Addressing the Generation Gap in Power Systems

By Michael J. Wright, PE

President, Power Grid Engineering, LLC

Agenda

• History of how we got here

• My Story in Power

• Roadmap for addressing the generation gap

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How did we get here?

• In the early 20th century, Power Systems was on the cutting edge of technology

• Some of the best minds were drawn to the power industry because it was a new frontier

– The challenge was there

– And so were the investment dollars

Hero’s of the Electric Age

George

Westinghouse

Nikola

Tesla

Thomas Edison

Heroes of Power Systems

Walt Elmore

J. Lewis Blackburn

These guys were EE’s

• Back when they went to school, how many focus areas did EE’s have?

• How many focus areas did EE’s have in the 1970’s?

• How many focus areas do EE’s have today?

• “Power” is in competition with MANY other options for EE students…and “power” is losing

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And then along comes….

Jack Welch

• Downsizing

• Streamlining

• Maximizing Profits

• Trendsetter – IOU’s followed his lead

Investor Relations Have An Effect

• Recession, stagflation, oil crisis, interest rate hike

• By the late 20th century, the Power industry was a mature industry

• Utility’s are regulated, profits capped

• Need more profits, more cash, a better balance sheet

• IOU’s followed Welch’s example of success at GE

– They HAD to…

– IOU’s compete for investors

And then along comes…

What did all this cool stuff do to Power?

• Investment dollars go to new technologies

• Power systems is a mature industry

How did the Power industry respond?

• Little investment into the nations electric grid

• Little investment in training employees

• Apprenticeship programs disbanded

• Little hiring of new college grads

• Little need for new technology

• Little partnership with universities

My story from the 1990’s On May 2, 1998, a day that will live in infamy, of 100 electrical engineering students that graduated from the prestigious University of Florida, ONE LONE HERO graduated and selected a career in the power industry

Why was I a One Man Wolf Pack???

EEL 3701 and 4201

• Energetic

• Passionate

• Advocate for his field

• We built cool stuff in the lab

• We built a working red light out of toggle switches and a chip

• Students were excited

• New technology, hands on Lab

• Finally felt like an engineer!!!

Dr. Eric M. Schwartz

Did his job well!

Colleges “Push” Students into Fields…

• where the investment dollars are

• where students demonstrate excitement

• where the scholarships dollars are

• where recruiters find interest from incoming students

• where graduates can find jobs

• WHERE INDUSTRY PARTICIPATES IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS

• For many years, POWER SYSTEMS was no longer one of these fields

AND THEN THINGS CHANGE…

Data we never had before

What a great marriage of new and old technology!!!

How About These Power System Tools?

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More marriages of new and old technologies!!!!

Problem

• It only takes a few engineers to create these new technologies…

• …But it takes an army of engineers to apply these technologies across our nation.

• This “army” is MIA and that is the generation gap problem

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And then the lights went out…

• 2000 California electricity crisis

• NE Blackout of 2003

• Florida Blackout of 2008

• And when blackouts happen, regulators get busy – Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

– North American Electric Reliability Corporation

• With regulations comes – More maintenance, stricter design criteria, higher performance

requirements, faster response times, etc.

• The “army” needs more soldiers (aka – power systems engineers)

• Supply and Demand takes over

SMART GRID comes along

• Government investment

• Utility investment

• University/Industry partnerships

• More data

• New equipment

• Lot’s of projects

• Low interest rates

• Public Awareness!

• All this means we need more engineers

Addressing the Generation Gap

• Utility companies need to get involved

– Fund research and projects

– Communicate with colleges about the skills they need students to have

– Offer internships and coops

– Get to students early, build interest in power

– Offer power plant tours

– Sponsor “power labs” at colleges with instructors, software, and equipment

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Addressing the Generation Gap

• Colleges need to get involved

– Hire “attractive” power professors

• And I don’t mean looks

– Passionate, energetic, fun

– Professors who advocate for the Power industry

– Professors who make students actually feel like “engineers”

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Vs.

Addressing the Generation Gap

• Colleges need to get involved

– Develop students who can be productive immediately – more power labs

• ASPEN Software

• PSSE Software

• Enoserv RTS

• Equipment Testing

• Working with Engineering Drawings

– When I graduated…..I had no clue what I was going to do at work

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Addressing the Generation Gap

• Colleges are missing the boat

– Teaching deeply theoretical power

– Need to teach practical power

• More hands on

• More power labs

– Need to teach skill sets that will make students immediately valuable to their new employers

• Relay settings, testing relays, engineering drawings, modeling the power system, power softwares, testing equipment/devices, etc.

• This will make students feel like engineers

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Addressing the Generation Gap

• How will colleges know what to teach?

• Communicate with the power industry!!!

– Utility Companies

– Manufacturers

– Consulting Firms

– Software Suppliers

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Addressing the Generation Gap

• Will colleges naturally do this on their own?

• NO!

• I wouldn’t if I were them

• This is an industry problem, not a college problem

• Industry must take the lead to work with colleges and give them a reason to develop these programs.

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