Development of a Smart Grid Course in an Engineering Technology Program

Electric power systems courses have been traditionally offered by electrical engineering technology
programs for a long time, with the main objective to introduce students to the fundamental concepts
in the field of electric power systems and electrical to mechanical energy conversion. A typical
electric power systems course covers a variety of topics, such as general aspects of electric power
system design, electric generators, components of transmission and distribution systems, power flow
analysis, system operation, and performance measures. In the last decades, electric power systems
have significantly modernized alongside with requirement of improvement in system efficiency,
reliability, cybersecurity, and environmental sustainability. The current modernized grid is called
“Smart Grid,” which integrates advanced sensing technologies, control methods using machine
learning approaches, and integrated communications into current electric power systems.
Consequently, offered electric power systems courses are required to update in electrical engineering
technology as well, to meet the industry needs of a workforce prepared to integrate smart grid
technologies, such as advanced sensing, control, monitoring, communication, renewable energy,
storage, computing, cybersecurity, etc. However, such updates of the course content are not always
easy to implement due to the complexity of smart grid technologies and the limited number of
instructors having knowledge of those technologies. In addition, smart grid courses should include a
hands-on component aligned with the theoretical upgrades introduced in the course in the form of
term projects. Such projects can be on a variety of topics, such as smart home/building, smart meter,
smart distribution system, microgrid, communication infrastructure, Distributed energy resources
(DERs) (e.g., rooftop solar photovoltaics (PV), wind), electric vehicle (EV), customer engagement,
energy generation forecasting, load forecasting, and others. This paper will discuss the details of
introducing a new course on smart grids in an electrical engineering technology program, including
detailed examples of project selection. 1. Introduction Power systems is a core field of electrical
engineering technology. Electrical engineering technology has always been one of the largest
programs in undergraduate engineering technology in terms of enrollment [1]. Programs focused
specifically on power engineering in the U.S. are rising recently due to the trends in renewable
energy, always changing gas prices, and aging power engineering workforce and it is well known that
there is a shortage of welltrained and well-educated engineers in the area of Electric Power Systems,
Machines, and Energy for quite some time [2]. Due to the changes in the number of credit hours
related to the ABET requirements, the number of technical courses was reduced from 140 credits to
120, and many programs replaced power engineering hands-on labs and courses with some other
electrical engineering and electrical engineering technology courses to follow the trends in the
technology development [2]. Mostly, power courses will be limited to the senior electives with a
limited laboratory component, and the number of students enrolled kept on dropping due to the
lower 2 pay in this specific industry than some other industries that hire electrical students [2].
However, these trends are changing due to the development of smart infrastructures. The main
objective of power system engineering is to introduce students to the fundamental concepts in the
field of electric power systems, which focuses on the generation, transmission, distribution, and
utilization of electric power and the electrical equipment and systems, such as generators, motors,
transformers and remote terminal units, a variety of sensors, power flow analysis, system operation,
and performance measures, as well as supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) [3].
Traditionally, power system engineers are responsible for managing and maintaining the electric
power grid consisting of the three main subsystems, namely generation, transmission, and
distribution. Generation of electricity is the process of producing electricity from various kinds of
energy, such as flowing water, solar radiation, wind, hydro plants, chemical combustion, and nuclear
fission. The bulk generation system is connected to the distribution system via the transmission
system carrying electricity long distances. The distribution domain is electrically connected between
the transmission domain and the customer domain at the metering points for consumption [4].
Electrical Engineering Technology programs have offered electric power systems courses based on
this core framework for a long time. According to the ABET, there are 125 institutions in the United
States of America with B.S. degrees offered to the students that are accredited under the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) professional society support and under The Engineering
Technology Accreditation Commission (ETAC) umbrella [5]. There is no specific program that only
focuses on power engineering technology, and the courses are usually embedded into the existing
curriculum. In recent years, the power systems industry is undergoing major changes 6]. It has
significantly modernized alongside the requirement of improvement in system efficiency, reliability,
security, and environmental sustainability. The modernized grid is called “Smart Grid,” which
integrates advanced sensing technologies, renewable energy sources, control methods using
machine learning approaches, communications into current electric power systems [7]. The most
common career paths for power engineers are showing how some of these new trends in power
technologies are leading to new occupations such as Data Scientists that are now required in power
engineering since it is such a data-driven industry [8]. The reported salary for power engineers
($80,737/ year) is higher than the average reported salary for electrical engineering technologists
($64,754/ year) [9]. An entry-level Power Engineer with less than 1- year experience can expect to
earn an average total compensation of $69,733 based on 18 salaries reported on PayScale.com,
while an entry-level Electrical Engineering Technologist with less than 1-year experience can expect
to earn an average total compensation of $53,595 based on 28 salaries [9]. Therefore, offered
electric power systems courses are required to update in electrical engineering technology curricula
to be able to prepare the future power systems engineers based on the needs of the power industry
[10].