studies, each student the Bologna system, also called 3 + 2. University curricula
receives a grant that covers his or her tuition fees and were partitioned into three levels, the first (bachelor’s degree)
an enhanced living stipend. In conjunction with their project level being three years in length, the second (master’s degree)

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 57

 The electric power engineering sector is undergoing
significant transformation in preparing an exciting
professional future for our students.

level two years, and the third (doctorate) level three years. themes are addressed by the sector, including automation,
This structure was introduced to enable an earlier conclu- diagnostics and reliability, operation and planning, energy
sion of a university path (with respect to the former five-year efficiency, materials for power system applications and high-
curricula) for those students desiring to enter the workforce voltage engineering, electromagnetic compatibility and qual-
without completing the entire path. The engineering curricula ity of supply, safety and security, power system economics
were restructured according to the Bologna system rules. The and electricity markets, electrified transportation, electrical
target of the reform was approved by industry, and the Italian plants for fixed and mobile installations, smart grids, and the
Professional Association of Engineers created the new cat- power domain expertise for ICT and data analytics.
egory of junior registered professional engineer to align with The Italian university staff positions are full professor,
the new structure. During the curricula planning and annual associate professor, and researcher. In the last ten years,
update, universities are required to consult with the relevant the total number of university staff in the EES sector has
employers to solicit their opinions on the curricular structure remained almost unchanged (118 in 2007 and 119 in 2017).
and contents. However, the composition has changed. The number of full
At the first and second levels, the university curricula professors has decreased by 29%, the number of associate
are grouped into classes. Unlike in the United States, where professors has increased by 29%, and the number of research-
the term power engineer is typically used, in Italy there is ers has remained stable, even though in 2007 the researcher
no strict definition of a power engineering class. The closest position was full time, while now 47% of the researchers
class is electrical engineering, the name of which was offi- are part time (a few of them are enrolled on tenure tracks,
cially introduced in Italian legislation in 1989 to replace the with the possibility of becoming associate professors after
former designation of electrotechnics engineering, which had three years). The portion of women among the staff is 13%.
been used since 1938. At the first level, electrical engineer- Furthermore, the number of research assistants with grant
ing is part of the industrial engineering class. At the second funding and doctoral students in the EES sector increased
level, there is a dedicated electrical engineering class. At from 85 in 2007 to 100 in 2017.
the third level, there are specific courses covering dedicated Concerning academic duties, full and associate profes-
topics included in the doctoral course offerings of individ- sors enrolled with the current rules have a target of 120 h per
ual universities. year to be spent in course activities with the students (exclud-
The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System ing examinations). For researchers, the target is 60 h/year.
(ECTS) establishes a way to represent the volume of learn- Since the number of students in the electrical engineering
ing based on defined learning outcomes and their associ- courses is generally not very high (fewer than 60 in most
ated workload. Basically, one ECTS credit corresponds to cases), examinations are often conducted orally, with a sig-
25–30 h of activity in a course, including lectures, classwork, nificant number of hours dedicated to them by the examina-
laboratory activity, and personal study (the figures vary for tion commission (typically composed of two persons). The
different countries). The standard number of ECTS credits examination periods are scheduled between semesters when
in one academic year is 60. the students do not attend any courses; generally, students
Since 1990, each university staff member has been assigned have the choice of at least four sessions in one year, during
to a unique national sector. These sectors are also used to which they can decide to take the examination for the same
define the characteristic areas of each class of university course. If the student does not pass the examination, he or
courses. For the electrical engineering class, the characteris- she has to include its ECTS credits in the following year’s
tic areas include four sectors, i.e., electrotechnics; converters, list of courses.
electrical machines, and drives; electrical energy systems Italy’s last reform of university studies introduced a
(EESs); and electric and electronic measurement. The sector process that includes the self-evaluation, periodic evalua-
closest in content to power engineering is certainly EESs. tion, and accreditation of curricula. This process requires
The main topics of this sector refer to technologies and the preparation of documents that indicate the activity
systems for the production, transmission, distribution, and carried out in the study courses, according to a format
utilization of electricity. More generally, the applications provided by the National Agency for the Evaluation of the
considered concern all systems with interconnected com- University System and Research. This is based on the fol-
ponents that use a significant amount of electricity. Many lowing elements.

58 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

 ✔✔ The description of the study courses: This is updated degree level, the contents referring to power engineering are
every year and contains information on the objectives spread among more courses, starting from the power system
and plan, the organization of the teaching activities, basics and continuing with advanced content, particularly on
the syllabus of each course and its delivery modes,
the rules for the exams, the human resources and in-
frastructure available, a description of the students’
results in relation to the course objectives, and the or-
ganization and responsibilities concerning quality as- Milano Padova
surance for the course. The description also contains Torino Trieste
indications on the professional profiles to be formed Bologna
Genova Pavia
and on interactions with the representatives of the rel-
evant employers. Pisa
✔✔ The delivery of questionnaires to the students: These
instruments gather information on teaching activity L’Aquila
and logistics and services offered. The results of the Roma
questionnaires are then handled by the Joint Commit- Cassino Bari
tee on Teaching, active in each university and com- Napoli
posed of an equal number of professors and students.
This committee is responsible for delivering an annual
report on teaching activities.
✔✔ The annual review of the study courses: This is a self- Cagliari Palermo
evaluation step carried out by suitable committees ac-
tive in the university. Catania
✔✔ The periodic review of the study courses: This step was
recently organized with a three-year schedule, to be
carried out by an external committee of evaluators. figure 2. The sites in Italy with the master’s degree
The review is aimed at providing accreditation of the courses after curriculum restructuring.
curricula for the successive period.
Some curricula also receive accredi-
tation from international bodies active in
table 1. The topics of the courses taught by EES staff
the specific domain. in the bachelor’s and master’s degree curricula with
electrical engineering content in Italy.
Electrical Engineering
Courses in Italy Number of Courses
The bachelor’s and master’s degree cur- Bachelor’s Master’s
ricula in electrical engineering with EES- Topic Degree Level Degree Level
related contents are active in 17 Italian Electrical systems (in some cases including 15 4
universities, with 121 courses delivered, power system basics)
for a total of 976 ECTS credits. Among Power system basics 0 14
them, at the bachelor’s degree level (active
Power system control 1 10
in 17 universities), there are 31 manda­
tory courses (257 ECTS credits) and six Generation systems 1 7
elective courses (34 ECTS credits). At Renewable energy 3 2
the master’s degree level (active in 16 uni- Distribution systems 6 4
versities, Figure 2), there are 64 manda-
Smart grids 0 4
tory courses (550 ECTS credits) and 20
elective courses (135 ECTS credits). Power system economics/energy systems 2 5
Table 1 reports the distribution of the total Electric technologies/high-voltage engineering 1 5
number of courses taught by EES staff Industrial electrical systems/design/safety 4 9
among the various topics. The number
Automation/intelligent systems/lighting 2 9
of ECTS credits for these courses ranges
from six to 12. At the bachelor’s degree Reliability/quality of supply 2 4
level, the main contents of the power engi- Electrical systems for transportation 0 7
neering area are delivered in a general Total 37 84
course on electrical systems. At the master’s

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 59

 g­ eneration systems, power system control, smart grids, and classes, however, the presence of electrical engineering con-
electrical systems for transportation. tent is rather limited.
A different development took place for the bachelor’s
Students Enrolled and Graduated courses. The 3 + 2 reform created a single industrial engineer-
After the introduction of the Bologna system, the Italian ing class, leaving the possibility for the universities to start
university courses were restructured once, keeping the 3 + 2 different courses inside that class. Some restrictions imposed
scheme. The new structure was applied starting with the on the number of staff needed to start each course led to the
2009–2010 academic year. For the master’s courses in elec- creation of courses in electrical engineering or electrical
trical engineering, the transition from the previous courses energy engineering (the literal translation from Italian) in only
(labeled LS/31) to the new ones (labeled LM/28) brought an a few universities (typically the largest ones). In other univer-
increase in the total number of students and graduates and sities, the topics characterizing electrical engineering were
also a growth in the number of females, but that is still a incorporated into courses of energy engineering or industrial
very small number. Figure 3—prepared by using data pro- engineering, losing the electrical brand. In the 2016–2017
vided by the Italian Ministry for Education, Universities, academic year, about 25,000 students were enrolled in 114
and Research (MIUR)—shows the recent evolution of the courses at the bachelor’s level.
number of graduates in Italy. The distinction between the Students in Italy pay university fees for their enrollment.
previous and new courses indicates the effect of the applica- The maximum amount of these fees is defined by each uni-
tion of the reform. versity and can change with the type of course. Fee reduc-
However, the increase in the number of graduates has to tions generally depend on the income of the student’s family,
be considered by taking into account that the overall number and the payment is distributed among two or three tranches
of students enrolled in technical universities has increased throughout the year. For the engineering courses, for full-
over the years in a nonuniform way for the various sectors. time students, the annual fees range from about € 500 to over
For example, from academic years 2011–2012 to 2016–2017, € 3,000, plus regional taxes. The annual fees cover a number
the number of students enrolled in engineering courses of ECTS credits that the student may upload into his or her
grew by about 27%. During the same period, the number of annual course plan, which varies with the university (e.g.,
students in the electrical engineering courses increased by from 74 to 80 ECTS credits). An additional option is to reg-
39%, while, in the electronics engineering and telecommu- ister as a part-time student, with reduced fees corresponding
nications engineering courses, this number remained almost to a lower number of ECTS credits that may be uploaded.
constant. In academic year 2016–2017, the total number Furthermore, partial reimbursement of the fees may be pro-
of students enrolled in the electrical engineering master’s vided on the basis of the number of exams passed and the
degree courses was about 660, with a similar number for related scores, depending on local rules and on the amount
telecommunications engineering, while electronics engi- of funds available for this purpose.
neering had about 1,000 enrolled master’s degree students.
An increase of about 40% also occurred in the classes of Threats to the Electrical Engineer Brand
energy and nuclear engineering, mechanical engineering, A new wave of reform is taking place in Italian universities.
materials engineering, and aerospace engineering. In these The main idea is to create larger structures (departments)
and broader curricula with respect to the present ones, with
the aim of organizational simplification and cost reduction.
500 In some cases, this is leading to the decline of the electrical
450 engineer’s status. For example, the word electrical is being
Number of Graduates

400 lost in the names of university departments and in the main

350 names of courses and curricula. At the bachelor’s degree
300
250 level, the term electrical (or electrotechnics) appears in nine
200 main course titles and in another five curriculum subtitles,
150 while in three other cases, the course title is Industrial Engi-
100 neering. At the master’s level, the term electrical (or elec-
50
0 trotechnics) still appears in the title of all 16 universities’
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 courses, in three cases in the form electrical energy, and this
Year of Graduation has been successful in attracting students in the correspond-
LS/31 Females LM/28 Females ing institutions.
LS/31 Males LM/28 Males Another example is given by the doctoral courses active
in the 16 universities that offer master’s courses with electri-
figure 3. The number of graduates in Italy in the electrical cal engineering content. The term electrical appears in the
engineering master’s degree courses before restructuring main title of nine courses and in the subtitle indicating a
(LS/31) and after restructuring (LM/28). specific curriculum for two more courses. In the other five

60 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

 The uniqueness and peculiarities of the knowledge
and skills needed to become an electric power engineer
with specific competencies have to be preserved.

universities, the main titles of the doctoral courses are varied elor’s degree has been caused by the closing of many dis-
and contain terms referring to energy, information technolo- tance-learning courses, which, for many years, allowed those
gies, and industrial engineering. already employed and willing to continue their education to
Maintaining an understandable and meaningful terminol- obtain their degree. From the results of the survey given to
ogy is a key challenge for the electrical engineering commu- 144,646 students who obtained their bachelor’s degree in 2016
nity. In the near term, the loss of the electrical engineer brand (92.7% of the total), the students who intended to continue at
could conceivably interfere with the immediate understand- the master’s degree level constituted 57.8% for All, 83.5% for
ability of graduates’ skills and certainly would not contribute ENG, and 89.4% for L-9. The positive outcome for L-9 is also
to clarifying electrical engineers’ specific competencies. reinforced by the satisfaction results, which reach 79.2% for
All, 84.0% for ENG, and 86.1% for L-9.
Employment Opportunities for At the master’s level, electrical engineering courses per-
Electrical Engineers form quite well in the national context. Table 2 presents
Some comparisons are addressed in this section that are some statistics regarding 2015. The data are taken from a
based on statistics from the interuniversity consortium Alma massive survey of 62,710 graduates of the master’s degree
Laurea website. This consortium is funded by a large num- courses one year after graduation (82.1% of the total number
ber of universities (representing over 90% of graduates) and of master’s degree graduates in Italy), together with 57,862
by contributions from MIUR and the companies and bodies individuals three years after graduation (74.8% of the total)
that use the services offered. The statistical data come from and 46,461 five years after graduation (72.1% of the total).
a massive survey conducted every year in Italy of university The comparisons are carried out by considering the national
students immediately before they complete their bachelor’s average values for the entire set of master’s degree courses
or master’s degree and again one, three, and five years after (denoted by “All”), the average values for the master’s degree
they obtained their degree. courses in the engineering classes (denoted by “ENG”), and
The comparisons are carried out by considering the the values for the master’s degree courses in electrical engi-
national average values for the entire set of courses (denoted neering (denoted by “EE”). The surveyed items were
by “All”), the average values for the courses in the engineer- ✔✔ employment rate, determined by the percentage of
ing classes (denoted by “ENG”), and the values for the bach- graduates who were employed at the time of the survey
elor’s degree courses in industrial engineering (the L-9 class) ✔✔ the effectiveness of the master’s degree, assessed by
and for the master’s degree courses in electrical engineering indicating whether the specific master’s degree proved
(denoted by “EE”). One of the questions on the survey aims useful for the activity carried out in the job(s) found
to determine the students’ degree of satisfaction just before after graduation
completing their course of study. In particular, this satisfac- ✔✔ salary increase, with respect to the average salary of
tion measure suggests the percentage of the students who the All category after one year from graduation.
would take the same course again. For all of these items, the figures for EE are always higher
At the bachelor’s degree level, the number of individu- than the average values for ENG, which, in turn, are much
als who look for employment after completing their degree higher than the national average for the All category of the
in electrical engineering is relatively low. In recent years, a master’s degree courses. In addition, the average values after
reduction in the number of students completing their bach- one year from the completion of the master’s courses in ENG

table 2. Some comparisons referring to graduates in master’s degree courses in Italy.

After One Year After Three Years After Five Years

All ENG EE All ENG EE All ENG EE
Employment rate 69.2% 85.7% 88.7% 81.5% 93.6% 95.3% 84.0% 94.3% 97.3%
Master’s degree effectiveness 46.6% 58.9% 63.6% 50.7% 59.0% 66.1% 53.7% 59.1% 67.8%
Salary increase with respect to base 0 (base) 23.8% 29.5% 11.1% 36.4% 42.3% 22.6% 52.0% 53.3%

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 61

 The IEEE PES and sister societies should intensify
the promotion of the professional role of the electric
power engineer through the media and social networks.

(and, even more, the values for EE) are higher than the ones flexibility of the starting date for a doctorate in other coun-
reached five years after graduation in the national average. tries. This results in a significant number of graduates who con-
In particular, the employment rate for electrical engineers tinue their studies in a doctoral course abroad. In addition,
is already significant one year after graduation and almost the grant offered to doctoral students in Italy is rather low
doubles after five years. with respect to many other countries, and the practical con-
The effectiveness of the master’s degree grows over the sideration of Ph.D. degree holders in the Italian job market
years, as the graduates have to face an increasing number in terms of the position and salary offered is still lacking.
of challenges, and this raises their awareness of the skills Recent initiatives, such as the industrial doctorate that has
they learned. The salary increase is a tangible outcome to been offered since 2013 and defined in close collaboration
motivate the graduates to continue their activity in the EE with industry, are gaining relevance as they try to mitigate the
domain. With respect to salaries, the graduates employed gap between the skills acquired during the doctoral period
abroad have a significantly higher average salary compared and the opportunities available after concluding the degree.
to the average salary in Italy (e.g., 50% higher or even more). In this way, the number of Ph.D. graduates could increase,
This also reflects the higher effectiveness of the master’s and their stature should rise in the areas of industry and utili-
degree felt by the graduates employed abroad (about 8% more ties, moving beyond the concept that Ph.D. degree formation
than those employed in Italy). leads only to a career in research and teaching at a university.
An additional survey was carried out on 91.4% of the stu-
dents (e.g., Figure 4) completing master’s degree courses in Initiatives to Promote Electrical
2016, contacted before graduation to determine their degree Engineering Courses
of satisfaction. By using the same categories discussed pre- An effective way to revamp students’ interest in electrical en­­
viously, the results show 83.9% satisfaction for All, 88.5% gineering and attract highly qualified engineering students to
for ENG, and 90.9% for EE. This is another strong indica- the electrical area is incentives and awards. The number of
tion of the effectiveness of the master’s degree courses in initiatives active in Italy has recently increased. For example,
EE in Italy. the Italian Electrotechnical Committee—the Italian standard-
At the Ph.D. level, the regulatory framework in Italy rig- ization body—traditionally presents three awards for the best
idly fixes a unique national starting date per year for each master’s theses prepared on topics linked to the standards for
doctoral cycle. This can make it difficult to retain the best electrotechnics, electronics, and telecommunications. In 2018,
students, who may graduate at different times during the the Italian Association of Electrical, Electronic, and Tele-
year. This structure is poorly competitive with the higher communications Engineers, a nonprofit organization that has

figure 4. The electrical engineering master’s degree graduation ceremony at the School of Engineering and Architecture,
University of Bologna, Italy, 21 December 2017. (Photo used with permission from C.A. Nucci.)

62 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

promoted activities in those related
fields in Italy since 1897, offered free
first-year registration to new members
under 24 years old. In addition, various
associations and some private indus-
tries have introduced master’s thesis
awards, free seminars, and courses on
topics related to electrical engineering,
among others. The voice of industry is
particularly important for reaching the
public in a period during which electri-
cal engineers are critical for the develop-
ment of current and emergent solutions

Shutterstock
in the power and energy sector.
Similar initiatives developed by the
IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) figure 5. Renewable energy conversion and grid integration will be key chal-
are in place in Italy. The Scholarship lenges for power engineers.
Plus Initiative, launched by the IEEE
PES in academic year 2011–2012,
was implemented in Italy for the first time in 2017. On 26 Consequently, meetings and international conferences orga-
September 2017, during the Seventh IEEE International nized by the IEEE PES and sister Societies should intensify
Conference on Innovative Smart Grid Technologies, held the promotion of the professional role of the electric power
in Torino, Italy, the IEEE PES Italy Chapter Award Com- engineer through the media and social networks.
mittee delivered four 2017 IEEE PES Italy Scholarship Plus
awards to undergraduate students enrolled in electrical For Further Reading
engineering courses. Additional initiatives are expected to European Commission, “Energy roadmap 2050,” European
promote electrical engineering courses, and incentives Commission, Brussels, Belgium, Tech. Rep. COM (2011)
to increase the number of female power engineers will be 885 final, 2011.
clearly welcome. European University Association. (2017, Dec.). Energy
transition and the future of energy research, innovation and
Summary education: An action agenda for European universities. [On-
The electric power engineering sector is undergoing line]. Available: http://www.eua.eu/Libraries/publications-
significant transformation in preparing an exciting profes- homepage-list/energy-transition-25-01-2018
sional future for our students. Universities are actively par- B. H. Chowdhury, “Power education at the crossroads,”
ticipating in these transformations, taking responsibility IEEE Spectr., vol. 37, no. 10, pp. 64–69, 2000.
for training a new generation of experts capable of apply- European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System.
ing their competencies by working closely with experts (2015). ECTS users’ guide 2015. [Online]. Available: http://
in other domains. Updated or new curricula will require ec.europa.eu/education/ects/users-guide/index_en.htm
a trade-off between specialized courses for the creation Italian Ministry for Education, Universities, and Research.
of a highly skilled workforce of specialists in the electric Higher education in Italy. [Online]. Available: http://www.miur
power engineering domain and more general courses for .it/guida/guide.htm (accessed 2018, June).
students who require a broad range of interdisciplinary Alma Laurea. Employment condition of the graduates (in
content. The uniqueness and peculiarities of the knowl- Italian). [Online]. Available: http://www.almalaurea.it/universita/
edge and skills needed to become an electric power engi- occupazione/occupazione14
neer with specific competencies have to be preserved. The G. Betis, C. Cassandras, and C.A. Nucci, Eds., Proc. IEEE
electrical engineer or power engineer brand, historically (special issue on smart cities), vol. 106, no. 4, Apr. 2018.
well identified by employers, has to be defended against
the risk of being lost by the submerging of power engi- Biographies
neering content in wider curricula. Gianfranco Chicco is with Politecnico di Torino, Italy.
As a matter of fact, while, on the one hand, we are Peter Crossley is with the University of Manchester,
observing an unprecedented electrification of our cities, United Kingdom.
communities, and our society in general—for example, the Carlo Alberto Nucci is with the Alma Mater Studiorum–
integration of renewable energy (e.g., Figure 5) and electric Università di Bologna, Italy.
vehicles—it is also clear that the number of students who join
p&e
electrical engineering programs is not increasing enough. 

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 63

O
On 4 August 1888, Reefton became the first agencies and industry organizations was also clearly
town in New Zealand to have its own public electricity sup- evident in the early days of electricity growth in both
ply powered by hydrogeneration. In Australia, the first sup- countries. The New Zealand Electricity Engineers’
ply of electricity to the public at large was in two small coun- Association (EEA) was established approximately
try towns in New South Wales. Tamworth, with a population 91 years ago, while the Electric Energy Society of
of 3,000, switched on arc and incandescent street lighting on Australia (EESA) started in 1924.
9 November 1888. In April 1889, the smaller town of Young Currently, the number of universities that offer
switched on its incandescent street lighting and shortly power engineering programs, adequate in terms of
thereafter went on to connect shops, offices, and homes specialized staff and resources, is 22 in Australia
within reach of its lines. However, the history of electricity and four in New Zealand (Table 1). The power engi-
supply in Australia traces back earlier, with Brisbane as one neering programs in Australia are accredited by Engi-
of the first cities in Australia to use electricity commercially, neers Australia and in New Zealand by Engineering
in 1882. Thus, electricity utilization down under coincided New Zealand, both of which are signatories to the Wash-
with the history of its emergence among the countries of the ington Accord. These curricula are four-year bachelor of
Northern Hemisphere. engineering with honors [B.E. (honours) degree] programs
Along with the rise of electricity use, the education of needed for professional engineering. This article does not
power engineering technicians, engineers, and support staff cover the three-year engineering technologist or the two-
soon followed in Australian and New Zealand institutions, as year engineering technician programs. In New Zealand, the
was the case in other countries. The support of government three-year bachelor of engineering technology is accredited

Electrical Power
Engineering
Education
Down Under
Australia and New Zealand Are Adding
Energy to Their University Curricula

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2844418

Date of publication: 17 August 2018

64 ieee power & energy magazine 1540-7977/18©2018IEEE september/october 2018

 ©istockphoto.com/Golden_Brown

under the Sydney Accord, while the two-year diploma in to ensure a sustainable supply of quality power engineering
engineering program is under the Dublin Accord. graduates. The institute has helped to establish lecturer and
In the following two sections, we provide details of the professor positions in Australian universities. For example,
practices and experiences of Australian and New Zealand in 2013, the API, the Queensland transmission utility Power-
universities that are active in power engineering education, link, and the University of Queensland jointly established a
research, and industry engagement. chair in electricity transmission to support existing research
and industry partnerships.
Power Engineering at The API has also helped to collaboratively create power
Australian Universities engineering teaching resources with several experts from
Most of the universities with power engineering programs Australian universities. These resources are used to balance
have undergraduate and postgraduate students who pursue theory with hands-on learning, where a quarter of the course-
electrical engineering as their major. The Australian Power work is practical and in the laboratory. Courses are regularly
Institute (API) was formed to coordinate the educational reviewed and updated with the power industry and the API
activities between these universities and the energy industry to identify and teach the skill sets that will be required in the

By Nirmal Nair, Daniel Martin, Tapan Saha,

Syed Islam, and Neville Watson
september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 65
 practical importance of the mate-
table 1. The Australian and New Zealand universities
offering power engineering programs. rial they are learning. Some ex-
amples of the entities from which
Australian State/
Institution New Zealand City Country
guest lecturers have come to speak
at the University of Queensland are
Central Queensland University Queensland Australia Powerlink Queensland (a transmis-
Curtin University Western Australia Australia sion utility), Energex (a Brisbane
Deakin University Victoria Australia
distribution utility), OMICRON (a
test equipment manufacturer), EM-
Griffith University Queensland Australia
Clarity (consultants), AEMO (a na-
James Cook University Queensland Australia tional market operator), and Alstom
Macquarie University New South Wales Australia (a manufacturer).
Several state-of-the art laborato-
Monash University Victoria Australia
ries have been set up over the years
Murdoch University Western Australia Australia to assist the student learning expe-
Queensland University of Technology Queensland Australia rience in several Australian univer-
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Victoria Australia sities active in power engineering
education. These include high-volt-
University of Adelaide South Australia Australia
age laboratories, machine labora-
University of Melbourne Victoria Australia tories where experiments can be
University of Newcastle New South Wales Australia accessed over the Internet, and spe-
University of New South Wales New South Wales Australia cialized renewable energy facilities
catering to both undergraduate and
University of Queensland Queensland Australia
postgraduate students. Along with
University of Southern Queensland Queensland Australia the research activities taking place
University of Sydney New South Wales Australia there, the students work on projects
related to new technologies.
University of Tasmania Tasmania Australia
There are also examples of spe-
University of Technology Sydney New South Wales Australia cialized industry-funded centers,
University of Western Australia Western Australia Australia such as the Australasian Trans-
University of Wollongong New South Wales Australia former Innovation Centre at the
University of Queensland and the
Victoria University Victoria Australia
Australian Power Quality and Re-
Auckland University of Technology Auckland New Zealand liability Centre at the University
University of Auckland Auckland New Zealand of Wollongong. These centers de-
University of Canterbury Christchurch New Zealand liver continuing professional de-
velopment (CPD) courses to the
Victoria University of Wellington Wellington New Zealand
engineering workforce, conduct in-
dustry-guided research to improve
asset management, and support the
near future. Specialized courses are offered in the third and universities’ education of engineering students. For instance,
fourth year of the four-year undergraduate degree program, center staff supervise undergraduate and master’s students
e.g., Electrical Energy Conversion and Utilization, Power in their yearlong thesis projects and also oversee the work
Systems Analysis, Power System Protection, Modern Asset of Ph.D. degree students. Such centers are usually funded
Management and Condition Monitoring in Power Systems, by the utilities and industry using a membership-based sub-
and Advanced Electronic and Power Electronics Design. scription model, with additional revenue raised by course
For the postgraduate degree programs in Australian uni- fees and research projects. The API and CIGRE both have
versities, some examples of the courses offered are Power been actively promoting this activity to industry, helping to
System Planning and Reliability, Electricity Market Opera- raise the centers’ visibility and meeting industry’s needs.
tion and Security, Renewable Energy Integration, Technolo- An example of a CPD course is Managing the Life Cycle
gies to Technical Challenges, and Transformer Technology of Power Transformers and Power Transformer HV Bush-
Design and Operation. In addition to the academic staff for ings: Design, Maintenance, and Risk Mitigation. In most of
these courses, guest presenters from industry are invited these courses, 80% of the material is delivered by industry
to discuss the latest challenges in the field with the stu- experts, the content having been developed as part of the
dents, which is beneficial because the talks demonstrate the partners’ in-kind contributions to the center. The other 20%

66 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

 The Australian Power Institute was formed to coordinate
the educational activities between these universities and
the energy industry.

is presented by the university lecturing staff, who are them- is compulsory, and there are group projects, all of which are
selves global experts. funded by industry.
The research side in several of the universities is highly The goal is to provide comprehensive teaching in electri-
active and industry focused, augmenting the experience of the cal power engineering, which is achieved by the broad range of
students by providing them with thesis project supervision on courses, mostly compulsory, in the first three years of the pro-
contemporary power issues. At several Australian universities, gram and in-depth coverage in the final year around specialized
students in an electrical engineering program are required to electives. Typical courses in New Zealand universities include
complete a yearlong research project. Currently, the challenges Electrical Machines, Power Electronics, Renewable Energy Sys-
of managing the future grid in Australia include the need to tem Design, and Power System Analysis. Specialized courses,
integrate ever higher quantities of renewable generation and such as High-Voltage Engineering, Power System Protection,
reduce the costs involved in asset upgrades and renewal. and Electricity Markets, are also delivered as electives for under-
Engineers working with the partner organizations are graduates and are taught in postgraduate programs where they
frequently invited to cosupervise industry-relevant thesis exist. In New Zealand universities, each course is worth 15 points
topics for the students. The students are encouraged to liaise (except the compulsory final-year honors project, which is
with these industry engineers, who in turn help the students 30 points), and 120 points constitutes a full-year load.
build their professional networks and improve their soft Besides the typical design–build components in the design
skills. The students in these thesis programs often improve courses, there are additional hands-on projects in the other
their grades in other courses, an added benefit. Both bache- courses. Along with teaching laboratories, a student mechani-
lor’s and master’s degree students are encouraged to publish cal workshop and a student electronics workshop are provided
their work at conferences, e.g., at the annual Australasian to help with projects at those universities that offer power sys-
Universities Power Engineering conference, which rotates tems courses.
among the local universities, and at the IEEE Power & Nonacademic requirements must also be fulfilled to obtain
Energy Society (PES) General Meetings. Some universities the degree. These include a workshop course (teaching basic
support students attending conferences by providing them metalwork), an electrical wiring course, a first aid course, and
with small grants. 100 days of practical work (to be completed at two different
Universities seek feedback on the overall student expe- companies, with reports written and graded).
rience from recent graduates and use it to improve course
delivery. Most remarks have been highly positive and show
that students enjoy their coursework. Recognition of high-
achieving power engineering students by dignitaries from
industry and government is also a regular feature, as shown
in Figure 1, with the goal of increasing the visibility of power
engineering on campus.

Electrical Power Engineering Education

in New Zealand Universities

Overview of the B.E. (Honours)

The degree awarded to those studying electrical power engi-
neering is a B.E. (honours) degree in electrical and elec-
tronic engineering. It is the culmination of a four-year pro-
gram at New Zealand universities. The first year is usually
shared with other engineering disciplines, followed by three
professional years. Year 2 programs are generally structured figure 1. Ben Jarrett (left) receiving an award in 2016 from
around electrical engineering, while years 3 and 4 courses Geoff Garrett, chief scientist with the state government of
have elements of a strong power systems focus, in which stu- Queensland, during a local PES event. (Photo courtesy of
dents can choose to specialize. The final-year honors project Tapan Saha, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.)

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 67

 There are also examples of specialized industry-funded centers,
such as the Australasian Transformer Innovation Centre at the
University of Queensland.

In summary, the typical requirements that must be met to ✔✔ the ability to think critically and exercise discernment
be awarded a B.E. (honours) degree are as follows: ✔✔ the ability to make connections between a problem
✔✔ The academic requirement is to acquire 480 points and appropriate techniques to solve it
(120 points at each of the four levels). ✔✔ growing self-motivated learners who are able to inves-
• The electrical power engineering focus is achieved tigate unfamiliar problems and intuit the underlying
through the various elective combinations offered, issues (not learning a procedure for solving a particu-
generally in years 3 and 4. For example, at the Uni- lar type of problem but learning the idea behind the pro-
versity of Canterbury, to receive a minor/endorse- cedure so it can be adapted to problems that do not fit
ment in electrical power engineering, the correct the procedure)
combination of prescribed courses in the final year ✔✔ the ability to consider the technical and social impli-
must be taken. cations of engineering decisions.
✔✔ The typical nonacademic requirements are
• a first aid course Natural Disasters
• a mechanical workshop course An unexpected influence on power engineering programs
• an electrical wiring course has been that of severe natural hazards, especially earth-
• completing the required practical work require- quakes that have affected New Zealand cities with engi-
ments. neering colleges, e.g., Christchurch and Wellington. For
o Two practical work reports must be submitted and example, a severe earthquake occurred on 4 September
passed (a minimum of 40 days must be worked be- 2010 (magnitude 7.1) followed by a second on 22 February
fore a report can be written on the work experience). 2011 (magnitude 6.3), each followed by numerous after-
o Undergraduates usually spend their two sum- shocks. These caused disruptions both on and off campus
mers between years 2 and 3, and 3 and 4 ac­ at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, forcing the
cumulating the required 800 h of Curricular Electrical and Computer Engineering Department to operate
Practical Training. from a factory near the airport for six months (semester 1
of 2011).
Learning Outcomes The surprising outcome was that, despite the disruptions,
The purpose of the education is not to cram students’ heads the students’ performance on examinations after the earth-
with technical knowledge that they can then regurgitate. quakes was significantly better than in previous years, for
While students do need to learn technical details, the ulti- which there may be a number of reasons. The students saw
mate aim is to train them to think as professionals, with a the impact of the earthquakes on the electrical infrastruc-
thorough understanding of principles. This will help them ture, experienced the aftermath, and learned to adapt to the
think through problems they face in their professional lives, situation extremely well. In December 2017, the department
which are often different from what they have been taught. staff could finally move back to a refurbished office build-
They must be able to assimilate new information, adapt, and ing, which marked an end to shifting from one temporary
grow as engineers. There is a need to educate students for location to another. Maintaining a teaching program through
a lifetime, not just for the here and now of passing exams. these natural disasters was a challenge, and many lessons
Industry also wants graduates with technical skills as well as were learned—not to mention the fact that the new laborato-
so-called soft skills—the ability to work well in teams, write ries and facilities are excellent and would probably not have
and speak with clarity, adapt quickly to changes in technol- been built without the earthquakes!
ogy and business conditions, and interact with colleagues Wellington often experiences earthquakes, and the rela-
from different countries and cultures. tively new power engineering program at the city’s Victoria
Although not often specifically highlighted, the courses, University is accustomed to nature’s challenges. Historically,
their delivery, and their assessment are structured to enhance these cities have been resilient in the face of these challenges,
communication, critical thinking, problem solving, and con- as the inhabitants are aware that they are living in the Ring
cise writing skills. The program objectives include of Fire. The University of Auckland and Auckland Univer-
✔✔ mastering fundamental principles (more than simply sity of Technology, both based in New Zealand’s largest city,
rote learning) known as the City of Sails, have historically been exposed to

68 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

 Engineers working with the partner organizations
are frequently invited to cosupervise industry-relevant
thesis topics for the students.

volcanic activity and are attuned to the vagaries of both the ✔✔ online electrical systems videos for high schools
Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea. ✔✔ scholarship awards
✔✔ four-day power systems field trips around New Zea-
Industry Involvement land’s North and South Islands
One of the unique features of the electrical power engineer- ✔✔ guest lectures.
ing programs in New Zealand universities is the involvement In the years after establishing the PEET and EPECentre,
of the electrical industry. For example, in the 1990s, students’there was an eventual tripling of the number of students select-
interest in pursuing careers in electrical power engineering ing power engineering as their career choice, which was
was on the decline. There was concern regarding the supply attributed, to a large extent, to the effectiveness of the trust
of suitable graduates to meet industry needs. In response, and the center. This has helped offset the recent downward
commercial organizations joined together to establish the impact on enrollment due to earthquakes.
Power Engineering Education Trust (PEET) and the Electric New Zealand universities generally have well-established
Power Engineering Centre (EPECentre) in 2002. The trust is power engineering laboratories for electrical machines, power
the funding body, and the EPECentre is the vehicle to imple- electronics, electronics, automation, computer-aided design,
ment the trust’s initiatives at the University of Canterbury. and so forth. Power engineering students in these universities
The trust’s mission is to promote and support the education are also exposed to computing and software courses as part
of power engineers and the study of power engineering as a of their general engineering program. Specialized laborato-
field of excellence. The PEET is funded from annual mem- ries, such as the high-voltage laboratory at the University of
bership fees, and there is a variety of membership levels. Canterbury and the high-power electronics vehicle-charging
The PEET board consists of one representative from each laboratory at the University of Auckland, are also available
industry sector, namely, professional engineering (the EEA), to engage student interest and demonstrate the practicality of
generation, transmission, distribution, consultancy, contract- power engineering programs at these institutions. Substation
ing, and academia. visits, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, are a regular feature of
The EPECentre acts as a link between the electricity the power engineering courses. The broad nature of the B.E.
industry and University of Canter-
bury academic community and, in
its initial years, focused on attract-
ing students into power engineer-
ing and supporting teaching. As
one chief executive officer stated,
“Attracting talent and supporting
students pursuing courses in elec-
trical power engineering is criti-
cal to the future of our industry.”
The EPECentre now has three
core areas of operation: educa-
tion, research and innovation, and
industry–academia collaboration.
Some of the activities that the
University of Canterbury’s EPE-
Centre organizes are
✔ ✔ events on campus where
electrical engineering stu-
dents and industry members
meet (e.g., an annual career figure 2. University of Canterbury power engineering students on a South Island
convention and a research field trip to the Manapouri hydropower station. (Photo courtesy of Neville Watson,
and development expo) University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.)

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 69

 Two practical work reports must be submitted and passed
(a minimum of 40 days must be worked before a report
can be written on the work experience).

(honors) degree program is a strength because the electrical and APPEC, have been hosted in Australian and New Zea-
power engineering sector is changing and embracing new land cities and managed by volunteers from the previously
technologies that are heavily reliant on sensing and monitor- mentioned universities. These institutions’ closer engagement
ing, communication, data processing, and control. with the industry bodies in these countries and other power
The EEA, an industry body, strongly supports the power engineering international societies, such as CIGRE and The
engineering programs at New Zealand universities. It pro- Institution of Engineering and Technology, have helped es­­
vides annual scholarships for undergraduates specializing tablish greater visibility for power and energy research, develop-
in power engineering disciplines at the Auckland University ment, and educational activities.
of Technology, University of Auckland, and University of Since 1991, power engineering university education ex­­
Canterbury. The scholarships are awarded during a well- perts have been regularly hosting the Australian Univer-
attended annual EEA conference/trade exhibit dinner, usu- sities Power Engineering Conference (AUPEC), an annual
ally held in the third week of June. gathering attended by researchers and practicing power
engineers from both academia and industry throughout the
Collaborative Activities and Australasian region connecting together to share research
Engagement with the IEEE and ideas for the advancement of power engineering for the
Both Australia and New Zealand are within IEEE Region 10. benefit of the power industry and consumers. The Austral-
Power engineers from both countries have been active in inter- asian Committee of Power Engineering Academics (ACPE)
national engagement and standards activities since the time of coordinates this conference, which is similar to the North
the Power Engineering Society of the AIEEE. New Zealand was American Power Symposium organized since 1969 by
one of the founding members of the IEEE in 1968. The formal U.S. universities that offer power engineering education.
IEEE New South Wales Section in Australia was established in This symposium’s peer-reviewed papers are archived in
1972. Over the years, there has been close engagement of power IEEE Xplore.
engineering professionals, students, and researchers with their Another initiative inspired by the ACPE is the API, which
international counterparts. The standards activities also have aims to cultivate future professional power engineering ca-
strong synergies with developments in the IEEE and IEC. pability for the major Australian power companies. Over the
In the last decade, several PES-sponsored conferences, years, the API has awarded scholarships to engineering stu-
such as Innovative Smart Grid Technologies, POWERCON, dents in Australian universities. It also hosts the PES careers
website for Australian universi-
ty students, modeled on the same
platform used by North American
universities. In New Zealand, the
EEA has been providing five an-
nual scholarships to power engi-
neering students at the University
of Auckland, University of Can-
terbury, and Auckland Univer-
sity of Technology.
University staff and students
also par ticipate in the a n n u a l
power engineering industry con-
ferences. For example, the Univer-
sities of Auckland and Canterbury
regularly at tend the June EEA
symposium. A PES keynote speak-
figure 3. University of Auckland power systems students visit the Transpower GIS er usually presents at this confer-
220-kV substation in August 2011. (Photo courtesy of Nirmal Nair, University of ence, along with CIGRE and IET
Auckland, New Zealand.) experts. In Australia, the annual

70 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

EESA conference draws university researchers and engineers The average supply of engineering graduates (as a percent-
who report on their latest applied power engineering projects. age of the total number of university graduates) in Organiza-
tion for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
PES Survey for Down-Under Universities countries is shown in Figure 4.
For several years now, the PES Power & Energy Education An estimate of the requirements for an innovation-led
Committee (PEEC) survey has provided data on power engi- export economy suggested a need for having an increased
neering courses, academics, and other relevant information supply of engineers from the university system, as can
in the United States and Canada. The latest survey results are be seen from Figure 5. The enrollment patterns of New
available at http://ieee-pes.org/professional-development/ Zealand high school students in universities, as shown in
education/university-power-programs. They are helpful for Figure 6, also indicated that the existing number of 4.3%
potential students looking to join undergraduate and post- of engineering students must be substantially increased
graduate power engineering programs in North America.
During the 2015 PES General Meeting, the PEEC Uni-
versity Education subcommittee discussed whether the sur-
vey should go international. The main PEEC body was sup- 30
portive and requested senior power engineering academics, 25
primarily from the English-speaking countries of the United
20
Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, to further explore
the possibility. Keen interest and responses came mainly 15
from Australia and New Zealand, which were reconfirmed 10
during the PES General Meeting in Boston in 2016. PEEC
5
members then adopted a resolution to explore implementing
the North American survey internationally. 0
Dennis Ray, a fellow author in this issue who coordinated Ze ge

Au nd

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er d

a
om

es
an
an

pa

re
l
ra

at
ew era

U ingd
te Ko
m
al

nl

Ja
st

St
and championed the survey in North America, and Edvina
Av

d
K
G

te
D

Uzunovic, PES vice president for education and guest editor

ni
EC

ni
O

of this issue, discussed this at length in a teleconference with

U
Prof. Syed Islam, chair of the University Education subcom-
mittee. It was agreed that an international survey should not figure 4. The portion of engineering graduates as a per-
just replicate the existing PEEC instrument but that it must centage of the total university graduates.
be relevant to Australian and New Zealand universities and
needed to be appropriately presented. Given that the engineer-
ing education systems in the developed economies of English-
speaking countries are more or less similar and factoring in
Total Qualifications
the strong interest among power engineering colleagues in Completion in 2008
Australia and New Zealand, it was decided that the present 33% 83%
survey should first be run as a trial down under. Level 8 Professional
Consultations with senior power engineering academics Engineers
in the two countries during AUPEC 2016 led to an agree- (Washington Accord) 33%
5%
ment that Australia and New Zealand had metrics similar to Level 7 Engineering
Technologies
the North American survey and that a trial could be initiated (Sydney Accord) 233%
without significant modifications. Thus, the PEEC university 120%
survey for Australia and New Zealand will be undertaken as Level 6 Engineering
Technicians
a trial in 2018–2019. (Dublin Accord) 178%
85%
Assessing the Entry Pipeline of
0

0
50

00

50

00

50

00

Future Electrical Engineering

1,

1,

2,

2,

3,

Students in New Zealand Innovation-Led-Economy Needs

The challenge for universities has been to attract students Business-as-Usual Needs
to enter the engineering field after high school and then Actual Supply
move them to electrical engineering after their first year
of study. In 2010, Engineering New Zealand carried out a figure 5. The estimated engineering-based profession-
national assessment, the National Engineering Education als required for an innovation-led economy in New
Plan (NEEP), to ascertain how many engineering graduates ­Zealand. (Figure courtesy of the University of Auckland,
would be required to accelerate innovation in the country. New ­Zealand.)

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 71

 One of the unique features of the electrical power
engineering programs in New Zealand universities is the
involvement of the electrical industry.

to meet the needs of an innovation-led economy. In Fig- A survey was carried out by a professional pollster to
ure 5, the blue bars show the current supply of engineer- assess how New Zealand high school students in 2012 chose
ing professionals/technologists/technicians, while the red a particular university in which to enroll. Shown in Figure 7
denote the number required to conduct business as usual, are the brand pyramid results extracted from that survey for
thus illustrating a current scarcity of different proportions the seven universities studied. As can be seen from Figure 7,
among the three groups. The green bars indicate the likely there are various factors that affected high school graduates’
supply needed for an innovation-led economy. Thus, the choice of a university. For example, highly ranked universi-
arrows and percentages show the changes in the supply ties enjoyed a high level of first-choice preferences among
of these engineering specialists required to achieve the high school students and were supported by the institutions’
transition. For example, there is a 5% shortage of Level 8 locational considerations and the esteem in which they were
Professional Engineers for keeping the business-as-usual held by high school counselors (advocates).
status quo, and New Zealand requires a 33% increase to To explain Figure 7, in the blue-colored pyramid, 98%
satisfy the goal of being an innovation-led economy. of students aware of the university translated into 86%
of this group giving it consideration, though only 58%
considering the school finally made it their first choice.
Advocates for a particular institution do play an important
part in the decision-making process but not necessarily
always, as indicated by the green pyramid. There, though
Business
(28.3%) 23% of the counselors advocated for that institution, this
did not significantly increase the chances of it becoming
a first choice.
Society and Science
(23.7%) Figure 8 shows the results of the survey analysis of stu-
Culture (51.9%)
dents’ choice of engineering program. Five of the seven New
Health
Zealand universities surveyed have a B.E. (honors) degree
(19.1%) program. Four of them have a power engineering track, either
as a minor or one that can be gained by choosing appropriate
Others (6.3%) Creative
Arts electives in years 3 or 4 of the program.
Engineering (4.3%) (17.7%) The different colors denote the five universities that have
Information engineering programs, and the percentages indicate the re­­
Technology (12.4%) Education sponses of those surveyed indicating their perceptions of the
(12.6%)
institutions. It is evident that high school students and their
parents weigh various factors before deciding to enroll in a
figure 6. New Zealand bachelor’s degree students’ fields particular university. The institution’s reputation and world
of study in 2011. ranking play an important role in their final decision.

Advocates 56% 28% 26% 17% 23% 9% 8%

13% 3%
First Choice 7% 0% 2%
49%
86% 58%

37% 15%

52% 27%

15% 18%
0%

5%
27% 16%
27%

Consideration 48% 8% 11%

84% 33% 26% 19%
12%
29%

Total 98% 92% 91% 71% 69% 74%

90%
Awareness

figure 7. A brand equity pyramid reflecting New Zealand high school students’ choice of university.

72 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

 Has an Excellent Reputation 54% 27% 14% 21% 39%

Is a World-Class University 47% 22% 7% 5% 27%

Attracts the Best and Brightest Students 47% 19% 8% 4% 36%

Research Benefits NZ and Rest of the World 37% 24% 11% 8% 31%

Staff Are Leaders in Their Field 37% 21% 12% 6% 27%

Best Opportunities for Future Employment 35% 17% 8% 9% 20%

Provides Leading Thinking on Key Issues 31% 16% 6% 4% 20%

Offers a Stimulating and Exciting

24% 22% 6% 10% 33%
Environment

Is Easy to Deal with 20% 18% 11% 9% 20%

Offers a Great Student Experience 20% 26% 10% 10% 38%

figure 8. A brand equity graphic showing New Zealand students’ choice of a university offering engineering studies. NZ:
New Zealand.

Summarizing based on the previous discussion, the fol- grams,” in Proc. IEEE General Meeting 2014 Panel, Wash-
lowing appear to be issues for New Zealand. ington, D.C.
✔✔ The number of engineering graduates has to be sig- National Engineering Education Plan, Institution of
nificantly increased from the current average of 4.3% Professional Engineers (now Engineering New Zealand).
to achieve a future innovation-led economy. (2010, Oct.). [Online]. Available: https://engineeringe2e
✔✔ A student’s choice of university depends on both loca- .org.nz/​a ssets/e2e/oldwebsite-images/Documents/NEEP-
tional and reputational factors. Report.pdf
✔✔ Once the supply of the high school students is in- Australian Power Institute. (2018). About API. [Online].
creased for university engineering programs, the next Available: api.edu.au
challenge will be to excite them to take up an electri- Electricity Engineers’ Association. (2014). [Online]. Avail-
cal engineering specialization. able: https://www.eea.co.nz
J. McCalley, L. Bohmann, K. Miu, and N. Schulz, “Elec-
Summary tric power engineering education resources 2005–2006
Electrical power systems research, teaching, development, and IEEE Power Engineering Society committee report. The
engagement have a very long and rich history in Australian Power Engineering Education Committee (PEEC) task force
and New Zealand universities, all aligned well with Northern on educational resources,” IEEE Trans. Power Syst., vol. 23,
Hemisphere institutions of learning and discovery. The practical no. 1, pp. 1–24, Feb. 2008.
engagement with industry stakeholders, government institutions,
and regulatory agencies by both academics and students from Biographies
these institutions is strong. Working with the PES and CIGRE Nirmal Nair is with the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
has a long and cherished history and has continued to grow in Daniel Martin is with the University of Queensland,
recent years. As the world moves toward Electrification 2.0, uni- Brisbane, Australia.
versities from down under will continue to stay engaged and lead Tapan Saha is with the University of Queensland, Bris-
some initiatives in the global drive toward a low-carbon future. bane, Australia.
Syed Islam is with Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
For Further Reading Neville Watson is with the University of Canterbury,
S. Islam and N. Nair, “Global experiences in attracting qual- Christchurch, New Zealand.
p&e
ity undergraduates in university power engineering pro- 

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 73

 The Power
of Internships
By Laurel Hennebury and Christopher Root
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2841460
Date of publication: 17 August 2018

74 ieee power & energy magazine 1540-7977/18©2018IEEE september/october 2018

 Advice for Companies
and Prospective Interns

I
Internships for university students have
been around for decades. The electric power sector has
long used internship programs to introduce students
to the industry, develop relationships with universities,
and recruit successful employees. During the 1950s and
1960s, electricity usage rose at a rate of 5% in many parts
of the world, and the electric power industry boomed.
In response, universities began requiring electrical engi-
neering students to take some power systems courses.
Then in the 1970s, oil embargoes drove up the cost of
electricity significantly in the United States. Energy
conservation programs and a slowed economy curtailed
growth in electricity demand and subsequently the need
for more power systems engineers. Many power engi-
neering programs reduced their numbers or closed, and
electrical engineers focused more on telecommunica-
tions, electronics, and computer engineering. The power
industry still requires engineers for these areas, but are
not in as short supply.
image licensed by ingram publishing

Today, the demand for power system electrical engi-

neers and other types of analysts has heated up again,
with the rapid retirement of the baby boomer generation
and society’s acute interest in renewable and distrib-
uted energy. However, in the current academic envi-
ronment, many companies must compete for a smaller
pool of engineers and analysts. To meet current staffing
demands, many utilities have, for example, been hiring
electrical engineers and then providing them with addi-
tional training on power systems. Some U.S. utilities are
still subsidizing power system engineering courses at
colleges when these schools do not enroll enough students to justify the cost of the program.
These efforts have led to a renewed industry interest in using internship programs to introduce students
to the field while they are still in school and to improve relations with universities that offer or could offer
power system programs. Some energy utility companies that had previously disbanded their internship
programs have restarted them, and the popularity of power system courses at universities is steadily on the
rise. Most companies in the United States have active intern programs. Vermont Electric Power Company,
for example, hires approximately 12 interns every summer.
The U.S. Department of Energy and the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) began studying the demo-
graphics of the utility industry in the mid-2000s and identified the industry risk of looming employee retire-
ments. Under the direction of its President Wanda Reder, the PES communicated widely on this issue and
launched an action plan, which includes the new PES power system scholarship, Scholarship Plus. Between
2011 and 2017, PES distributed 1,382 scholarships to 835 individuals attending 191 universities across the
United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Of this total, 22% (185) of the recipients are female. PES has also
distributed scholarships to four students in Italy and eight in India.
Intern assignments must not only challenge the student, they must add value to the business. In this arti-
cle, we have outlined some of the significant benefits that internship programs provide to students and the

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 75

 Today, the demand for power system
electrical engineers and other types
of analysts has heated up again.

power system industry, along with recommendations for how 9) Some universities require students to gain internship
to establish and run successful internship programs. These experience and award class credit to students who com-
internships include power system engineering positions as plete internships.
well as those for data analysis, cybersecurity, finance, sys-
tem planning, and communications. Advice for Interns
Students should be selective but sensible in choosing intern-
Value to Students ships. Here are some tips.
Students can reap numerous rewards through internship posi- 1) The utility industry has many challenging opportuni-
tions. First and foremost, these programs afford students a ties that may not be widely known, and students should
chance to understand how their studies are applied in real- be open to the new opportunities internships bring.
world settings. The internships give them a glimpse of the Many companies list their internship programs and
type of work they can expect to do once they graduate and, in open positions on their website, which is one of the
many cases, help inform areas of academic concentration and first places students can explore for scoping out their
course selection. Many other benefits exist. internship possibilities and evaluating different op-
1) Utility internships generally are paid positions, whereas tions. Most companies start taking resumes for these
some industries offer unpaid positions. Many compa- positions before the end of the year.
nies have a fixed pay structure based on experience 2) Students should explore internships commensurate
level (years of school and major). with their level of education (i.e., graduate students
2) Student interns can add professional experience to should be looking into internships that provide oppor-
their resumes, which can be essential in a competitive tunities at the graduate engineer level). Ph.D. candi-
hiring market. dates can seek to work on high-level, think-tank re-
3) Students can meet professionals in the power field and search projects having practical applications.
observe firsthand the types of opportunities available 3) Students must decide whether to pursue internships near
in this industry. home or try to secure another, perhaps better, opportu-
4) Students can start building a professional network nity elsewhere, which may require paying for living ex-
while still in school, which can prove favorable when penses. The opportunity to work in another country can
looking for a mentor, getting professional references, be rewarding if the labor laws in that country allow it
and hearing about opportunities for employment. and if proper visas can be secured in a timely manner.
5) Many interns have the inside track on gaining full-time 4) Professional societies and some companies have schol-
employment with the companies for which they intern. arship opportunities tied to internships, such as the
6) Interns can sometimes try different types of positions PES Scholarship Plus. Students are encouraged to
to help determine what they might like to do when research and apply for such scholarships. Having an
they graduate. A student’s perception of what a job is internship shows a commitment and interest in the in-
can sometimes be very different from the actual du- dustry, which can increase a student’s chances of re-
ties, so getting the chance to try out different positions ceiving a scholarship, especially when applying for the
can be very insightful. scholarship during the internship.
7) Sometimes, an internship can give students an oppor- 5) When deciding to return to an internship for a second
tunity to try a job they would not be doing when they year, students should consider whether working in the
graduate but could be very beneficial in the future. same area as before would be beneficial or whether
They could intern in the construction or manufactur- pursuing other available opportunities could broaden
ing area, e.g., which could give an aspiring engineer their experience. The more experience students have,
insight into what happens prior to operations. the more marketable they are upon graduation. This
8) Some companies count the internship period as full- is important for employment as well as for graduate
time employment when calculating credit toward school because schools consider internship experience
employment benefits [like vesting in a 401(k) or a during the application process.
retirement savings account] for those hired full time 6) Dealing with regular schedules, not having flexibility,
after graduation. and feeling overwhelmed are all part of the experience

76 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

 In the current academic environment,
many companies must compete for a smaller
pool of engineers and analysts.

for many interns, and students who recognize these tern perform professional tasks is like a load/cost solu-
working-world issues can more quickly acclimate to tion to peak workload issues. When an intern assists a
the professional experience. Those with internship ex- more senior engineer with essential, yet time-consum-
perience better understand the professional environ- ing, work, the senior employee can spend more time
ment and how to adjust to a full-time position after on higher-priority work.
graduation. 5) Make use of students’ high proficiency in the latest
7) Students should recognize that employers are judg- skills (such as the use of computer applications and
ing interns to determine whether they can be future other technologies) to add value to the company’s
employees. Making a good impression is important, goods and services. Employers can seek to hire interns
most obviously with technical skills but even with adept at using various types of spreadsheets, process-
simple things, such as being on time and complying saving applications, and process automation.
with the company’s dress norms. Some universities 6) Tap the enthusiasm and fresh perspectives of young
ask employers for a review of their students, and some employees, and diversify the age demographics of the
companies and local managers are more apt to give organization. Having a number of interns at a company
positive references for interns who leave a good im- can bring energy and excitement to more established
pression on all counts. Obtaining a letter of reference employees as they observe interns experience new con-
before the internship is over can be very valuable to cepts and ideas.
have on hand when looking for a full-time position in 7) Get feedback on the company’s culture and openness
the future (Figure 1). to new people and ideas. Employers can gain this feed-
back from interns before they return to school.
Value to Employers 8) Gain high-level capability by hiring a master’s or Ph.D. in-
If done right, the benefits to a company from hiring interns tern who may be able to work on some of the company’s
can far outweigh the costs of running the program. more difficult problems and even assist with future re-
1) Access qualified university students interested in search projects.
the industry. Working with one student from an es- 9) Create a potential recruitment opportunity. Keeping
tablished university program can lead to hiring oth- track of interns after they have returned to school and
ers seeking to enter the electric power industry. Most letting them know of job openings can result in hiring
companies can gain from having a good source for full-time employees with relevant experience.
qualified candidates.
2) Develop relationships with universities and establish
connections with their students, with the goal of in-
creasing the company’s visibility and reputation on
campuses. Many schools offer companies the ability
to speak to students in seminars or through a Student
Chapter of the PES. Getting a professional on campus
to talk about his or her work and experiences can
further enhance the company’s value in the eyes of
the students.
3) Use the internship experience to screen potential fu-
ture employees, which is very common and not always
realized by interns. Employers are more assured of an
employee’s future success when the employee has in-
terned at the company. Some companies will even of-
fer jobs to senior interns before they return to school
for their senior year. figure 1. An open line of communication with your super-
4) Assign students work that would otherwise drain re- visor is important. (Photo used with permission from the
sources from other business priorities. Having an in- Vermont Electric Power Company.)

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 77

 Advice for Employers initial screening of candidates, which is typical, ei-
If you are considering starting or revamping an intern pro- ther over the phone, through a web conference, or
gram, be strategic. Running an intern program requires much in person. This first conversation usually focuses
time, effort, and expense, so view the program as a long-term on confirming information on the resume and as-
investment in your company. The following suggestions help sessing communication, work, and interpersonal
ensure that your investment benefits both the company and competencies. Interviewers should use a standard
the interns. Remember, you’re not building an intern pro- set of questions for all candidates to facilitate com-
gram—you’re building a pipeline for talent. paring the candidates’ responses and help eliminate
bias. Candidates who successfully pass the first in-
Engage Senior Leadership terview should then be scheduled to meet with the
Active support by senior leadership is essential for a successful hiring manager and some or all team members. Hir-
intern program. This is more than just money funding, which is ing managers and team members should be trained
essential but not enough to sustain a program. To get manage- in interviewing techniques and focus the interview
ment on board, identify areas of the business where new talent on the technical aspects of the position, again using
will be needed now and in the next five to ten years. Ask senior a standard set of questions for all candidates. Staff
management about the company’s strategic need for employees should be briefed or fully trained in interviewing
with highly specialized skills and certain expertise. skills and fully aware of the legal aspects in the in-
You can use senior leadership in many ways. Involve terview process.
them in your planning process, work with them to identify ✔ ✔ Onboarding and training: Extend internship of-
and approve intern positions, leverage their alma mater con- fers through a single point of contact, usually the
tacts to establish relationships with key universities, and intern coordinator or human resources staff. Offers
create opportunities for them to meet and interact with the should be extended in writing using a standard of-
interns. The active engagement of senior leadership sends a fer letter template approved by the legal and human
message to employees at all levels that the intern program is resources departments. After an intern accepts an
an important talent-acquisition program and deserves their offer and before the start date, begin the onboard-
full support. ing process, such as conducting background checks
Interns can also benefit greatly from insight gained through and drug screening and filling out forms, such as a
their interactions with senior leaders, and it helps make them W-2 and I-9.
feel like valued members of the company, a very powerful ✔✔ Orientation program: Once the intern is on site, pro-
recruiting tool. One way to do this is to have executives stop vide an orientation program to help students quickly
by while onboarding the interns. Another is to have students acclimate to the company and meet other students
present what they learned during their internship to the lead- and key personnel. For larger groups, this is usually
ership team. centrally organized by the intern coordinator and includes
opportunities to meet with senior staff, an overview
Develop Structured Processes of the industry and the company, general information
and Policies to Guide the Program about the internship, and a review of relevant policies
Put structured processes, polices, and time lines in place for all and procedures. When a single intern is hired, the onboard-
aspects of the program from beginning to end. Spending the ing responsibility typically falls to the hiring manager
time up front to clarify expectations will help reduce problems or designated team member. Providing interns with
in the long run. The following are recommended processes. information similar to what is given in a more formal
✔✔ Intern requests and approval: Define which employ- orientation helps them better understand the organiza-
ees are permitted to request interns, the request and tion and their role.
approval processes, types of assignments eligible for ✔✔ Provide a supportive environment: Welcome interns
internships, forms to be completed, and time lines as new members of the corporate team, and provide
for submission. them with meaningful work and responsibilities. Al-
✔✔ Recruitment: Develop a recruiting strategy that in- low sufficient time for training, providing necessary
cludes identifying the schools whose programs align tools, and interacting with full-time staff. Expose
with your talent needs and the ways you will build students to the real world through field trips or other
relationships with these schools. Build a marketing means to more fully understand their role in the indus-
plan that ranges from developing brochures to writing try (Figures 2 and 3).
guidelines on how to effectively use social media to ✔✔ Student presentations to leadership on the internship
attract young talent. Train technical staff to assist at experiences: Organize student presentations to senior
recruiting events. leaders so that the students can demonstrate what they
✔✔ Intern interviewing and selection: Have the intern have contributed to the organization and senior staff can
coordinator or human resources staff conduct the assess the young talent. To accommodate the typically

78 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

 busy schedules of senior leadership and
ensure their participation, build these op-
portunities into the program well in ad-
vance. Provide opportunities for interns
to practice and develop their presentation
skills before meeting with senior staff.
✔✔ Evaluations (program, student, and the
intern’s manager): At the conclusion of
the program, ask the interns and their
managers to complete separate evalua-
tions. Comparing the data reveals varying
perspectives, identifies opportunities to
improve various aspects of the program,
and helps identify strong performers for
consideration for full-time employment.
✔✔ Full-time offers (for students who graduate
within the next year): Have a formal pro-
cess in place to review intern performance,
assess interest in full-time employment,
and effectively and efficiently expedite job
offers. Typically, the intern coordinator will
work with human resources and manage-
ment to help identify potential candidates
and coordinate the timing for a job offer.
Depending on the need and circumstances,
a company can make a job offer at the con-
clusion of an internship in advance of the
figure 2. An intern visit to a nuclear plant. (Photo used by permission of
student’s graduation (and contingent on the ISO New England.)
student successfully graduating). Alterna-
tively, the intern coordinator can keep in
contact with high-potential interns and encourage them to
apply for positions as they become available.
The following are recommended best practices.
✔✔ Define student eligibility requirements in the job post-
ing, including field of study, level of schooling, prior
experience, citizenship or working visa, and avail-
ability for the full length of the internship program
and defined working hours. Offer competitive salary
ranges, set by the level of education of the intern. Also
offer increases for interns who return to the company.
✔✔ Communicate dress code expectations.
✔✔ Manage issues and performance to set expectations.
The internship may be a student’s first professional
experience, and some may require feedback early in
the experience.
✔✔ Conduct a formal onboarding program for all interns, figure 3. An intern visit to a combined-cycle plant. (Photo
as described previously. used by permission of ISO New England.)
✔✔ Get feedback from the interns before they return to school.
Ask what could have improved their experience. Provide Manager and Organizational Support
✔✔ Ask high-performing interns to return another year, The intern coordinator or human resources staff should com-
either in a similar role or in a different position or de- municate to the hiring managers what is expected of them
partment, which is important to discuss. during the internship process. Hiring departments must plan
✔✔ Ask interns who are leaving to tell other students in work for interns and truly design an interesting and reward-
the field about their experience. References can be the ing experience. The intern managers, human resources, and
best source of future interns. ­h iring managers, with input from senior leadership, can

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 79

 If done right, the benefits to a company from
hiring interns can far outweigh the costs of
running the program.

d­ e­­fine relevant roles and responsibilities. Ensuring that every- from which you are recruiting to only those that have stu-
one understands what is expected of them and the scope of dents in the disciplines you need, and build relationships
their authority to make decisions regarding an intern’s work is with their staff and faculty. Active relationships with select
important. This often can be documented as part of an intern universities can greatly enhance the quality of applicants
program guide for managers. and reduce recruiting time and expenses.
Determine the optimal number of interns your company ✔✔ Meet and greet: Reach out to both the power systems
can effectively support. and electrical engineering department chairs and fac-
✔✔ Managers must have the time to provide the extra su- ulty at the schools where you recruit or would like
pervision needed for students. to recruit interns, set up time to meet in person, and
✔✔ The interns must have sufficient meaningful work to provide materials that describe your company and the
remain productive for the length of the internship. intern program.
✔✔ Office space, computers, and software licenses must ✔✔ Support student projects: Investigate and assess how
be available for each intern. your company can support the power system and elec-
trical engineering departments at these schools. Many
Evaluate and Adjust the Program Annually college engineering programs, for example, require
Formally evaluate your program every year. Survey the students to participate in a senior project and look for
students and their managers through formal and informal companies to partner with. The company identifies a
conversations throughout the program. In addition, analyze project for the students to work on and provides sup-
student demographics and look for strengths and areas for port, ranging from subject matter expert time to fund-
improvement (e.g., from which schools do you tend to hire ing. Students at the master’s-degree level are often
more interns, do you tend to hire more juniors or seniors, required to complete a capstone or final project, pro-
are you hiring students with diverse backgrounds, how many viding another opportunity for your company to part-
women are you hiring, how many students were hired full ner with a school to support its programs and students.
time). Use the feedback and demographic data to analyze the The students benefit by having a resource dedicated to
strengths and areas for improvement in your program. their project, and the company benefits by potentially
having a skilled future intern. Some companies will
Build a Pipeline: engage master’s and Ph.D. students and faculty whose
Develop University Relationships area of study aligns with some of their more com-
To build a strong program, you need an effective way to plex business challenges and advanced-level projects.
recruit talent. When recruiting students, limit the schools Through these partnerships, companies and universi-
ties work more closely to enhance and expand power
system curriculums.
✔✔ Offer advisory services: Having a company’s subject
matter experts serve on a university curriculum ad-
visory board is another way to partner that benefits
both the schools and the company. Getting direct in-
put from experts currently working in the field helps
schools adapt their curriculum to stay current with the
needs of the industry. In some instances, if the need
is great enough, schools will customize their curricu-
lums to help ensure their graduates have the prerequi-
site skills and knowledge to apply for internships and
entry-level positions.
✔✔ Offer guest speakers: Faculty often appreciate when
figure 4. Volunteering at a conference can be a good way companies provide guest speakers at school events or
to meet other professionals. (Photo used with permission guest lecturers to address key topics, such as smart
from the Vermont Electric Power Company.) grid technology, renewal energy, and other timely

80 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

figure 5. An IEEE meeting discussing a new proposed technical standard for local engineers from many companies.
(Photo used with permission from the Vermont Electric Power Company.)

topics. Field trips to a company’s facilities are another if you are interested in having them come back as second-year
way for businesses and universities to work together interns or full-time employees.
to educate students about opportunities in the power Hiring student interns into permanent roles is the
industry (Figures 4 and 5). ultimate measure of the return on your investment. A strong
✔✔ Support scholarships: Scholarships can also help re- performer with industry experience is a valuable asset for
cruit students into the industry and your intern pro- your company.
gram. The IEEE and the Society for Women Engi-
neers are two organizations that solicit donations for For Further Reading
student scholarship programs. Most universities also D. Sniderman. (2011, Jan.). Technical internships in renew-
have some scholarship programs to support students able energy. ASME. [Online]. Available: https://www.asme
as well. .org/career-education/articles/internships/technical-internships-
All of these options, whether at the undergraduate or in-renewable-energy
graduate level, provide valuable ways for companies to build D. Bortz. 5 big benefits of doing an internship. Monster.
strong partnerships with schools while assessing the stu- [Online]. Available: https://www.monster.com/career-
dents’ skills and knowledge firsthand along with the poten- advice/article/students-benefits-internships
tial for students to intern at the company. Chegg. 10 benefits of starting an intern program. Intern-
ships. [Online]. Available: http://www.internships.com/
Appeal to the Students employer/resources/setup/benefits
Once you have built your program and your university con- Society of Women Engineers. SWE career center. [On-
tacts are in place, create and maintain good working relation- line]. Available: https://careers.swe.org/jobseeker/search/
ships with the interns. Begin by setting a professional and results/?quick=function%7CInternship
engaging tone during your recruiting process. Ensure that IEEE Power & Energy Society. Gain real world experi-
your recruiters are adept at describing opportunities in the ence through engineering internship and co-ops. Careers in
field and the benefits of joining your company’s intern pro- power & energy. [Online]. Available: https://www.ee-scholarship
gram. Write communications that are clear, timely, friendly, .org/careers-in-power-energy/engineering-internships
and directed toward students. Remember that students are Florida International University. What are the benefits
new to the business world and may need more detailed expla- of an internship? Faculty & staff. [Online]. Available: http://
nations and follow-up than a seasoned professional. internships.fiu.edu/faculty-staff/benefits-internships/index
Hire the right student for the job by first taking the time to .html
write specific job requirements, including the technical, busi- N. Kokemuller. Advantages & disadvantages of intern-
ness, and interpersonal skills needed to succeed. Putting the ships. Chron. [Online]. Available: http://work.chron.com/
wrong student in the wrong job can be a nonproductive, time- advantages-disadvantages-internships-9155.html
wasting, and frustrating ex­­perience for all involved. Invest
the time up front to get it right. Biographies
During the internship program, get to know the students Laurel Hennebury is with ISO New England, Holyoke,
and their interests, and provide additional support or advice Massachusetts.
as appropriate. Finally, keep track of and stay in touch with Christopher Root is with the Vermont Electric Power
your successful interns. Offer them part-time work, if pos- Company, Rutland.
sible, during the school year, and remain in touch with them  p&e

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 81

 Online
Power
Education

By Michael F. Ahern

O
Online education is on the rise in most vention of the transistor in
fields, and power is no exception. In the United States, sev- the late-1940s, the growth
eral factors are driving this growth, such as industry demo- of solid-state electronic devic-
graphics, the increasing complexity of the power grid, and es, e.g., computers, attracted
the dispersed working locations and unpredictable working more electrical engineering talent
hours that demand flexible options for education. While it away from the world of power and toward
has been a boon for power systems professionals, online edu- the latest innovation, information technology.
cation challenges universities, the industry, and other educa- Consequently, the educational focus moved away
tional organizations like the IEEE Power & Energy Society from power delivery.
(PES) to stay current in both content and delivery. The oil embargo of 1973 and the energy crisis of 1979
suddenly flattened electric demand growth in the United
Driving the Growth States (Figure 2), resulting in a major reduction of utility
infrastructure construction and hiring. Power education pro-
Industry Demographics grams shrank dramatically, with many disappearing com-
Since the late-1800s, the transmission and distribution of elec- pletely. By 2000, power industry construction resumed, and
trical power has been featured in electrical engineering educa- the workforce demographics began to drive increased hir-
tion. As the world became increasingly electrified (Figure 1), ing demands. The atrophy of this specialty education in U.S.
demand for power engineers grew as well. Following the in- universities had set in, however, and there was an insuffi-
cient supply of new graduates to keep up with the increasing
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2838601
demand. This situation demanded growth in power educa-
Date of publication: 17 August 2018 tion to supply new engineers and replace retiring ones.

82 ieee power & energy magazine 1540-7977/18©2018IEEE september/october 2018

 Keeping Pace
with the Demand
for High-Quality,
Flexible Education

Power Grid Complexity

The U.S. power grid is evolving before our
eyes. Renewable power generation is supplant-
ing large power stations with wind and solar
energy, bringing significant challenges to elec-
tric delivery system design and integration.
The intermittent nature of these power sources
can destabilize system voltage; large amounts
of solar generation can lead to steep changes in
system demand, known as the duck curve, as
illustrated in Figure 3. Furthermore, distributed
installations can challenge existing protection
systems that are designed for one-way power
flow and may operate improperly due to reduced
fault currents or reverse power flow.
The smart grid’s additional sensors, communi-
cations, and control systems add to its complexity.
With the inclusion of cybersecurity concerns, today’s
engineers face many intricate challenges the industry
has never seen before. Because of constantly evolving
innovations, it is more important than ever for engineers
to stay up to date with the latest advances in their field.

Demand for Flexible Education

In my 30+ years in the power industry, I have never seen an engineer
work a standard 40-h work week. Because of the industry’s talent short-
age, increasingly complex designs, and the all-hands-on-deck approach to
storm restoration, power engineers are busy, and I do not expect that to change
any time soon. Professionals in our field need advanced educational programs that
provide schedule flexibility, or they will fail before they ever begin.
image licensed by ingram publishing

Universities Evolve with the Industry

Overall Response
As the grid began to evolve and not enough recent graduates were fully educated in power engineer-
ing, people sought more flexible education options. U.S. universities responded in several ways:
1) adding undergraduate power courses
2) updating the curriculum in existing courses
3) developing graduate professional development courses to address specialized needs (e.g.,
IEEE PES tutorials)
4) expanding graduate programs in both the number and frequency of courses taught
5) adding online courses.
Question: Which of these initiatives did the power industry need?

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 83

 California Hourly Electric Load Versus
Load Less Solar and Wind (Duck Curve)
for 22 October 2016
30,000

25,000

20,000

(MW)
15,000

10,000

5,000

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
(h)
Total Load
Solar and Wind Load (Duck Curve)
Solar Output

figure 3. An example of a duck curve, with solar output

figure 1. A vintage electric tramway, an early example of causing steep power ramp rates.
electrification. (Image used with permission from Worces-
ter Polytechnic Institute.)
✔✔ Public and private nonprofit institutions are driving
growth in distance enrollment even as enrollment in
private profit institutions is steadily declining.
U.S. Electricity Use and Economic Growth, ✔✔ Students taking 100% of their courses online repre-
1950–2040 Percent Growth (Three-Year Compound sent one-half of total distance enrollees.
Annual Growth Rate) and Trend Lines
14 ✔✔ Graduate students are twice as likely as undergradu-
History Projections ates to take all of their courses online.
12
10
8
Electricity Use The Power Industry Rises
to the Challenge
(%)

6
2011–2040 The power industry has recognized that online programs can
4
Average deliver convenient, flexible education for a variety of needs
2 2.4%
GDP
0.9%
in an opportune, cost-effective way. Industry employers have
0
created their own educational programs and strengthened
–2
their bonds with academia to train their workforce online.
50

60

70

80

90

00

10

20

30

40
19

19

19

19

19

20

20

20

20

20

IEEE PES
figure 2. The U.S. electricity demand since 1950. Note The PES hosts high-quality tutorials delivered in a classroom
the steep drops in 1973 and 1979. GDP: gross domestic setting at its General Meetings, the Transmission and Distribu-
product. tion Conference and Exposition, and at the Innovative Smart
Grid Technologies Conferences. Over the past several years,
Answer: “All of the above!” The evolving, renewable PES has recorded selected tutorials and made this content
smart grid means that universities need to develop new cur- available online. Students can also take a short examination
ricula and more flexible education-delivery methods to teach and earn a certificate for their professional development hours.
undergraduates, graduates, and working professionals. PES regularly hosts 1-h-long webinars on topics of inter-
est in our industry; these are also available online. All of this
Online Education content can be found on the IEEE Resource Center website
The use and acceptance of the online delivery of higher at http://resourcecenter.ieee-pes.org.
education is growing. In the last five years, online enroll-
ment has grown as total enrollment has declined. The per- Energy Providers Coalition for Education
cent of all distance higher education delivered has risen The Energy Providers Coalition for Education (EPCE) is an
from 25.9% in 2012 to 31.6% by 2016. The study also notes important initiative that meets educational needs with qual-
some other trends. ity online programs. Since 2000, the EPCE has served as a

84 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

national alliance delivering solutions to engage and educate objectives). While business capabilities like project manage-
the energy industry’s workforce through quality online edu- ment cut across many disciplines, the technical objectives,
cation. Designed for the industry by the industry, EPCE’s e.g., electrical transient analysis, are specialized educational
targeted education partnerships with accredited colleges and niches. This focus on both technical and leadership skills
universities offer up-to-date, relevant online energy courses greatly impacts an engineer’s success in the power industry.
and programs that expand beyond standard job training. These
online programs meet the emerging learning and development Current Situation
needs aligned with energy employers’ goals and objectives.
Starting with one education partner in 2001, the EPCE now The Regrowth of Power Education
partners with four education providers. These partnerships Aside from the IEEE PES and EPCE programs, dozens of
serve as a solid education platform for furthering company- universities now offer online courses and programs for our
specific employee development and training. industry’s current and future professionals. A quick Google
As illustrated in Figure 4, enrollment in EPCE-sponsored search of “online power engineering master’s” identifies more
courses has grown over the years. This expansion of oppor- than 30 such programs, many at highly ranked U.S. universi-
tunities in online education is helping the power industry ties. Programs with newer course offerings, such as renewable
meet its growing talent needs. power, demonstrate how academia is keeping pace with new
developments in the field. With the emergence of online edu-
Essential Learning Objectives cation delivery, power engineers can now develop their exper-
For the graduate power engineer, educational needs are often tise on a flexible schedule without taking time off from their
quite specialized (Figure 5 details some typical learning careers and at a location of their choosing.

Powering the Energy Industry Through Online Education

History of Enrollments in EPCE Programs

4,500

4,000

3,500

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0
01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17
20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

20

EPCE’s Education Partners

figure 4. EPCE enrollment since 2001. One enrollment equals one student taking one course. (Graphic used with permis-
sion from the Energy Provider’s Coalition for Education.)

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 85

 Typical Graduate
Survey
Learning Objectives Online Graduate Students
Results
for Online Power Students

Overall Effectiveness of Online Education

Analyze Power Flows in Delivery Networks, Both for
Steady State and Transients 180
Online Students 94%
Evaluate Electromechanical Energy Conversion and
Surveyed
Power System Operations and Planning
Design Power Delivery Networks, Both Transmission Agreed They Were
and Distribution Satisfied with Their Overall
Analyze Dynamic System Response to Disturbances Learning Experience

Design Protection and Control Systems

Compared to Classroom Delivery...
Evaluate Design Alternatives, Including Both Technical
and Economical Analysis
Create and Lead Projects Using a Full Suite of 20% 60% 20%
Management Tools
Understand Group and Individual Dynamics, Leading to Superior Same Inferior
InteractionsThat Are More Effective
Identify and Mitigate Operational Risks Room for Improvement

figure 5. The learning objectives for graduate power Classroom Capture Formats Can Often Result in
engineers. (Graphic used with permission from Worcester Lower Student Satisfaction
Polytechnic Institute.)
Students Want Quicker Feedback from Faculty

Creating Community: There is a Sense of Isolation

Solutions for an Online Problem
Student survey results from Worcester Polytechnic Institute figure 6. Survey results illustrating student satisfaction
(WPI) provide several insights into their experiences with with online learning. (Graphic used with permission from
online learning (Figure 6). The overall satisfaction level is high Worcester Polytechnic Institute.)
and equal to that of classroom programs, although students did
identify some opportunities for greater satisfaction, e.g., miti-
gating a sense of isolation online. In response, WPI and others For Further Reading
have established online social forums, separate from existing U.S. Energy Information Administration. (2013, Mar. 22).
academic message boards, in which students can talk about U.S. economy and electricity demand growth are linked, but
their experiences and bond as online students and working pro- relationship is changing. U.S. Energy Information Adminis-
fessionals. We also invite students to attend events on campus tration, Washington, D.C. [Online]. Available: https://www
and send regular updates about happenings in their community, .eia.gov
along with helpful advice and resources tailored to distance J. St. John. (2017, July 25). EIA data reveals California’s
learners. The goal is to reduce student isolation by creating a real and growing duck curve. Greentech Media. [Online].
type of community similar to those found in classrooms. Available: https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/
eia-charts-californias-real-and-growing-duck-curve#gs
Summary .OiYUNSo
Given the ever-evolving complexity of our power grid and the J. E. Seaman, I. E. Allen, and J. Seaman. (2018). Grade
growing demand for highly educated industry professionals, increase tracking distance education in the United States.
there is a need for innovative educational solutions that fit our Babson Survey Res. Group and Online Res. Consort. Oak-
workforce’s busy schedules and fill their knowledge gaps. In the land, CA. [Online]. Available: http://onlinelearningsurvey
past decade, online learning has proven its ability to meet these .com/reports/gradeincrease.pdf
needs, offering cost-effective, cutting-edge education. While
there are some areas in which distance learning can improve, Biography
we are already seeing extremely positive results from online Michael F. Ahern is with Worcester Polytechnic Institute,
students. Continued updates to curriculum and course delivery Massachusetts.
p&e
techniques promise even better results in the future. 

86 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

Toward a By Masood Parvania
and Hyde M. Merrill

21st Century
Power Education
A Bright
Future Awaits
Students
in Utah

P
Pow er engi n eer i ng pro -
grams have been revived in many
universities around the world. Now,
with the renewed interest and help
from the industry, power engineer-
ing programs are being rebuilt with
very strong interdisciplinary curricula
sparked by industry needs. It takes
resources, vision, and a community to
make a university, a college of engi-
neering, and a power program—and a
power engineer.
©istockphoto.com/mustafahacalaki

By the year 2000, many power

engineering programs had been elim-
inated from U.S. universities, mainly
because of the reduced demand and
interest for new engineers in the
power industry and because of rela-
tively low research funding provided
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2843900
by the federal government to the field.
Date of publication: 17 August 2018 However, the situation began turning

september/october 2018 1540-7977/18©2018IEEE ieee power & energy magazine 87

 A decade ago, the College of Engineering at the University
of Utah became determined to create a power engineering
program from essentially nothing.

around in 2000, as the power industry was challenged by The intent of this article is not commercial—it is not an
grid modernization that required engineers with adequate advertisement. We tell the story of a particular university,
education to solve the emerging problems in the grid. In its college of engineering, and the resulting power program
Utah, the situation was no better than elsewhere: none of the in the spirit of documentation for the benefit of others who
Utah universities at the time offered a program in power sys- engage in the same process. We also present certain prin-
tems. Approached by the local power industry requesting to ciples, some in the spirit of “lessons learned,” and others in
hire power engineers a decade ago, the Department of Elec- the spirit of “this worked for us.”
trical and Computer Engineering at the University of Utah
decided to restart its power engineering program, which did The Creation of a University
not exist in the 1960s, when one of the authors was a stu- and a College of Engineering
dent there. There reportedly was some power development It is interesting to know how particular institutions were cre-
later in the 20th century, but apparently, it disappeared in ated and developed because it helps us understand how and
the early 1990s. why they do what they do today and indicates how the pro-
This article describes the successful (at the midpoint) cess may be repeated or improved. The University of Utah,
experience of creating an interdisciplinary power engineer- first named the University of Deseret, was incorporated by
ing program at the University of Utah, which features a an act of the provisional government of the state of Deseret
modern interdisciplinary curriculum and focuses on entre- on 28 February 1850, three years after pioneers entered the
preneurship and driving student innovation. Before that, Salt Lake valley. This was ratified a year later when the Ter-
however, we bring the story of the creation of the University ritory of Utah was organized (Gehmlich, 2003).
of Utah and its College of Engineering and then continue Universities are very expensive propositions. In 1850,
with the description and structure of the power engineering Utah had no money and little industry. Its only infrastructure
program. In all three creation processes, visionary people was what had been built by hand in three years. For its first
were critical in moving and pushing the project forward, 40 years, the University of Utah operated essentially as a high
and the community contributed the necessary resources school in the center of Salt Lake City. In the 1890s, it began
and support. acquiring land staked out by pioneer leader Brigham Young
in 1850, started building its cam-
pus, and expanded into university-
level instruction (see Figure 1).
In its 1895–1896 catalog, the
University of Utah offered, for the
first time, a “four-year curriculum
leading to the degree of Bachelor
of Science in Mining Engineer-
ing” (Gehmlich, 2003). Richard R.
Lyman organized the first Depart-
ment of Engineering in 1896 and
taught the technical engineering
curriculum. Apparently, he taught
much of it. His courses included
mechanics, drawing, surveying,
kinematics, structures, mechan-
ics of materials, steam engines,
figure 1. A surveying exercise showing the new Normal School, Library and Liberal hydraulics, and general machine
Arts, and Physical Sciences buildings, which, in 1901, made up the entire campus. design; per Casey Paul Griffiths’
(Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah, Archive D Between the Devil and the Deep
Civil Engineering Fd 1 #003, used by permission.) Blue Sea: The Life of Joseph F.

88 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

Merrill, Scientist, Educator, Apostle,
there were “nine courses in engineering,
three in surveying, and five in drawing.”
In 1897, Joseph F. Merrill, the first
native Utahn to earn a Ph.D. degree
(from Johns Hopkins University, Bal-
timore, Maryland, in 1899), became
a professor of physics and physical
chemistry and the principal of the
mining school. This was later renamed
the School of Mines and Engineering,
and, still later, the College of Engi-
neering, with mines being spun off
as a separate school. Dr. Merrill led
the school for 26 years. From 1901 to
1911, the “degrees awarded rose from
just two to forty-seven, five of them
graduate degrees.” Fifty years later, figure 2. Shop class, pre-World War I. The dangerous exposed belts were typical
the College of Engineering awarded of 19th century water- and steam-powered factories. (Used with permission from
171 B.S. degrees. Also, regarding Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah, Archive D
money spent, “ for 1910 –1911 … Mechanical Engineering Fd 02 #02.)
expenditures of the School of Mines
[at US$4,050] were just over 50% of
the [total] expenditures of all of the University’s departments”
(see Figures 2 and 3). Dr. Merrill also convinced the university
to hire its first football coach (he saw some of the earliest games
of college football as a student at the University of Michigan)
and “was a lineman on the faculty football team from 1906 to
1912” (Griffiths).
How did Dr. Merrill build the mining school? He had
studied at Chicago and Cornell in addition to Michigan and
Johns Hopkins. He had a vision of how a college of engineer-
ing, done right, could contribute to a primitive state that was
just leaving the frontier. It wouldn’t be a poor man’s copy of
the eastern universities.
Getting funding was a high priority. The early leaders
made a considerable effort to generate gifts to help support
students and for other school needs. In addition, the U.S.
figure 3. Students at work during the early 1900s.
Congress was giving land grants to states to fund schools of
(Used with permission from the University of Utah
mining. Merrill drafted a bill and pushed it through the state College of Engineering.)
legislature, designating the university’s School of Mines as the
sole recipient of federal funds in Utah. The bill defined the
school’s scope very broadly: “courses of instruction relating program from essentially nothing. We present its develop-
to mining, metallurgical, electrical, and such other branches ment to date at what may be the midpoint of its eventual
of engineering as pertain to the pursuit and development in mature state. Our purpose is to share information that others
all its branches of the mining industry in Utah” (Griffiths). He may find helpful as they engage in similar efforts.
received money and community support, and he put himself It is worth pointing out that the pattern of vision, getting
in a position for instructing essentially all branches of non- resources, and community support that created the Univer-
military engineering. At this time, the university has 32,760 sity of Utah and the College of Engineering were also crucial
students, and the College of Engineering has 5,513. in the development of the new power program. The vision
and community support were provided in part by the lead-
Renascence of Power ership of the College of Engineering and the Electrical and
Engineering at a University Computer Engineering Department in choosing to do this.
A decade ago, the College of Engineering at the University The now-former chair of the department, Prof. Marc Bodson,
of Utah became determined to create a power engineering was a key leader. Though not primarily a power engineer, he

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 89

 180 10
160 9

140 8

Annual Courses Taught

7
Annual Enrollment

120
6
100
5
80
4
60
3
40 Enrollment 2
20 Courses Taught 1
0 0
2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
Academic Year: Last 5+ Months of Year Shown and First Five Months of Next Year

figure. 4. Enrollment and the number of courses taught. (Data provided by the University of Utah Department of Electri-
cal and Computer Engineering.)

actively supported the new initiative. He continues to lead the dimensions of this process. A power course on control of
group of faculty members who are working in power. electric motors (for seniors and graduate students) had
A key indicator of progress is the creation of courses existed for some years. The first power course under the new
that attract students. Figure 4 and Table 1 show several initiative was presented in the 2008–2009 academic year
(2008 in the graph) and was titled Introduction to Power
Engineering (see Table 1). To date, it is taught in the first
table 1. Courses taught in power engineering semester of the third year, and it is one of several intro-
at the University of Utah. ductory courses in various specialties that the department
Year Course Title encourages third-year students to choose for two purposes.
The first is to broaden their horizons. The second is as a
1 4/Grad Control of Electric Motors
foundation for those who may choose to specialize in a par-
2 3 Introduction to Electric Power Engineering ticular field. This course was designed by an unusually adept
3 4 Power Electronics Fundamentals lecturer—not a professor—who learned the material and has
taught it every year since 2008. The enrollment has grown
4 4 Power Systems
to about 44 per year in recent years. The lecturer has taught
5 4 Power System Analysis this to 316 students.
6 4/Grad Power System Economics The number of power courses taught in a year has grown
from the motor control class before 2008 to nine in 2017–
7 4/Grad Power System Security Analysis
2018. Not all of the courses in Table 1 are taught every year.
8 4/Grad Electric Generators Some are rotated every other year. Some have morphed into
9 4/Grad Power Systems Protection others; some others have fallen by the wayside. A few of the
courses listed in Table 1 have to do with specific kinds of
10 4/Grad Electrical Forensic Engineering and Failure
Analysis equipment, but most are power systems courses. The deci-
sion to develop power systems courses was gradual, in part
11 4/Grad Power System Planning and Design reflecting the faculty who joined the power group. Other
12 4/Grad Transmission Planning and Blackouts very fine programs have a stronger emphasis on particular
13 4/Grad Energy Strategic Planning and Renewables
kinds of equipment (e.g., power electronics).
Figure 4 shows that the enrollment in power approxi-
14 4/Grad Modern Power Transmission mately tracks the number of courses taught. If it isn’t on the
15 Grad Sustainable Energy Sources shelf, the customers can’t buy it. But there is a limit on the
number of courses each student can fit into his or her sched-
16 Grad Utility Applications of Power
ule. When it is reached, it may become more important to
Data used with permission from the Department of ensure that the courses taught are the most serviceable of the
Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Utah.
larger number of courses that could be taught. Of course, it

90 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

is not reasonable to expect that every student needs exactly now turn to this difference, which, in part, is recognized in the
the same set of courses. There is a tradeoff between the cost new course offerings and research.
of developing new courses and the benefits to the students Power systems around the world are changing in many
of having more choices. The resolution of that tradeoff will aspects. The portfolio of energy resources is changing by the
depend on the circumstances of each university. And perhaps growing interest in renewable energy resources and natural
a course that is very valuable to a few students is not attrac- gas generation, while the retirement of coal units continues
tive to the masses, which creates a problem that requires a everywhere. This trend is making power systems more inter-
hard decision for the department. dependent with natural gas infrastructure, requiring power
Another indicator of the growth and success of a power engineers to know more about the natural gas market, opera-
program is the ability of graduates to get satisfactory per- tion and planning practices, and procedures. Furthermore,
manent or in-school jobs. This will reflect the level of com- digitalization and automation continue to sweep up more
munication and interest of the faculty and the real world, and more equipment and operation procedures in power sys-
and the underlying need of industry for more engineers. tems, which increases the demand for power engineers with
This information is tracked, more or less well, by university expertise in modern communication and control systems, as
placement offices and is worth reviewing. well as a skill set in machine learning and artificial intelli-
gence to make use of big data generated by sensory, protec-
Creating and Maturing an tion, and control devices in power systems. However, digi-
Interdisciplinary Research talization is making power systems prone to cyberattacks,
and Education Program which requires engineers with knowledge on cyberthreats
in Power Systems and skill sets for developing and using tools for securing the
Having described the process of creating a university, a col- grid against cyberattacks.
lege of engineering, and a power program, we now turn to the Progressive power engineering programs should com-
specific objectives one might choose to meet and how to meet bine a research and education program aimed at educating
them. We emphasize that these should be different for a uni- the next generation of power engineers who are skilled to
versity in the Third World than for one in a developed country. address the emerging problems and challenges faced by
Compared to the eastern United States, Utah in most of the the power industry. The new power engineering graduates
19th century was in the Third World. In addition, universi- should have an interdisciplinary knowledge in power engi-
ties in developed countries should be sensitive to real needs of neering, data science, economics, and cybersecurity and be
their students from developing countries. capable of understanding the interdependency of power sys-
In particular, the founders of the university in 1850 had tems with other critical infrastructure (communication, gas,
the long view of where they wanted to go, even though their water, and transportation).
steps during the first 40 years, though useful in the time and
place, did not meet their vision. The founders of the School Interdisciplinary Power
of Mines/College of Engineering faced immediate needs and Engineering Education
opportunities to which they responded immediately and well. In the old days, electrical engineering was sometimes divided
Those who reestablished the power program over the last into heavy and light currents, with power engineering
decade worked from a strong but still challenging position. squarely in the first group. A modern power engineering pro-
Both the university and the college had concerns, but there gram combines the two and features an education plan with
was something missing—a need not spectacular enough to an interdisciplinary curriculum involving classical power
be broadly noted. engineering courses as well as advanced interdisciplinary
It required just a small investment to develop the Intro- courses on power systems, data science, interdependent sys-
duction to Power Engineering course, which the electrical tems, and so on. Opportunities for students to take courses on
engineering faculty agreed to support by making it a partial entrepreneurship and sustainability education are important,
academic requirement. The faculty also invested a relatively too, for the students to think out of the box and prepare for alter-
small amount to hire a young assistant professor who devel- native career paths after graduation.
oped four quite different courses, one of which is still taught,
but all of which played roles in presenting a live academic Core Power Engineering Courses
program. These actions were supported by the community, Coursework should include developing a strong knowledge
although none of the existing faculty would teach any of the base in classical power engineering courses, which include
courses and all could have used some of the money invested. introductory courses in power engineering and power sys-
The local power industry contributed significant funds and tems analysis, power electronic fundamentals, power sys-
helped in other ways. tems protection, and power distribution systems analysis.
What the initiators realized, at least subliminally, but per- In addition, after taking basic courses on linear control and
haps did not adequately emphasize was that a different program feedback systems, students may take courses on the control
was needed apart from the programs of yesteryear. We will of electric motors and electric generators, which combines

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 91

 Electric machines and power electronics
laboratories are indispensable parts of power
engineering education.

teaching the basics of electric machines with concepts and courses on water distribution systems, hydroinformatics, and
methods for controlling them. transportation systems would help students understand and
solve problems on the nexus of power systems with water
Advanced Power System Courses systems and electrified transportation systems.
A power engineering curriculum may also include new and
advanced courses, some general and some quite special- Sustainability Courses
ized, on such topics as power system economics, control, Power engineering students should be given options to take
and operations; power system security analysis; electrical interdisciplinary courses on environmental/economic sus-
forensic engineering (failure analysis); power system tacti- tainability and interact and share their disciplinary knowl-
cal and strategic planning; and contemporary issues in such edge with students from other disciplines. The courses
multidimensional topics as renewable resources and modern may include topics of relevance to renewable energy policy
transmission systems. Some universities focus less on these and climate change, such as environmental and sustain-
power systems courses and instead provide advanced train- ability policy, sustainable development, and law of cli-
ing in greater depth on various types of hardware, including mate change, to name a few. Cross-disciplinary programs
classical generation and transmission equipment, as well as would provide the students with the opportunity to pass
monitoring and control equipment like FACTS devices. a certain number of courses and get an interdisciplinary
certificate in sustainability, in addition to a degree in elec-
Data Science, Optimization, trical engineering.
and Visualization We would like to emphasize that taking coursework from
Today’s power engineering students who are interested in other science and engineering departments may often require
being on the cutting edge of current large system problems taking extra prerequisite courses, which could be avoided or
should be advised to take courses on data sciences and visu- minimized by collaboration and coordination between facul-
alization that would prepare them to work with and make use ties in the departments. It is impossible for any student to take
of large streams of data that are generated in modern power all the courses listed above. The goal is that enough people be
systems. Such courses may be offered outside the normal trained who are multidimensional in enough different ways
engineering curriculum, in collaboration with departments to adapt to solve today’s and tomorrow’s problems and, inci-
of mathematics and computer science, and may include dentally, that each will enjoy his masteries, while having a
courses on stochastic processes, advanced signal processing, healthy respect for others with different tool kits.
estimation theory, big data analysis, visualization for data
science, machine learning, and others. In addition, students Power Education Laboratories
should be encouraged to consider courses on mathematical
optimization and operations research that are offered in the Electric Machines and
departments of mathematics and industrial engineering. All Power Electronics Laboratories
this goes well beyond the traditional core motors and rotors Electric machines and power electronics laboratories are
and wires heavy-currents focus. indispensable parts of power engineering education. The
labs provide fundamental engineering knowledge and
Interdependent Critical Infrastructure hands-on practical experience on the operation and con-
To address the need for educating power engineering stu- trol of various types of electric generators and motors as
dents on the increasing interdependence with other critical well as the design and operation of several common power
infrastructure, we believe that power engineering programs electronics circuits. The labs provide experience working
should collaborate with academic departments such as civil with many components, such as motors, batteries, magnetic
and environmental engineering and mechanical engineering. devices, power semiconductors, and power-pole boards,
Students should have access to courses that would broaden and include gaining an understanding of the operation of
their understanding of the interdependent infrastructure. The the machines, their state-space models, and the use of these
coursework might include thermodynamics, thermal systems models for computations, simulations, and control system
design, sustainable energy engineering, computational fluid design, including open- and closed-loop methods and select-
dynamics, and thermal environmental engineering. Taking ing controller parameters. As part of these labs, students

92 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

 Industry and state government may play a critical
role in providing budget and endowments to hire
faculty to (re)start power programs.

also refine their understanding of electric measurements require high-performance computers (HPCs) to handle the
and three-phase ac power. In addition, students are provided calculations and large and high-speed data storage to store
with an opportunity to develop skills in modeling and simu- and process big data generated in modern power systems.
lation of physical systems using software (e.g., MATLAB/ The availability of HPCs and high-performance storage sys-
SIMULINK) and gain experience in the use of real-time tems would enable power engineering students to simulate
data acquisition and control tools (e.g., dSPACE hardware and validate their research on large-scale, real-sized systems
and software in combination with MATLAB/SIMULINK). and data, and it would provide them with a skill set to work
Lab development can be expedited by using equipment with these systems after graduation.
made available commercially for education. For example,
equipment for labs on motor drives and power electronics Entrepreneurship Education
was developed under the leadership of Prof. Ned Mohan at With the increasing number of power programs in universi-
the University of Minnesota. Course materials and links to ties, many faculties and students conduct research on devel-
suppliers can be found through the web pages of the Con- oping new software and hardware tools to solve the emerging
sortium of Universities for Sustainable Power (CUSP, 2018). challenges of the power industry. In such an environment,
where many new innovations are developed in universities, it
Real-Time and Hardware-in-the-Loop is of paramount importance to provide the students with the
Simulation Test beds knowledge and opportunity to think about commercializing
Real-time power system simulation platforms aim at repro- their research as new technologies.
ducing with high fidelity the behavior of power systems and Taking courses on entrepreneurship would prepare
the physical variables (e.g. voltages, currents, and phases) in power engineering students to gain hands-on innovation expe-
a virtual environment where new equipment technologies or rience as well as a strong foundation in the business aspects of
control strategies can be tested before implementation in real power technologies. The courses, which might be offered in
power systems. partnership with business schools, provide the students with
Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation test beds place knowledge to start their own companies and understand the
single pieces of actual power equipment or controllers under complexities of the dynamic business world. The entrepre-
test and evaluate their behavior in simulated power system neurship courses may include the business of entrepreneur-
environment where the expensive, high-voltage, high-power ship, launching technology ventures, intellectual property,
equipment are simulated in a real-time simulation platform. and business law, as well as special courses on engineering
The HIL test beds provide a high-fidelity simulation envi- entrepreneurship. In some institutions, the undergraduate
ronment that allows for conducitng a wide range of tests on and graduate students who pass the requirement get a cer-
actual power or control equipment, without harming real tificate in engineering entrepreneurship, in addition to their
power systems operation and equipment due to unexpected undergraduate or graduate degree in electrical engineering.
behavior of the new equipment of control methods. In addition to taking entrepreneurship courses, the stu-
Availability of the real-time simulation platforms and dents may participate in Lean Canvas cohorts, along with the
HIL test beds would not only enable teaching hands-on labs faculty advisers, as the first step in commercializing the tech-
on emerging power system concepts and technologies (e.g., nologies developed in their research. This approach is avail-
distribution automation and microgrid) but also enables stu- able in various forms at a number of universities. The Lean
dents to test their research involving new control methods Canvas may be organized by or in collaboration with the
and/or hardware and understand their behavior in real sys- technology transfer office in universities. For example, at the
tems operation. In addition, such test beds provide a capacity University of Utah, the Technology and Venture Commer-
for the institutions and power programs to serve as a lower- cialization office works with faculties that develop promising
cost testing and verification facility for industry partners. technologies to organize Lean Canvas cohorts. In the Lean
Canvas cohort, the research team (graduate and undergradu-
High-Performance Computing ate students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty members)
and Data Storage Systems would interview approximately 100 prospective customers
Many advanced applications of optimization, control, and partners and develop a creative strategy that incorporates
machine learning, and estimation in power systems operation the customer’s needs and challenges for determining the

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 93

 Key Customer
Activities Relationships
Key Value Customer
Partners Propositions Segments

Key Market
Resources Channels

Cost Structure Revenue Streams

figure 5. The Lean Canvas for business development.

market potential and moving the technology toward commer- or without strings attached. Some scholarship programs are
cialization. In the Lean Canvas, an entrepreneurial lead and a aimed at supporting students to conduct a project on spe-
business mentor will join the research team and work together cific areas of interest to the industry sponsor. For instance,
over a seven-week program to properly assess true opportuni- some programs connect students with power industry spon-
ties of the technologies and develop a business strategy. Fig- sors to complete capstone design projects for a cooperative,
ure 5 shows the information gathered through the interviews real-world engineering experience in campus labs under the
and studies in the Lean Canvas, which includes identifying guidance of a faculty adviser. In this setting, the sponsors
key partners and customer segments and creating relation- explore an important problem while forming relationships
ships and market channels for future marketing purposes. with the university’s students and have the opportunity to
The plan would sketch a detailed cost structure and revenue recruit the students after graduation.
stream for the technologies developed by the research team.
Industry Internship
Engaging Industry and Government Power industry companies and university power engineer-
for Supporting Education and Student ing programs both benefit by hiring students as interns. This
Innovation provides students the opportunity to put their university edu-
In addition to federal institutions and funding agencies, local cation in action and experience the industry career path.
industry and state government agencies have an important
role in supporting educational programs, such as power University-Led Forums and Symposiums
engineering, as well as supporting and driving student and Power engineering programs could organize frequent forums
faculty innovation. and symposiums at universities aimed at bringing together
the experts from the power and energy industry, government
Industry Endowment and State Government and regulatory agencies, and the academic community for
Support to Hire Power Engineering Faculty facilitating discussions and sharing the latest power system
(Re)starting a power engineering program in a university and electric-grid-related research and trending issues. The
requires faculty members who can lead, teach, and research forums could provide a platform for attendees to network,
on many topics related to power engineering. Hiring new initiate partnerships, advance the dialogue and breadth of
faculty, however, is not an easy task and requires planning power and energy knowledge, formulate academic pursuits,
and a line on the budget that may not be readily available. and activity in the local or broader community, and advanc-
Industry and state government may play a critical role in ing education and employment opportunities for the stu-
providing budget and endowments to hire faculty to (re)start dents. This could be also coordinated and co-sponsored by
power programs. the local IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) Chapter to
involve local PES members, most of whom come from the
Student Scholarships local power industry.
The power industry could play an important role in provid-
ing scholarships to attract and support talented students in State Energy Development Office
power engineering programs. The scholarships could be The mission of a state energy development office is to
provided to both undergraduate and graduate students, with advance energy development in the states through industrial

94 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

assistance and develop partnerships with energy stakehold- various stakeholders involved and in finding and applying,
ers throughout the state, region, and nation. Power engineer- in a well-conceived way, the resources available. All of this
ing programs could benefit greatly from establishing a rela- bespoke informed, energetic, and otherwise astute leader-
tionship with the offices and utilizing it to engage with the ship. We told this story to inspire those who aspire to do
local power industry for the betterment of the program. The likewise and show how the process may develop for them.
offices could potentially provide opportunities to connect The rest of the article laid out the academic principles
the programs with the public utilities, commercial sector, that we believe 21st century creators of a university power
and municipal utilities. engineering program should find helpful. Tomorrow’s power
engineers deserve much more than learning equations that
Student Career Development yesterday’s engineers invented to solve the problems of their
University career and professional development centers may day. The blackouts, the climate change that people may or
hold career expos that provide power engineering students may not believe in, the smart solutions that may have unex-
with several opportunities: meet recruiters and staff from pected side effects, the intimidating cyberattack vulnerabili-
employers seeking to hire power engineers, demonstrate their ties—things we see on television and the Internet and things
skill sets and technical focus, learn about current job oppor- we should see but don’t—all call for understanding the elec-
tunities, and explore career options in the industry. Such tric power world as it is and how it got here. But truly new
expos are a customized smaller-scale format of a traditional approaches also are needed: interdisciplinary, innovative, and
job fair, in which recruiters interact with many students, entrepreneurial. We have presented our vision of how a new
share important aspects of their company, and discuss next breed of power engineers can be created through programs
steps with their preferred candidates. In addition to the expo, that embody these attributes. The world needs success!
the program may hold regular industry-student luncheon and
poster sessions that provide the students with the opportunity For Further Reading
to present their research and interact with the industry. D. K. Gehmlich. (2003, June). A history of the College of
Before holding the expos, career coaches provide mul- Engineering, University of Utah. [Online]. Available: www
tiple in-class or group trainings to the students on the fol- .coe.utah.edu/history
lowing topics: CUSP. (2018). Con­sortium of Universities for Sustainable
1) Employer research—teaching students how to re- Power. [Online]. Available: www.cusp.umn.edu
search the employers who will be at the expo to iden- University of Utah Technology and Venture Commer-
tify employment opportunities and gain an under- cialization Office. (2018). [Online]. Available: https://tvc
standing of the company’s business model, culture, .utah.edu/
recruiting practices, and response to industry trends. S. Blank, “Why the lean start-up changes everything,”
2) Resume development—teaching students about the Harv. Bus. Rev., vol. 91, no. 5, pp. 63–72, May 2013.
basics of a strong resume in science technology B. Russell, “Educating the workforce for the modern
engineering and mathematics and providing con- electric power system university-industry collaboration,”
structive feedback to those who bring their resume Bridge Electricity Grid, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 35–41, Apr. 2010.
to be reviewed. N. N. Schulz and W. Reder, “The challenges and oppor-
3) Interview training—helping students develop a con- tunities of workforce development in power engineering and
cise and compelling communication plan about their how the IEEE PES is helping,” in Proc. 2008 43rd Int. Uni-
experience and technical interests, which is critical to versities Power Engineering Conf., Padova, Italy, 2008,
having a successful conversation with recruiters and pp. 1–4.
making a lasting impression. M. Kezunovic, V. Vittal, S. Meliopoulos, and T. Mount,
4) Dress and appearance training—helping students un- “The big picture,” IEEE Power Energy Mag., vol. 10, no. 4,
derstand that their personal appearance counts and pp. 22–34, July/Aug. 2012.
that it is important to attend such events in profes- C. P. Griffiths, “Between the devil and the deep blue sea:
sional dress. The life of Joseph F. Merrill, scientist, educator, apostle,”
2015, to be published.
Summary
This article began by telling the story of the creation of a uni- Biographies
versity and a college of engineering, beginning with nothing, Masood Parvania is with the University of Utah, Salt
and also the re-creation of a university power engineering Lake City.
program after many years of little or no activity in this field. Hyde M. Merrill is with the University of Utah, Salt
In all cases, key people had a vision of what was needed and Lake City.
 p&e
practical. They succeeded in developing the support of the

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 95

 history
Robert D. Barnett

the Niagara alternators

competing alternatives and frequencies

T
The alternators designed
for the world’s first polyphase ac gen- In previous “History” columns in IEEE Power & Energy Magazine, we have covered a
erating station, later known as Adams number of interesting aspects of electrical power associated with the Niagara Falls
Plant Number 1, were ten times larger area. Past articles include
than anything else then in existence. In
• “Canada–U.S. ac Intertie: First Canadian Hydro Plant at Niagara Falls” by
the five years between 1890 and 1895,
C.A. Woodworth (vol. 14, no. 4, 2016)
our modern ac power system was de-
• “ The Schoellkopf Disaster: Aftermath in the Niagara River Gorge” by C.A.
veloped at Niagara Falls, New York.
The general history of the station Woodworth (vol. 10, no. 6, 2012)
has been well documented elsewhere. • “25-Hz at Niagara Falls: End of an Era on the Niagara Frontier, Part I and
It was a deep wheel-pit plant as a result Part II,” by T.J. Blalock and C.A. Woodworth (vol. 6, no. 1 and 2, 2008)
of government regulations in both the • “ Triumph of ac: From Pearl Street to Niagara” by C. Sulzberger (vol. 1, no.
United States and Canada that prohib- 3, 2003).
ited the construction of industrial facil- In this issue’s contribution on the history of power and Niagara, we present the
ities on the banks of the Niagara River competing alternatives for the alternators (and frequencies) designed and eventu-
near the falls. The alternators were ally installed for the largest polyphase ac generating station of its time.
located at the top of the pit, with the We welcome back Robert D. Barnett for the second time to these “History”
turbines at the bottom. Initially, there
pages. In 1982, he formed the Niagara Society for Industrial History as a support
was considerable discussion regarding
group for a proposed museum in a former Niagara Falls power plant, and he has
locating the generators at the bottom of
written on the history of the topic. Barnett, who is a Senior Member of the IEEE,
the pit with the turbines, but this would
have resulted in significantly higher graduated from the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, and Niagara College,
excavation costs. Ontario, Canada.
Figure 1 shows a section of the John Paserba
plant as depicted in one of the early Associate Editor, History
proposals. By 1905, there were four
similar plants being built at Niagara
Falls—two on the American side of
the river and two on the Canadian side.
Only the Canadian plants are extant. er at Niagara Falls and transmit it to be the system of choice. A request for
At the time of this writing, their future Buffalo, New York. On 11 May 1890, proposal was sent out, and responses
is uncertain. Edward Dean Adams, the company’s were filed in New York and London.
president, suggested inviting European On 4 February 1891, the commission
The International and American firms to determine the announced the winners of the compe-
Niagara Commission best scheme for power generation. The tition. Prizes were awarded, but none of
The Cataract Construction Company firm established the International Ni- the electrical proposals was deemed
was formed to develop hydraulic pow- agara Commission (INC) for this pur- fully acceptable.
pose. At that time, it was not clear if After much deliberation, in March
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2841461 electricity or possibly some mechanical 1892, the contract for the design of the
Date of publication: 17 August 2018 means, such as compressed air, would first three 5,000-hp, 250-r/min hydraulic

96 ieee power & energy magazine 1540-7977/18©2018IEEE september/october 2018

turbines was awarded. In the two years voltage would be raised by transformers have been referring to motor–generator
that passed from the original request for to 10,000 V and transmitted to Buffalo. (M-G) sets. Motors would be both syn-
proposal and the letting of the turbine At Buffalo, Forbes said, “the current may chronizing or the nonsynchronizing Tes-
contract, there had been a significant ad- be used for large motors at full poten- la motors. With respect to alternators,
vancement in ac technology. The Cata- tial.” Transformers would bring the volt- he said, “No quite satisfactory design
ract Construction Company was watch- age down to 2,000 V for general use and of an alternator of large power has yet
ing this intently. converted for continuous current (dc) by … been produced.” He recommended
what he called dynamo transformers. It “machines of about 500 horse-power.”
Prof. George Forbes is not clear what Forbes meant by this A large portion of his proposal was de-
One of the submitters to the commis- phrase. Synchronous converters were voted to the matter of current density in
sion was Prof. George Forbes, fellow still a gleam in their creator’s eye when conductors and the efficient use of cop-
of the Royal Society of London. He his proposal was submitted. He may per. Although Forbes was an advocate
proposed using ac. His was the only
submission to do so. Forbes was born
in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, on 5
April 1849. A graduate of Cambridge,
Forbes was Scottish by birth and Eng-
lish by choice. Perhaps that is why he
does not get a mention in Arthur Her-
man’s book How the Scots Invented the
Modern World. In 1882, Forbes moved
to London and joined the British Elec-
tric Light Company as manager. Dur-
ing the next decade, he established
himself as a consulting electrical en-
gineer specializing in generation and
transmission. Although he has a good
reputation, especially in Europe, he
appears not to have had any formal
training in electrical engineering.
Given that electrical technology was
in its embryonic stages at that time, it
was open to practitioners from various
fields. Since Forbes was already a sci-
entist with a greatly respected educa-
tion, this would certainly have quali-
fied him to enter the field.
In the 1880s, in addition to his en-
gineering work, Forbes lectured on
electrical theory. His Cantor Lectures
“The Distribution of Electricity”
of 1885 were highly regarded. He in-
vented the carbon brush and an ac am-
meter as well as putting forth the idea
of using pumped storage in place of ac-
cumulators (batteries) to even out the
load on dc generating stations. Burning
trash to produce steam was also an idea
he proffered. He was an idea man not
given to detail work.
In Forbes’s proposal to the INC, pow-
er would be generated at 2,000 V, single
phase. This voltage would be used local-
ly to a distance of 3 mi for industry and figure 1. Adams Station, a deep wheel-pit plant. (From E.D. Adams, Niagara
general consumers in Niagara Falls. The Power, vol. 2, Niagara Falls, NY: Niagara Falls Power Company, 1927.)

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 97

 for ac, he did not mention a polyphase Alternator Design eral Electric (GE). They were invited
system in his proposal. On the civil-mechanical side, things to present proposals for the electrical
In April 1892, INC awarded Forbes were moving quickly. The discharge system design.
a £100 prize for his submission. Be- tunnel, whose excavation began in 1890, As the proposal period progressed,
cause of his reputation as an ac expert, would be completed in December 1892. it was noticed that both designs were
he was retained as the Cataract Con- The wheel pit would be finished in Jan- virtually identical, with the exception
struction Company’s consulting engi- uary 1894. An electrical design would that Westinghouse was using a two-
neer. As part of his contract, he was have to be finalized soon. For busi- phase system and GE was proposing
required to spend at least six months of ness reasons too complex to deal with three phase. An investigation launched
the year in the United States devoting here, only American manufacturers by the Cataract Company lawyers dis-
his time to the interests of the company. were considered. The largest American covered that a Westinghouse employee
At this time, the decision was made to electrical equipment manufacturers at had been selling design information to
proceed with ac as the only option. that time were Westinghouse and Gen- GE. The ensuing scandal, along with
the fact that the proposed alternators
did not quite conform to the flywheel
effect required by the turbine gover-
nors, caused the firm to suspend the
bidding process. The Cataract Compa-
ny decided to provide its own design,
and on 11 May 1893, the bidders were
told that the alternator designer would
be Forbes. Not happy with this but
aching to be the ones to build the first
alternators of such a colossal size, both
Westinghouse and GE agreed to bid on
Forbes’s design.
Regardless of his reputation and
qualifications, Forbes was not a de-
signer of alternators. He may have
had some experience with machines
in England, but he was clearly out of
his depth with the Niagara alternator.
To make matters worse, the Cataract
Construction Company had unreason-
able expectations of him. When asked
to design an alternator, he should have
recommended such a level of detail be
left to a firm like Westinghouse. The
latter had a large number of ac light-
ing systems in service and had proven
its power transmission technology
with the single-phase projects at Tel-
luride, Colorado, in 1891 and Pomona,
California, in 1892. The company was
well versed in small ac machinery de-
sign. But Forbes did not suggest such
an approach.
The alternator Forbes designed was
electrically similar to a 500-hp ma-
chine, but by scaling it up ten times, he
became involved with risks of which he
was not aware. Westinghouse, whose
specialty was the design and construc-
figure 2. Forbes’s alternator design. (From E.D. Adams, Niagara Power, vol. 2, tion of electrical machines, was only
Niagara Falls, NY: Niagara Falls Power Company, 1927.) just beginning to understand the losses

98 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

caused by eddy currents and hysteresis. left for the armature in the center of the of induction motors. But there were no
The same was true of armature reac- machine. However, he was extremely polyphase loads in 1893—neither two
tance. Forbes had not had the opportu- concerned about the proper operation nor three phase. Tesla’s motor was still
nity to become aware of these problems. of the governors (see Figure 3). When under development. Lighting was the
Power House 2 was built five years lat- only load of significance, and it was,
Forbes’s Design er, the first six units were almost identi- of course, single phase by nature, and
Figure 2 shows Forbes’s alternator. It cal to those of Power House 1. The last as such it was virtually impossible to
represented quite a departure from the five, however, were built with internal guarantee balanced lighting loads. If
alternators of the time. It was to be a rotating fields, because “improvements the circuits were independent single
two-phase, 20,000-V machine, with a in water-wheel governors have made phase, imbalance was not nearly the
vertical axis and an external, rotating permissible the lower flywheel effect” problem it would be in a polyphase
umbrella-type field. Virtually all alter- (Buck 1902). system. Imbalance was another area
nators at that time were horizontal and Forbes’s reasoning for using two- where there was little knowledge.
had armatures rotating inside the sta- phase current was that the two-phase, There was also the matter of voltage
tionary field poles. The Forbes machine four-wire system was like using two regulation. In general, alternator regula-
was to have eight poles, at which the tur- independent single-phase circuits, with tion was poor, with 20–30% being ac-
bine speed of 250 r/min would produce the added advantage that a rotating ceptable. Alternators were frequently
a frequency of 16.67 Hz. The armature magnetic field could be produced (as compounded in a manner similar to dc
also had an access hole in its center to it could with three phases) for the use generators, using commutators to place
allow for the removal of the drive shaft
from the wheel pit. This made for a
rather small armature, with not much
area for heat dissipation. There was to
be one armature coil per pole, in open
slots. The armature conductors, insu-
lated with a substance called Woodite,
were to be forced-oil cooled.
The umbrella configuration was
possibly the most unusual physical
feature of the alternator, but it was not
entirely Forbes’s idea. Coleman Sell-
ers, the chief mechanical engineer,
explained the reasoning as follows.
The turbines were ordered and their
construction well under way before ac
became the chosen system. Sellers was
concerned about the weight on the tur-
bine bearings produced by the 100-ft
shaft. In the original design, a sepa-
rate flywheel was included to assist the
governor in controlling the speed dur-
ing load fluctuations. This flywheel is
evident in the early proposal drawings.
Doing away with a separate flywheel
would reduce the weight significantly.
Sellers asked the electrical manufac-
turers to build the extra momentum
that the flywheel would have produced
into their machines.
When they did not do this to Cole-
man’s satisfaction, it was his idea to use
the external rotating field of the alter-
nator to produce the required momen- figure 3. Coleman Sellers observing the governors’ operation. (From E.D.
tum. It is unfortunate that Sellers made Adams, Niagara Power, vol. 2, Niagara Falls, NY: Niagara Falls Power
this decision, given the limited space it Company, 1927.)

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 99

 a portion of the rectified armature ac in approach. Although he originally pro- Electrician 1893, p. 121). Woodite is
series with the main field. It would be posed a 2,000-V system to INC, in his described in a technical journal of the
ten years before reliable automatic regu- new alternator design, he called for time as an elastic packing material of
lators would be used to solve the voltage 20,000 V. This would have eliminated fibrous character, consisting in part of
drop problem. We take this for granted the need for transformers. He even rec- India rubber and intended for lining the
today, but in 1895, voltage regulation ommended using 20,000 V “for the hulls of ships of war to secure tempo-
was a serious concern. Using a two- factories within a distance of a mile” rary plugging of holes made by shot.
phase system reduced the seriousness of (The Electrician 1893, p. 99). He did At an Institution of Electrical Engi-
the problem because single-phase cir- not mention how he would have fed a neers meeting in 1893 to discuss
cuits could be fed independently. 5-hp induction motor with 20,000 V. Forbes’s paper, his peers were gener-
Forbes called for 16.67 Hz to use a Perhaps he would have used an M-G ally not very supportive of his proposals.
modified dc motor as a synchronizing set instead of a transformer. Some were outright hostile. Several of
motor. These would have been quite With regard to the armature wind- them were prominent 19th-century en-
similar to so-called universal motors— ing, Forbes said his design limited the gineers: W.H. Mordey, Gisbert Kapp,
dc motors run on ac. This type of motor number of coils “so as to give the best Silvanus P. Thompson, and Sebastian de
did come to be used extensively in single- assurance of good parallel working.” Ferranti. Generally, they disagreed with
phase tractions systems. When reading He said nothing about the fact that he the use of a low frequency and expressed
his articles, one gets the impression that, was using a one-slot-per-pole design, the opinion that paralleling alternators
although Forbes was a great proponent of likely because it was the standard de- was no longer a serious problem. Some
ac, the closer the frequency was to 0 Hz, sign at that time. For insulation, he pointed out that three phase was bet-
the better he liked it. used Woodite, which would “not break ter than two phase, especially since the
Forbes believed that “an extra high down to ensure higher insulation and to intention was to transmit power 20 mi
pressure” for generation was the best preserve the insulating material” (The to Buffalo. When it came to motors, the
use of induction motors was believed to
be the best choice. In a letter, C.E.L.
Brown, who would go on to form Brown
Boveri, stated that as “regards transform-
ers, a high frequency was certainly best.”
In conclusion, he said, “apparently the
worst possible design for the dynamos
had been selected” by Forbes.
For the most part, Forbes was not
moved by any arguments against his
design. He expressed “nothing but sor-
row at the failure of the various speak-
ers to take a comprehensive view of
the subject.” He finished by stating
“that he had now not one particle less
confidence in his design than he had
before the discussion took place.”
It would not really matter how Forbes
felt anyway; Westinghouse’s engineers
were redesigning Forbes’s alternator by
the time he presented his paper.

Lamme’s Design
Born on 12 January 1864 near Spring-
f ield, Oh io, Benja m in G. La m me
graduated from The Ohio State Uni-
versity in 1888 with the degree of me-
chanical engineer. He began work-
ing for Westinghouse on 1 May 1889
figure 4. Lamme’s alternator design. (From L.B. Stillwell, “The Electric Trans- and was promoted to assistant chief
mission of Power from Niagara Falls,” Transactions of the American Institute of engineer in 1900 and to chief engineer
Electrical Engineers, Jan. 1906.) in 1903. He held this position until

100 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

1924. Lamme was a member of the dard. At a meeting in New York City Pennsylvania, this frequency was
American Institute of Electrical En- where the Westinghouse contingent mostly extinct by the 1990s.
gineers and was awarded the Edison a nd Forb es were pl ie d wit h foo d , The Forbes frequency was also
Medal in 1919. drink, and Adams’s best negotiating unsuitable for synchronous convert-
Lamme’s alternator design is shown skills, a compromise was reached ers, which Westinghouse had under
in Figure 4, and Figure 5 shows the for t he 12-pole mach i ne. T he f re- development at that time. These ma-
external rotating field lifted above the quency would be 25 Hz. This fre- chines were used to convert ac to dc
central stationary armature. Figure 6 quency became the standard in most in one apparatus. Hundreds of these
shows the a r mat u re being wound industrial cities in the northwestern machines would be used in the elec-
on site. United States and Canada. However, trochemical industries and street rail-
At the request of Adams, the Cata- with motors replacing steam engines ways, where the use of dc was the only
ract Company president, Lamme wrote almost completely by the 1930s, it choice at the time.
a description of his input to the design was realized that, at 25 Hz, a four- The alternator voltage and voltage
of the Niagara alternator, “Early Work pole motor at 750 r/min was not well regulation were also points of con-
on First 5000 Horsepower Alterna- suited to loads requiring lower than tention. To quote Lamme: “The type
tors,” which was published on page 100 hp. Except for a few holdouts, of armature coils proposed, the number
409 of volume 2 of Niagara Power. such as the single-phase electric and arrangement of the coils, the huge
The following details were taken from railroad system between New York, open armature slots required, the meth-
that writing. Washington, D.C., and Harrisburg, od of dissipating the heat from these
Lamme begins by saying, “The
original design of Professor Forbes
is quite interesting, from the present
view-point, especially in indicat-
ing the serious mistake which would
have been made if it had been adopted
as it stood. It included many features
which were then unprecedented, and
are now known, to be utterly imprac-
ticable.” Lamme had made notes re-
garding the Forbes design during the
time that Westinghouse was working
up a bid. He used them as a basis for
his article.
According to Lamme, the 16.67-Hz
frequency chosen by Forbes was un-
work able b e cause it wa s too low
to provide a reasonable speed range
for induction motors. In our present-
day 60-Hz system, the most common
induction motor is a four-pole ma-
chine with a maximum possible (syn-
chronous) speed of 1,800 r/min. With
16.67 Hz, the synchronous speed of
this four-pole machine was 500 r/min.
This speed is too low to be used as a
general-purpose motor. Westinghouse
would have preferred a frequency of
30 Hz. They already had designs based
on 30 Hz. But the 250-r/min speed of
the turbines would not allow this fre-
quency. Both Forbes and Westinghouse
were steadfast in their choices.
Westinghouse was pushing for
the 16-pole design because its fre- figure 5. The field umbrella design lowered over the armature. (From The Har-
quency was very close to its stan- nessing of Niagara, London: Cassier Company, 1899.)

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 101

 coils, the insulating a r rangements “enormously high.” Lamme used 2,300 V, a phenomenon that was just beginning
etc., were all subjected to severe at- a value similar to what Westinghouse to be understood to the point where the
tack” by the Westinghouse engineers. had been using in its single-phase al- losses could be calculated.
Lamme refe r r e d t o t h e 2 0,0 0 0 -V ternators. The huge coils were liable Lamme wrote that armature reac-
armature proposed by Forbes as being to overheat because of eddy currents, tance was “not well understood at the
time. Still enough was known to indi-
cate that the relatively small number
of armature coils…and the high arma-
ture magnetomotive force would result
in…very poor regulation.” According
to the article mentioned previously,
Lamme’s design had 187 slots with
two 1-11/32-in × 7/16-in copper con-
ductors in each slot. So, for his 25-Hz,
16-pole machine, there were 11.6825
slots per pole instead of one slot per
pole for Forbes’s dynamo.
Lamme continues by saying that
“in the three fundamental features of
heating, insulation and regulation”
these machines as built were “vastly
different from the original design.”
Proof of the adequacy of the design
lies in the fact that, when Lamme
wrote this in 1920, “these machines
have operated successfully for some
twenty-five years.”
Figure 7 shows Forbes’s design
of the internal armature that was to
use concentrated windings—one slot
per pole. This was typical of the al-
ternators used at that time. Figure 8
shows Lamme’s design using distrib-
uted windings—a technique that was
to become standard on virtually all
modern machines.
Mechanically, there was little dif-
figure 6. The armature being wound on site. (From The Harnessing of Niagara,
ference in the two designs. Electrical-
London: Cassier Company, 1899.)
ly, they were worlds apart. The major
difference was the use of distributed
windings in the armature design. Al-
though the alternators designed by
Westinghouse were a success, they
were not to be repeated outside of what
became known as Adams Plant Num-
bers 1 and 2. By 1905, a third plant
was in operation on the Canadian side
of the Niagara River. By then, the al-
ternators were three phase and electri-
cally indistinguishable from modern
machines. The three plants were con-
nected by a tie line crossing the river
on the Upper Arch Bridge. By then,
figure 7. Forbes’s armature—one slot per pole. (From E.D. Adams, Niagara Charles Scott had invented the Scott
Power, vol. 2, Niagara Falls, NY: Niagara Falls Power Company, 1927.) connection to allow the two-phase

102 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

Join your colleagues at the 2018 IEEE International Forum
on Smart Grids for Smart Cities (SG4SC) that will be held
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Learn from experts in energy, telecommunications, and

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Panel topics will include:

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Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2844420
THE IEEE APP:
Your mobile
gateway to
IEEE.

figure 8. Lamme’s armature—11.6825 slots per pole. (From L.B. Stillwell, “The
electric transmission of power from niagara falls,” Transactions of the American
Institute of Electrical Engineers, Jan. 1906.)
Download now
and get IEEE at .hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.3901502
alternators to be connected with the
your fingertips. Canadian machines and the three- 3119491;view=1up;seq=877
phase transmission line to Buffalo (see L. B. Stillwell, “The electric trans-
C.A. Woodworth, “Canada–U.S. ac In- mission of power from Niagara Falls,”
tertie,” IEEE Power & Energy Maga- Trans. Am. Inst. Electr. Eng., vol. XVIII,
zine, vol. 14, no. 4, July 2016). pp. 444–544, Jan. 1906.
H. C. Passer, The Electrical Man-
For Further Reading ufacturers, 1875–1900. Cambridge,
The Harnessing of Niagara. London: MA: Harvard Univ. Press, 1953.
Cassier Company, 1899. G. Forbes, “Harnessing Niagara,”
The Niagara Falls Electrical Hand- Blackwood’s Mag., vol. CLVIII, p. 430,
book. Niagara Falls, NY: AIEE, 1904. Sept. 1895.
E. D. Adams, Niagara Power, vols. E. A. Le Sueur, “Professor Forbes
1 and 2. Niagara Falls, NY: Niagara on ‘Harnessing Niagara’,” Popular Sci.
Falls Power Company, 1927. Monthly, vol. 48, pp. 198–204, Dec.
(1892–1895, Jan.). The Electrical 1895.
Engineer. [Online]. XVII. Available: H. W. Buck, “The new generat-
ht t p://w w w.t h a d d eu slowe.n a m e / ing plants of the Niagara Falls Pow-
Electrical_Engineer.pdf er Company,” Trans. AIEE, p. 770,
C. Sellers. (1898, June). Some of 1902.
the mechanical features of the power The Electrician, vol. 32. London:
development at Niagara Falls. Trans. Bouverie House, 1893.
Am. Soc. Mech. Eng. [Online]. XIX, 
p&e
pp. 839–880. Available: https://babel
 College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Science

Faculty Search for Warren H. Owen Distinguished Professor

in Electrical & Computer Engineering with a focus in Power Electronics and Drives

Applications and nominations are sought for the Warren H. Owen Distinguished Professor in Electrical and
Computer Engineering at Clemson University (http://www.clemson.edu/ece/). The candidate’s teaching and
research should encompass a broad range of topics related to power electronics, including power electronic
devices, converter topologies, control, electrical drive systems and energy storage systems. In addition, the
ideal candidate should have a solid understanding of the cyber-infrastructure related areas of power
electronic systems such as embedded controller systems, networking, and communication and sensing. The
person filling the position will hold a senior faculty position in the Holcombe Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering and will be located on Clemson’s main campus in Clemson, SC.

The Holcombe Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is one of the largest and most active
departments at Clemson, with over 35 primary faculty positions and 14 affiliated full-time faculty members,
approximately 550 undergraduates and 190 graduate students. The main campus includes state-of-the-art
real-time simulation facilities for research in intelligent control of the electric grid, a modern power-
electronics laboratory, and a thriving undergraduate and graduate emphasis in power systems. There are also
power system facilities at the Clemson University Restoration Institute (CURI) in N. Charleston SC, that are
associated with the department. CURI houses a $98M power facility initiated in 2009 from a $45M
Department of Energy grant. The facility includes the SCE&G Energy Innovation Center which contains
the world’s most-advanced wind-turbine drivetrain testing facility capable of full-scale highly accelerated
mechanical and electrical testing of advanced drivetrain systems for wind turbines. The SCE&G Energy
Innovation Center also houses the Duke Energy Electrical Grid Research Innovation and Development
(eGRID) Center, a facility with real-time simulation and 20MVA hardware-in-the-loop capability.

Clemson University is the largest land-grant institution in South Carolina, enrolling 18,600 undergraduates
and 4,800 graduate students. Seven colleges house strong programs in architecture, engineering, science,
agriculture, business, social sciences, arts and education. A faculty of 1,500 and staff of 3,700 support 84
undergraduate degree offerings, 73 master’s degree programs and 40 Ph.D. programs. An annual operating
budget of approximately $1.1.5 billion and an endowment of $683 million fund programs and operations.
The University has externally funded research expenditures of $109 million per year. Research and economic
development activities are enhanced by public-private partnerships at 4 innovation campuses and 6 research
and education centers located throughout South Carolina. Clemson University is ranked 23rd among national
public universities by U.S. News & World Report.

Applicants must have an earned doctorate in Electrical Engineering or a closely related field. Application
material should be submitted electronically at the following Web link:
http://apply.interfolio.com/52850

To ensure full consideration, applicants must apply by November 15, 2018; however, the search will remain
open until the position is filled.

Clemson University is an AA/EEO employer and does not discriminate against any person or group on
the basis of age, color, disability, gender, pregnancy, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation,
veteran status or genetic information. Clemson University is building a culturally diverse faculty
committed to working in a multicultural environment and encourages applications from minorities and
women.
 book reviews

vital for planning

load flow and optimal power flow tools

T
The book reviewed in this sis and curve fitting. It then covers
issue, Load Flow Optimization and fundamentals of automatic generation
Optimal Power Flow, by J.C. Das, dis- control and load frequency control
cusses system modeling and different mech­­anisms. The book also discusses
solution techniques for load flow and the effects of frequency and interchange
optimal power flow. The reviewer calls on area control error.
the text “a great book for power system Techniques for the detailed mod-
engineers involved in power flow and eling of ac transmission circuits, high-
optimal power flow studies.” voltage dc, transformer, phase shifters,
ac motors, shunts, and flexible ac trans-
Load Flow Optimization mission system devices are present-
and Optimal Power Flow ed. The text comprehensively covers
By J.C. Das reactive power control devices and the
Today’s transmission system is stressed means for conducting critical system
by increasing use and a changing mar- studies for maintaining secure volt­­­
ket. For example, changes are happen- age profiles.
ing due to Different techniques to solve the
✔✔ the growth of variable energy load f low are presented, including
resources, such as wind genera- Gauss, Gauss–Seidel, Newton–Raph-
tion, that is typically located far son, rectangular formulation, polar
from load centers sponse and additional installations form of formulation, and fast decou-
✔✔ system maintenance work com- of distributed energy resources pled methods. Details of the triangular
presse d into a few months to ✔✔ the retirement of old generation factorization technique to decompose
minimize adverse market im- facilities located near load centers. the Jacobian matrix to solve power sys-
pacts while continuing to avoid As a result of these changes, the tem problems are also discussed.
outages during critical opera- complexity of the power system studies The book covers balanced and un-
tional periods is increasing, and the number of studies balanced power system modeling. In
✔✔ restrictions due to deratings and re- is growing exponentially. Load flow and an unbalanced system, such as a distri-
placement of aging infrastructure optimal power flow are two of the most bution system, a representation of the
✔✔ steadily increasing energy trans- important tools used for the power sys- three individual phases in a load flow
fers as power is bought and sold to tem operation and planning studies. This is critical to analyzing the system. The
meet load, especially during times book is a must read for those interested text addresses the modeling of three-
of fuel scarcity or major price dif- in comprehensively learning all aspects phase transformers, loads, shunts and
ferences between systems of these vital tools. generators for three-phase load flow.
✔✔ fluctuating demand characteristics The text thoroughly covers system Optimal power flow optimization the-
and increased use of demand re- modeling and different solution tech- ory is explained, including demonstrations
niques for load flow and optimal power
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2819039
flow, starting with the load forecasting
Date of publication: 17 August 2018 techniques, such as regression analy- (continued on p. 110)

106 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

 Holcombe Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Faculty Search for Assistant or Associate Professor in Power Systems or Power Electronics
Clemson University Charleston Innovation Campus, N. Charleston, SC

Applications and nominations are sought for an Assistant or Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer
Engineering (http://www.clemson.edu/ece/) in electrical power engineering at the Zucker Family Graduate
Education Center (ZGEC) of Clemson University’s Charleston Innovation Campus in N. Charleston, SC
(https://www.clemson.edu/cecas/departments/charleston/). Consideration will be given to candidates with
teaching and research in topics related to power engineering with a focus on either 1) Intelligent Distribution
Systems applications in power systems or 2) Power Electronic converters, devices and applications in power
systems. In addition, the ideal candidate should have a solid understanding of the electrical drive systems
and wide-bandgap power electronic devices and converters. In either case, a solid understanding of the
cyber-infrastructure related areas of power systems such as embedded systems, cybersecurity, networking,
and remote sensing will be beneficial.

The Holcombe Department of ECE is one of the largest and most active departments in the University,
with 35 primary faculty positions and 14 affiliated full-time faculty members, approximately 550
undergraduates and 190 graduate students. Annual research expenditures exceed $8.6 million. Power
engineering research facilities associated with the Department include those on the Clemson main campus
and at the Charleston Innovation Campus. The Innovation Campus houses a $110M electric power research
facility initiated in 2009 from a $45M Department of Energy grant. It includes the SCE&G Energy
Innovation Center, which contains the world’s most-advanced wind-turbine drivetrain testing facility
capable of full-scale highly accelerated mechanical and electrical testing of advanced drivetrain systems for
wind turbines. The SCE&G Energy Innovation Center also houses the Duke Energy Electrical Grid
Research Innovation and Development (eGRID) Center, a facility with real-time simulation and 20MVA
hardware-in-the-loop capability. The Clemson main campus includes state-of-the-art real-time simulation
facilities for research in intelligent control of the electric grid, a modern power-electronics laboratory, and a
thriving undergraduate and graduate emphasis in power systems.

Clemson University is the largest land-grant institution in South Carolina, enrolling 18,600 undergraduates
and 4,800 graduate students. Seven colleges house strong programs in architecture, engineering, science,
agriculture, business, social sciences, arts and education. A faculty of 1,500 and staff of 3,700 support 84
undergraduate degree offerings, 73 master’s degree programs and 40 Ph.D. programs. An annual operating
budget of approximately $1.15 billion and an endowment of $683 million fund programs and operations.
The University has externally funded research expenditures of $109 million per year. Research and economic
development activities are enhanced by public-private partnerships at 4 innovation campuses and 6 research
and education centers located throughout South Carolina. Clemson University is ranked 23rd among national
public universities by U.S. News & World Report.

Applicants must have an earned doctorate in Electrical Engineering or a closely related field. Application
material should be submitted electronically at the following Web link:
apply.interfolio.com/39804

To ensure full consideration, applicants must apply by November 15, 2018; however, the search will remain
open until the position is filled.

Clemson University is an AA/EEO employer and does not discriminate against any person or group on
the basis of age, color, disability, gender, pregnancy, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation,
veteran status or genetic information. Clemson University is building a culturally diverse faculty
committed to working in a multicultural environment and encourages applications from minorities and
women.
 awards

PES awards
congratulations to the 2018 winners

T
The IEEE Power & Energy So- IEEE PES Cyril Veinott Electro­­ I EEE PE S Outstanding Young
ciety (PES) is proud to announce the mecha n ic a l Energ y Conver sion En­­gineer Award
2018 Society-level award recipients. Award ✔ ✔ Ali Mehrizi-Sani, for contri-
The winners are selected through a ✔✔ Steven Pekarek, for contributions butions in the control and man-
comprehensive nomination and evalua- to the modeling and design of elec- agement of renewable energy
tion process. Please join us in congrat- tric machinery. resources.
ulating this year’s awardees for their
exceptional achievements. IEEE PES Douglas M. Staszesky IEEE PES Prabha S. Kundur Power
Distribution Automation Award System Dynamics and Control Award
IEEE PES Award for Excellence ✔✔ Michael Simms, for leadership ✔✔ Vijay Vittal, for contributions to
in Power Distribution Engineering in the advancement of voltage analytical techniques for power-
✔✔ Daniel Sabin, in recognition of and reactive-voltage measure- system dynamic performance
contributions in power-quality ment ver if ication for dist r i­ analysis, enhancement, resilience,
monitoring and related indica- bution-system operation and and control.
tors for fault location in distribu- automation.
tion systems. I EEE PE S R a maku mar Fa m ily
I EEE PE S Mer itor iou s Ser v ice Re­­newable Energy Excellence Award
IEEE PES Charles Concordia Power Award ✔ ✔ Nicholas Miller, for ­modeling,
System Engineering Award ✔✔ John Paserba, for sustained tech- performance analysis, and ad­­
✔✔ Carson Taylor, for contributions nical and professional contri- van­c ed-control developments
to the engineering and deploy- butions to the power industry of wind-turbine generators and
ment of control systems and so- and PES. large-scale renewable integration.
lutions to improve power-grid
stability. IEEE PES Nari Hingorani FACTS IEEE PES Robert Noberini Dis­­
Award tin­g uished Contributions to Power
IEEE PES CSEE Yu-Hsiu Ku Electri­­ ✔✔ Bruce Fardanesh, for research, Engineering Professionalism Award
cal Engineering Award design, and implementation of ✔ ✔ El i zab et h Joh nston, for t he
✔✔ Shirang Wei, for pioneering con- the convertible static compen- advancement of professional,
tributions in clean and efficient sator. technical, and humanita r ian
power generation, rubber-ball initiatives.
cleaning, modern retrofitting I E E E P E S O ut s t a n d i n g Power
of old units, coal gasification, En­­gineering Educator Award I EEE PES Roy Billinton Power
and IGCC process design and ✔ ✔ Antonio Conejo, for contribu- Sys­­tem Reliability Award
optimization. tions in education for analytic ✔ ✔ George Anders, for contribu-
tools and methods for electric- tions in the development of prob-
ity markets. abilistic models in power-system
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2844422
planning and equipment remain-
Date of publication: 17 August 2018 ing life.

108 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

EMBRACING CHALLENGES
for Power Engineering Sustainability

The 10th IEEE PES Asia-Pacific Power and Energy Engineering Conference 2018
(APPEEC) will be held at Hilton, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, MALAYSIA on 7-10 October 2018.
The aim of the conference is to provide a premier platform for electrical
engineers and researchers to present their works and to share experiences
and ideas in power and energy engineering with experts and scholars
from around the world. Started in Wuhan in 2009, APPEEC is now an
annual power engineering conference organized in Asia-Pacific Region.

Plan to attend the premier conference for electrical engineers and

researchers to present their works and to share experiences and
ideas in power and energy engineering with experts and
scholars from around the world.

Attendees will enjoy:

• International speakers
• Tutorial sessions
• Technical exhibition
• Professional networking
• Technical paper presentations

For more information, visit sites.ieee.org/appeec-2018 or email [email protected]

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2860358

 IEEE PES Uno Lamm High Voltage IEEE PES Prize Paper Award Breaker Failure Protection of
Direct Current Award ✔ ✔ Wilson Xu, Tianyu Ding, Xin Power Circuit Breakers.”
✔✔ Hong Rao, for pioneering con- Li, and Hao Liang, “Resonance-
tributions to ultrahigh-voltage dc Free Shunt Capacitors—Config- IEEE PES Working Group Recogni­­
technology and optimizing ac/dc urations, Design Methods, and tion Award—Technical Report
hybrid-operation solutions. Comparative Analysis.” ✔✔ Nikos Hatziargyriou, ­Working
Group chair, “PES-TR22, For
IEEE PES Prize Paper Award IEEE PES Working Group Recogni­­ Contribution to Bulk ­S ystem
✔✔ Emilio Barocio, Bikash C. Pal, tion Award—Outstanding Standard Control and Stability by Dis-
Nina F. Thornhill, and Arturo or Guide t r i b ut e d E n e rg y Re sou r c e s
Roman Messina, “A Dynamic ✔✔ Roger Whittaker, Working Group C o n n e c t e d a t D i st r ib ut io n
Mode Decomposition Frame- chair and Adi Mula­w arman, Network.”
work for Global Power System Working Group vice-chair, “IEEE
p&e
Oscillation Analysis.” C37.119-2016, IEEE Guide for 

book reviews (continued from p. 106)

of Taylor’s theorem. How

The book are introduced and fully
to model constraints in
the general optimization covers
developed. Different so-
lution techniques to solve Are You
problem is discussed,
and search techniques to balanced and
optimal power flow
problems are discussed. Moving?
find the optimal solution
are also presented. Lin-
unbalanced Overall, this is a great
book for power system
Don’t miss an issue of this magazine—
update your contact information now!
ear programing, quadrat- power system engineers involved in Update your information by:
ic programing, dynamic power flow and optimal E-MAIL: [email protected]

programing, integer modeling. power flow studies. It

PHONE: +1 800 678 4333 in the United States
or +1 732 981 0060 outside
pro­graming, and heu- is an excellent refer- the United States

ristic optimization tech- ence for power system If you require additional assistance
regarding your IEEE mailings,
niques, such as genetic algorithm, engineers as well for graduate students visit the IEEE Support Center
tabu search, ant colony optimization, in the area of power systems. The text is at supportcenter.ieee.org.
and evolution strategy, are shown and easy to read and presents modeling prin- IEEE publication labels are printed six to eight weeks
fully explained. ciples and solution techniques one can in advance of the shipment date, so please allow sufficient
time for your publications to arrive at your new address.

This book presents how to apply the readily apply.

optimization techniques to a power system
—Ramu Ramanathan
and the means of formulating an optimal
power flow. The development of the ob-
p&e
jective function, constraints, and controls 

© ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/BRIANAJACKSON

110 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

 2018

Europe

21-25 OCTOBER 2018

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Meet your professional colleagues, today’s brightest students,
and industry experts at the 2018 IEEE PES Innovative Smart Grid
Technologies Conference Europe (ISGT Europe)

This year's conference will bring together researchers and industry experts from Europe and
all over the world to provide an international forum to share and discuss issues and
developments in the field of smart grid technologies and applications.

You won't want to miss the keynotes, plenary sessions, panels, industry exhibits, paper and
poster presentation, and also tutorials by experts on smart grid applications and systems
integration.

Support opportunities still available | Visit sites.ieee.org/isgt-europe-2018 for more information

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2860360

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2860379
calendar

PES meetings
for more information, www.ieee-pes.org

T
T H E I E E E P ow e r & E n e rgy IEEE International Forum on Smart May 2019
­Society’s (PES’s) website (http://www Grids for Smart Cities (S G 4 S C IEEE International Conference on Elec-
.ieee-pes.org) features a meetings sec- 2018), 26 –28 November, Genk, Bel- trical Machines and Drives (IEMDC
tion, which includes calls for papers gium, contact Geert Deconinck, geert 2019), 11–15 May, San Diego, California,
and additional information about each [email protected], http://www United States, contact Avoki Omekanda,
of the PES-sponsored meetings. .ieeesg4sc.org/ [email protected]

September 2018 December 2018 IEEE PES Innovative Smart Grid

IEEE PES Transmission and Distri- Saudi Arabia Smart Grid Conference Technologies Asia (ISGT Asia 2019),
bution Conference and Exposition— (SASG 2018), 11–13 December, Jeddah, 21–24 May, Chengdu, China, contact
Latin America (T&D LA 2018), Saudi Arabia, contact Bander Allaf, bander Qi Huang, [email protected]
18–21 September, Lima, Peru, contact @ieee.org, http://saudi-sg.com/
Alex Arquinego Paz, alex.arquinego@ June 2019
ieee.org, http://ieee-tdla2018.org/ IEEE International Conference on 14th International Conference on
Power Electronics, Drives, and En- Transmission and Distribution Con-
October 2018 ergy System (PEDES 2018), 18–21 struction, Operation and Live-Line
IEEE PES Asia-Pacific Power and December, Chennai, India, contact Arun Maintenance (ESMO 2019), 24–27
Energy Engineering Conference Karuppaswamy, [email protected], June, Columbus, Ohio, United States,
(APPEEC 2018), 7–10 October, Sa- www.ee.iitm.ac.in/PEDES2018/ contact Eriks Surmanis, e.surmanis@
bah, Malaysia, contact Zuhaina Za- pdc-cables.com, http://ieee-esmo.com/
karia, [email protected], http://sites January 2019
.ieee.org/appeec-2018/ IEEE PES Joint Technical Com- IEEE PowerTech Milan (PowerTech
mittee Meeting (JTCM 2019), 13–17 2019), 23–27 June, Milan, Italy, contact
2nd International Conference on En- January, Orange County, California, Federica Foiadelli, federica.foiadelli@
ergy Internet (EI2 2018), 20–22 Oc- United States, contact Solveig Ward, polimi.it, http://ieee-powertech.org/
tober, Beijing, China, contact Xinwei [email protected], www
Shen, [email protected] .pestechnical.org August 2019
IEEE PES General Meeting (GM
IEEE PES Innovative Smart Grid February 2019 2019), 4–9 August, Atlanta, Georgia,
Technologies Europe (ISGT Europe IEEE PES Innovative Smart Grid United States, contact Matt Stryjewski,
2018), 21–25 October, Sarajevo, Bosnia Technologies (ISGT 2019), 18–21 [email protected]
and Herzegovina, contact Senad Husein- February, Washington, D.C., United
begovic, [email protected], States, contact [email protected], IEEE Electric Ship Technologies
http://sites.ieee.org/isgt-europe-2018/ http://ieee-isgt.org/ Symposium (ESTS 2019), 6–9 August,
Washington, D.C., United States, con-
November 2018 March 2019 tact Scott Sudhoff, [email protected]
IEEE Electronic Power Grid (eGRID IEEE PES GTD Grand Internation-
2018), 12–14 November, Charleston, al Conference and Exposition Asia September 2019
South Carolina, United States, contact 2019 (GTD Asia 2019), 20–23 March, IEEE PES Innovative Smart Grid
Johan Enslin, [email protected], Bangkok, Thailand, contact Nopbhorn Technologies Europe (ISGT Europe
http://www.ieee-egrid.org/2018/ Leeprechanon, [email protected] 2019), 29 September–2 October, Bucha-
.th, http://www.ieeegt-d.org/ rest, Romania, contact George Cristian
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2843738
Lazaroiu, [email protected]
p&e
Date of publication: 17 August 2018 

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 113

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Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2860361

in my view (continued from p. 120)

ICTs grams, since the current accreditation opportunities, many graduates are left
Because ICTs are central to the smart frameworks may not be suited for this without a job and no opportunity for
grid concept, it is crucial for power sys- form of delivery and, more importantly, structured training. This is wasteful
tem engineers to acquire a better un- for examination. For engineering pro- not only because it is very expensive
derstanding of them. Most devices will grams, the matter of how to deal with to educate engineers but also because
incorporate some programmable fea- laboratories remains a challenge. these highly educated engineers often
tures as society progresses toward the leave the profession altogether. There
Internet of Things. This will unlock the The Case of Africa are no accurate statistics to quantify
opportunity to use all types of loads as The situation is even more critical for the problem, but anecdotal evidence
potentially flexible resources to be de- Africa. According to the United Nations’ suggests this is a serious problem that
ployed in system-operation optimiza- “World Population Prospects: The 2015 must be addressed.
tion to enhance the security of energy Revision, Key Findings and Advance Because most engineering curricula
supply within constraints imposed by Tables,” Africa’s population is projected do not include modules on entrepre-
variable output renewable generation. to double to nearly 2.5 billion by 2050. neurship and developing employable
Without innovation in the delivery of skills, the graduates who fail to find
A Deep Dive into Electrical education, it will not be possible to ac- work have a slim chance of transition-
Engineering Curriculum count for this rapidly growing popula- ing to professional status. This matter
The changes we are witnessing in the tion, whose young people are projected has not escaped the attention of ma-
power sector will require a fundamen- to represent 37% of the entire world’s jor stakeholders, including national
tal review of current undergraduate youths by the same date. According to governments, the African Union, and
and postgraduate electrical engineer- the United Nations Educational, Scien- international development cooperat-
ing curricula to keep pace. There is a tific, and Cultural Organization Direc- ing partners. For example, the African
sense that we may already be behind tor General Irina Bokova, “In Namibia, Union, under Agenda 2063’s call to
the curve. Perhaps it is time to delve Zimbabwe, and Tanzania, there is one action, has placed an emphasis on sci-
deep into electrical power systems cur- qualified engineer for a population of ence and engineering education. To ac-
ricula to modernize and prepare for fu- 6,000 people, compared to one engineer complish Agenda 2063’s call to action,
ture power systems. per 200 people in China,” and “it is es- it will be essential to foster close col-
timated that some 2.5 million new en- laboration between engineering facul-
Engineering Skills Gap gineers and technicians will be needed ties and industries.
There is ample evidence of a skills gap in subSaharan Africa alone if we are to The Education Partnerships in Af-
in engineering. In the United Kingdom, achieve the millennium development rica (EPA) project in Zambia is an
for example, according to a recent sur- goals pertaining to access to clean water example of such a collaboration. The
vey covering the years 2017 to 2024, and sanitation for Africa.” EPA project was initially funded by
“The electrical engineering workforce Under the current models of engi­ the British government and aimed at
is projected to grow by 6.1% over the pe- neering education in most African coun- fostering collaborations between insti-
riod to 2024, creating 2,700 jobs and, at tries and in many countries around tutions of higher education in Zambia
the same time, 23.7% of the workforce the world, engineering graduates are and the United Kingdom as well as
is projected to retire, creating 10,400 equipped with knowledge but lack the local and international industries to im-
more job openings.” In light of these necessary skills to adequately perform prove the quality of engineering educa-
expected developments, it is very likely their jobs as professional engineers. tion in Zambia. The project has been
that this gap is understated in the area of As a result, graduates must undergo a under pinned by a memorandum of
power systems engineering. period of postgraduate training of ap- understanding between the University
To address this issue, it is time to proximately two years. This training of Manchester in the United Kingdom
consider how online teaching platforms is intended to provide them with the and the University of Zambia. Much has
can be implemented to effectively teach knowledge, skills, and attitudes nec- been achieved under this project over
engineering in a credible manner. Cur- essary for them to perform their job the nine years that it has been running.
rently, there are numerous online re- competently. Unfortunately, this model Notably, the electricity companies in
sources that cover a broad range of en- of engineering education and training Zambia, i.e., ZESCO, CEC and Lun-
gineering topics. There are still many is not working very well. Often, pri- semfwa Hydro, have contributed to the
issues, however, that must be resolved vate engineering firms are reluctant refurbishment of infrastructure and the
if we are to provide engineering edu- to hire new graduates, instead opting procurement of lab equipment for the
cation using online platforms. These for experienced engineers to fill posi- University of Zambia and Copperbelt
issues include the credibility of the pro- tions. With the scarcity of employment University as well as the construction

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 115

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Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2860399

of a 66-kV demonstration substation. development, it is important to pro- need to be addressed in the online de-
In 2016, ABB and the German govern- vide clear governance structures livery of engineering education are ac-
ment provided €1.2 million to the EPA as well as an efficient regulatory creditation, credible examination sys-
project, to enhance the substation, sup- framework to prevent poor-quali- tems, and how to best provide labs. The
port pedagogical development, and de- ty education from being provided incorporation of entrepreneurship and
velop a two-year international intern- by private sector entities. a focus on employability skills are now
ship program for graduates from the ✔✔ Where the traditional engineer- recognized as essential in providing
two universities. The project will run ing education models persist, it is engineering education. Through one
for three years, up until the end of 2019. essential to establish strong links of its main strategic goals focusing on
Arising from the experience gained between industries and local uni- engineering workforce development,
from the EPA project, here are some versities to ensure that all students the IEEE, with its Africa committee, is
recommendations that will enhance the have the opportunity to acquire at fully engaged in supporting engineer-
quality and relevance of engineering least two years of practical industry ing schools in Africa to improve the
education in Africa: training after graduation. This may quality of engineering education.
✔✔ Engineering faculties must es- require developing incentive pro-
tablish links with local and inter- grams to attract companies to take For Further Reading
national engineering firms and on engineering interns. Volvo Car Group Global Newsroom.
stakeholders in the education ✔✔ Professional engineering insti­­ (2017, July 5). Volvo cars to go all elec-
of engineers. tutions should be developed and tric. Volvo Cars. [Online]. Available:
✔✔ Engineering faculties must es- supported. Professional institutions https://www.media.volvocars.com/
tablish vibrant industry advisory have an important regulatory role to global/en-gb/media/pressreleases/
boards. This is important to en- play, including accreditation of en- 210058/volvo-cars-to-go-all-electric
sure timely feedback from indus- gineering degree programs. Inter- Financial Times. (2018, Feb.). Nis-
tries on the relevance and quality national professional organizations san sees 2025 as tur ning point for
of engineering education. This are important allies that support electric cars. Financial Times. [On-
can also lead to support in fund- developing and strengthening local line]. Available: https://www.ft.com/
ing laboratories and other infra- professional institutions. The IEEE, content/7bbd9a9a-1326-11e8-940e-
structure investments as well as through its Africa committee, is 08320fc2a277
projects and student internships. supporting engineering workforce Moving On Magazine. (2018, Feb.
✔✔ Engineering curricula must be development in Africa and aims to 20). UK skills shortage occupation 12
reviewed and enhanced to include work with local professional insti- electrical engineer. Moving On Magazine.
elements of entrepreneurship as tutions to accomplish this goal. [Online]. Available: http://movingon-
well as aspects of engineering magazine.co.uk/uk-skills-shortage-
training by providing opportu- Conclusions occupation-12-electrical-engineer/
nities for skills and attitude de- The electricity supply industry is un- Department of Economic and Social
velopment, ensuring that gradu- dergoing fundamental changes as it tran- Affairs, Population Division, “World
ates acquire the minimum skills sitions from fossil fuel-driven energy population prospects: The 2015 revi-
necessary to be employable or supply systems to largely renewable sion, key findings and advance tables;
self-employed. energy-based power systems. The con- ESA/P/WP.241,” United Nations, 2015.
✔✔ Robust quality assurance systems cept of the smart grid is widely used UNESCO. (2018, Feb. 20). Africa
and processes, which must be pe- to describe the type of power systems engineering week. UNESCO. [Online].
riodically validated through ac- that are emerging. The time is now to Available: http://www.unesco.org/new/
creditation of the engineering undertake a fundamental review and en/unesco/events/prizes-and-celebrations/
programs by local, regional, or update the electrical engineering curri- celebrations/international-weeks/unesco-
international accreditation bod- cula to ensure future engineers will be africa-engineering-week-2015/
ies, must be ensured. Due to the equipped with the knowledge, skills, J. Mutale. (2018, Feb. 20). Closer
rapid population growth, there and attitudes to plan, design, and oper- links between engineering faculties and
is inevitably a high demand for ate the smart grids of the future. The industry: Key to transforming engineer-
education. Because governments role of the Internet will become in- ing education in Africa. Africa policy
are unable to meet the demand creasingly important as we endeavor to review. [Online]. Available: http://
for school, college, and university provide a cost-effective, high-quality africapolicyreview.com/africa-policy-­
places, the private sector is filling engineering education to a larger co- review-2017-18/
p&e
the gap. While this is a welcome hort of students. The issues that will 

september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 117

 2019

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Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2860402

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september/october 2018 ieee power & energy magazine 119

 in my view
Joseph Mutale

education challenges
issues with power engineering education

G
Generally speaking, ­nations been in a state of transition from tra- tal assumptions. These assumptions are
that have excelled in science and engi- ditional power systems, dominated beginning to be challenged as more
neering are the most ­e conomically largely by fossil-fuel-driven generation, wind and solar generation systems are
successful. Success in science and en­­­ to more sustainable power systems that connected to power systems via convert-
gineering is nearly always u­ nderpin­­ned are increasingly reliant on renewable ers. This has consequences for system
by a robust education system that caters energy, mainly wind and solar. This inertia and, hence, system transient sta-
to teaching and research. Therefore, it irreversible transition is largely moti- bility and system protection. Moreover,
is fair to say that a good, ­practical engi- vated by the need to generate sustain- wind and solar generation have zero
neering education is the single most im- able electricity without causing adverse marginal costs as opposed to fossil fuel
portant factor for a nation’s sustai­nable environmental impacts, such as climate generation. Therefore, new methodol-
development and economic prosperity. change. Similar changes are also taking ogies, principles, and techniques for
This is particularly critical today as we place in developing countries, which, the planning, design, and operation of
are living through times of unprecedent- unencumbered by legacy systems, are power systems dominated by this type
ed social, economic, and technological well positioned to provide the ideal test of generation will have to be developed
change. Artificial intelligence and robot- beds for the design and operation of new and incorporated in standard electrical
ics have emerged as the next frontier of power systems. engineering curricula.
technological evolution. The term smart grid is used to refer
The electric power industry is ex­­ to power systems of the future, and, for The Changing Nature of Loads
periencing fundamental changes brought the most part, they comprise renewable The nature of loads on power systems is
about by the need to produce our electrical energy sources with variable output. poised to change significantly with light-
energy in a more sustainable manner not Because of variable output and the opera- ing technologies trending toward light-
only in environmental terms but also in tional requirements of typical ac power emitting diodes and with the emergence
economic terms. While the basic science systems, such as real-time supply and of dynamic loads, such as electric cars,
and engineering principles are not chang- demand balancing, an essential part of which can produce and consume energy.
ing, there is no question that the underly- the smart grid is storage, both short and Operators of dynamic loads are called
ing themes that were the staple of electric long term. Demand-side participation prosumers, a term that entered the power
power systems engineering courses will in the energy market is also a key com- system lexicon a few years ago. More
require redevelopment and updating. ponent of smart grids. Information and critically, the introduction of the electric
This article aims to tease out some of the communication technologies (ICTs) car will make domestic, industrial, and
key drivers for change in the way engi- are critical to the design and operation commercial loads more dynamic, with
neering, and electrical power system en- smart grids. spatial and temporal features that are
gineering in particular, is taught. much more pronounced than the features
The Changing Nature we are seeing today. We are witnessing
Trends in Power Systems of Generation a firm commitment to the decarboniza-
Engineering Education Most power systems today are driven by tion of transportation, with electric cars
high-inertia ac generators. Power sys- emerging as the winner. Virtually all
Smart Grids tem steady-state and transient-stability leading car manufacturers have dedicat-
For the last decade, electrical power analyses use generator models and pa- ed programs for developing electric cars.
systems in developed countries have rameters for hydro and thermal power These changes must be incorporated into
plants. Most electrical power engineer- new power system engineering curricula.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2018.2833266
ing undergraduate and postgraduate
Date of publication: 17 August 2018 curricula are based on these fundamen- (continued on p. 115)

120 ieee power & energy magazine september/october 2018

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