NSF Workshop on
Power and Energy Education
Breakout Group 2
Reporters: Brian Johnson, University of Idaho
Dagmar Niebur, Drexel University
Integration of Renewables

Challenges of large-scale integration of
renewables on the equipment side or HV
side:
voltage fluctuation, frequency issues, wind
forecasting

Risk and policy issues:
Educational modules related to integration for
various levels and audiences, as for example
investment bankers versus power engineers
Microgrid Resiliency

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Attracts interest of DOE and DOD
Economic incentives for utilities are less clear
Policies may require utilities to buy back intermittent
power
In the extreme, utilities serve as backup power only

Curriculum aspects include
Control including distributed and hybrid control
Market and pricing models
Forecasting of intermittent resources
Storage
Cyber Security

Idaho National Labs – GridGame competition
with microgrids operated by EE/CS student
teams responding to hacking by a team of by CS
students to be conducted at the IEEE
International Symposium on Resilient Control
Systems, August 2014
=> Develop similar labs or organize summer schools

Collaborative Modules
Integration of CPS Aspects in the Power
and Energy Curriculum
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Control Center SCADA Hardware Labs for
integration of cyber data and physical data
Team-teaching
CS and EE students should mentor each other
(NCSU terminology “each one mentor one.”)
Develop communities of learners (also outside
the class room)
Curriculum using MOOCs or other
On-line Education
Key issues:
 Content Ideas – Discussed on remaining slides
 Format – Majority favored modules
 Delivery methods – Need to involve
Instructional support
Education specialists

Delivery methods – Requires
Institutional support
Recognition of effort

Archiving and maintenance
Need of educational module clearing house
Need of long-term commitment to maintain and update course
modules
Other R&E Issues

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Green Power Management of Data Centers
Electrification of Transportation
Synergy of Petroleum Engineering and Electric
Power and Energy
Public Education in Energy Efficiency and
Demand Response
Development of new degrees or minors in smart
grids, potentially as a BS of Arts instead of
Science
Other General Issues

Need for leveling the NSF “playing field” by
including smaller universities
Scalability of NSF Programs
Equal partnering of smaller and bigger schools

Challenges of multi-disciplinary teams
Tribal languages of disciplines, PE, CS, Econ etc.
Engineering cultures

Opportunities of multi-disciplinary teams
Communities of learners
Cross-disciplinary mentoring
General Issues - Industry

Need for engaging industry more systematically
and more closely in curricular matter
Ex.: Australian Power Institute (API)
industry survey outlines requirements
4 week long modules, courses and labs
Developed by some universities, deployed by others,
Funded by the Commonwealth Accreditation
Structural Reform Program at a level of ca 4$M/year
and matched by industry contributions to API (see
objectives next slide).
API offers bursaries, laboratory, partial faculty
support.
The Australian Power Institute A Model for Advancing Power Engineering Careers
Key objectives:
Students view power engineering as an exciting
whole of working life career choice
 University undergraduate teaching and learning
provides sustainable industry skills
 Continuing professional development programs
and coordinated, concerted research are value
adding to industry
 API is positioned as a vibrant, nationally
respected organization by industry, universities
and government