The role of laboratory exercises in power engineering education — An opportunity to integrate industrial concepts

Modern power engineering education requires that the student get the opportunity to apply as many of the concepts presented in the theoretical and lecture portions of the course as allowable, and if possible and feasible, acquire some hands on experience and receive training in practical aspects of the subject. There are a number of approaches to realize such training. This paper presents one possible approach, as applied to a utility and industry sponsored university power engineering program. This training is a mix of laboratory experiments, using computer aided simulation and hardware designed for educational purposes, as well as demonstrations and hands on experiments provided by the industrial partners.