Smart Grid Training Paths

NWTC will be offering Smart Grid training along two paths.

First will be the on-line certificate courses taken for college credit.  These instructor-led courses will be offered following the NWTC academic calendar. 

Second will be the professional training workshops, executive seminars, and training in the Smart Grid Training Lab.  These one, three, or five day courses can be held at your facilities or at NWTC.  Topics can be accelerated versions of the on-line certificate courses, customer courses covering several topics, or high level overviews targeted at management teams.  The bottom line is that these are custom courses developed to fit your specific needs. The Training Lab learning will occur primarily through specific technology exercises with the Smart Grid devices that make up the Lab.

We've added two new courses:
     Smart Grid: Sustainability, Renewable Energy, and Environmental Protection, and
     Smart Grid Impact on the Organizational Structure of Energy Providers

Smart Grid Workforce Training Laboratory

We've awarded contracts to the 'trailer' developer (Hampden Engineering) and the substation relay trainer (System Controls).

Because of budget constraints we've decided to acquire the training devices in two phases.  Phase one will include the relay trainer which will train on enhanced reliability, self healing grid, distribution automation and distribution management systems.  In addition we'll be able to train on distributed generation, including renewable energy, interconnection, Microgrids, Smart Meter training, demand response, and consumer participation in the energy markets (selling energy or load reduction).  This training capability will be available this November.

Phase two will commence when we have secured additional funds.  Phase two will include a distribution automation/distribution management system trainer, a Volt/VAR trainer, a HAN trainer, electric vehicle charging, deeper training on the smart meeter including meter data management systems, deeper training on distribution automation, and a trainer for introduction to the power grid and demand response.

Smart Grid Workforce Training: Courses Available – Part 2

The first two courses will be available for enrollment this fall.

We plan on delivering them both as online courses and as one week face to face workshops.

The table below shows the tentative dates and locations:

Course	Credits	Delivery Method	Location	Start Date	End Date	Prerequisites	Cost
Introduction to Electric Utilities	1	Online	Anywhere	Monday, October 8, 2012	Friday, November 16, 2012	None	$134.93 + textbook
Overview of the Smart Grid	2	Online	Anywhere	Monday, October 15, 2012	Friday, December 15, 2012	Experience working with electric utilities, concurrent registration, or prior completion of the "Introduction to Electric Utilities Course"	$269.87
Introduction to Electric Utilities	1	Workshop - Face to Face	NWTC, Green Bay, WI	Monday, November 5, 2012*	Friday, November 9, 2012*	None	TBD
Overview of the Smart Grid	2	Workshop - Face to Face	NWTC, Green Bay, WI	Monday, December 3, 2012*	Friday, December 7, 2012*	Experience working with electric utilities, or prior completion of the "Introduction to Electric Utilities Course"	TBD

* These are tentative dates

We don’t have the functionality yet in place to register for these courses.  If interested in taking one or both of these courses please call Jeff DeLaune at (920) 498-6841 or email Jeffrey.DeLaune@nwtc.edu .

The course descriptions are:

10-468-121 – Introduction to Electric Utilities:

This course describes the different types of utilities, utility history and utility business structure, examines how electricity is produced and delivered to customers, discusses the types of electricity generators and their operating characteristics, and provides an overview of utility technical and business operations. Topics include regulatory oversight and customer service.

10-468-122 – Overview of the Smart Grid:

This course introduces the concept of the Smart Grid, its driving forces, applications, and features. Topics include the fundamentals of a “smart” utility grid, the improved opportunity to connect distributed generation and renewable energy sources to the grid, electric vehicle charging, and consumer issues such as the new opportunities for customers to control their energy loads and increase their ability to manage their electric and natural gas bills, and consumer privacy concerns.

Smart Grid Workforce Training: Courses Available

We plan to offer the first two Smart Grid Courses beginning in October.  These are

·         Introduction to Electric Utilities, and

·         Overview of the Smart Grid

More courses will be available in the spring.

We plan on beginning course enrollment at the end of September.

We’ll soon have a website that provides all the program details.

We’ve had to change our initial strategy of having all courses worth one-credit.  Some courses have topics that involve more training than can be fit in a one-credit course.  The 24 courses now will vary from one to three credits.

We’ve also established three separate certificate focus areas:

·         Smart Grid Operations

·         Smart Grid Consumer Focus, and

·         Smart Grid General Studies

Example Lesson Plans Utilizing the Utility Relay Trainer

Here are several training lessons we'll use to teach Overcurrent Protection Basics

Objective 1: Understand basic feeder overcurrent protection.  Create relay settings for a distribution feeder relay.  Test distribution feeder relays against the relays settings utilizing a relay test set.

Objective 2: Understand coordination of feeder overcurrent protection.  Using a team environment, create an overcurrent protection scheme utilizing three feeder relays (simulating one feeder relay and two downstream relays).  Apply the relay settings to each relay and test each relay.  Connect the relays to the distribution simulator and simulate faults between each of the interrupting devices.

Objective 3: Understand how to download metering and fault data from smart meters and microprocessor based relays.  Utilizing the feeder overcurrent protection scheme simulate fault between each of the interrupting devices.  Download fault and metering data from each of the relays and meters.  Utilizing vendor software plot the relay fault data.

Objective 4: Understand IED communication.  Configure communication processors to interrogate relays and meters to obtain switch (breaker, recloser) position, voltages, currents, and fault information.  Utilizing the feeder overcurrent protection scheme, simulate fault between each of the interrupting devices.  Verify that the communication processor collects appropriate data from relays and meters.

Objective 5: Understand how a distribution automation system can be configured using relays, interrupting devices, meters and communication processors to enhance system reliability and availability.  Utilizing the system created in earlier lessons connect communication processors to allow the sharing of information between devices.  Program the communication processors to determine the location of faults.  Isolate those faults and re-establish power to those segments not containing faults.

Smart Grid Workforce Training: Utility Relay Trainer

At the heart of enhanced reliability, self-healing grids, improved power quality, and improved system protection is the utility relay device.  Located often at substations, and connected to the electric grid by current transformers and power transformers, utility relay devices provide a substantial amount of intelligence behind the smart grid.  These electronic devices take measurements and make decisions, or send the information to a utility’s systems control room through remote terminal units (RTU’s).  They can operate automatically or by command.

NWTC’s Mobile Smart Grid Training Lab contains a utility relay training device with six workstations.  The integrated system will provide an environment for learners to understand the components used to develop a smart grid. The relay trainer is designed around the concept of distribution automation. The system will utilize smart metering, protection systems, fault locating algorithms, testing equipment, communication systems and supervisory control (SCADA) to provide the learners with a complete understanding of typical utility systems.

Each workstation has a relay panel (relays, smart meters and communication processors) that provides learners with typical utility equipment that they can configure, test and analyze, enforcing concepts presented to them in utility technical classes. Existing readily available equipment (intelligent electrical devices, IEDs) will be utilized. The relay panels will be connected to a distribution system condition simulator that will be used to simulate distribution system conditions including voltages, currents and switching devices (switches, reclosers and breakers).

The focus of the relay training is to provide an environment to develop and prove the concept of automated isolation and restoration of a distribution system after experiencing a simulated real world fault.  The distribution simulator can also be used to simulate voltage control devices such as capacitor banks or voltage regulators.

The device is targeted at training existing utility transmission and distribution employees, utility contractors, students, and others as needed. The specific components will provide the learners with the skills necessary to succeed in the utility industry.  Integration of these systems will help learners improve their technical skills, interpersonal communication skills, troubleshooting skills and understanding overall utility systems.

Smart Grid Workforce Training: Descriptions of the First Two Smart Grid Courses

Below is a brief description of the first two Smart Grid courses we expect to offer in the fall.

The first course ‘Introduction to Electric Utilities’ is an overview of the electric utility industry for people who don’t have utility experience.  It isn’t necessary for everyone to take the course.  For people that have a good, solid understanding of how electric utilities operate and how they’re regulated there’s no need to take this course:

“This course introduces students to the different types of utilities, provides an overview of utility business structure, gives an overview of utility history, describes how electricity is produced and delivered to customers, discusses the types of electricity generators and their operating characteristics, and provides an overview of utility technical and business operations. Topics will also include utility oversight and regulation, and customer service.”

The second course ‘Overview of the Smart Grid’ is meant for everyone to take:

This course introduces students to the concept of the Smart Grid, the driving forces behind it, its applications, and the features it allows for and provides.  Topics will include basic information on distribution automation and a “smart” utility grid, the improved opportunity to connect distributed generation and renewable energy sources to the grid, electric vehicle charging, and the new opportunities for customers to control their energy loads and manage their electric and natural gas bills to a much greater extent than they can today. The course will also cover workforce development issues.

Subsequent courses will go into more detail on the topics introduced in these first two courses.