Teaching the smart grid fundamentals using modeling, simulation, and hands-on laboratory experiments

This paper addresses two critical issues related to the future power engineering education: what to teach and how. While the Smart Grid concepts have been emphasized lately the need to modernize the power engineering education has been well recognized by many for some time. As the Smart Grid emphasis got linked to a substantial funding made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, the opportunity for creating innovative ways to teach new concepts in the power engineering became real. Since the ARRA and other investments in the power grid infrastructure and demonstrations require additional personnel with new skills, there is a need to revisit the power engineering education goals. Two fundamental issues that characterize the future power engineering education are emphasized in this paper: multidisciplinary education and integrative nature of the Smart Grid solutions. The paper illustrates how the desirable concepts may be conveyed using modeling, simulation and hands on laboratory experiments.