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Smart grid education models for modern electric power system engineering
curriculum

Conference Paper · July 2010

DOI: 10.1109/PES.2010.5589617

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G.F. Reed William E. Stanchina

University of Pittsburgh University of Pittsburgh
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 1

Smart Grid Education Models for Modern

Electric Power System Engineering Curriculum
Gregory F. Reed, Member, IEEE; William E. Stanchina, Member, IEEE

Abstract — The emerging clean-energy smart grid environment Such programs will need to immediately address industry
in the electric power sector has necessitated that related needs over the next five-to-ten years, in order to train the
educational programs evolve to meet the needs of students, ‘next generation’ of the electric power workforce. This
faculty, and employers alike. In order to prepare the next workforce needs to be trained with both a solid technical
generation of power engineering professionals to meet the background and the innovativeness to address national
challenges ahead in the electric power sector, a new curriculum
energy-related challenges, and in turn provide global
must be developed that includes core power engineering
principals coupled with emerging aspects of smart grid
leadership in this sector. One model that would work towards
technologies and clean energy integration. Such curriculum also achieving many of these goals is based on a post-
needs to consider not only the end-use side of the power system baccalaureate certificate program in electric power
within the smart grid definition, such as smart metering, engineering, with a focus on clean-energy smart grid
communications and demand response aspects, but also other key technologies, principles, and systems integration.
enabling technologies throughout the whole transmission and
distribution system and the entire energy supply chain. These “Smart Grid”
Technologies -
include areas such as energy storage technologies, advanced Control, Commun.
Automation, Prot.
power electronics at the transmission and distribution levels,
networked control systems, automation, renewable and
alternative energy systems integration, system optimization, real-
time control, and other related topics. In addition, the evolution
of power programs and curriculum in this emerging area must
take into account significant input from industry constituents
engaged in the manufacturing, implementation, operation, and
maintenance of the new smart grid technologies and systems. By
working collaboratively with industry to meet future employer
needs, programs with newly developed course offerings will be
able to better prepare students and existing professionals alike
for the rapidly growing clean-energy, smart grid environment.
This paper will provide an overview of a potential model for Figure 1. Smart Grid Technology Integration for Enhanced
program structures and course developments in this critical area,
Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy Integration
including examples of initiatives already being developed and
deployed.

I. INTRODUCTION
Part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is
focused on building, operating, and maintaining a modern
electricity delivery system, with the evolution toward a future
clean-energy smart grid infrastructure, as illustrated below in
Figure 1. In order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to
establish and to begin implementing smart grid education
models that take into account traditional core principals of
power engineering education, while at the same time
introducing new and relevant principles and courses for a
modernized program curriculum.
Gregory F. Reed and William E. Stanchina are with the Department of
Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Swanson School of Engineering at
the University of Pittsburgh, 348 Benedum Engineering Hall, Pittsburgh PA
15261. (email: reed5@pitt.edu ; wes25@pitt.edu )
II. BACKGROUND
At the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of
Engineering, post-baccalaureate engineering certificate
programs in the areas of nuclear engineering and civil
engineering have been highly successful in meeting similar
education and workforce development goals. Based on these
experiences, the concept for a post-baccalaureate certificate
program is considered here as a model for modern curriculum
development in electric power engineering.
There exists a critical need for such a program and other
workforce development initiatives in the electric power sector,
as highlighted in the IEEE PES Power and Energy
Engineering Workforce Collaborative Action Plan of 2009
[1]. Based on the findings in the Collaborative Action Plan
report, it is necessary to not only increase undergraduate
student programs at the university level in electric power, but

also at the graduate level. These will be graduate-level
educated professionals that are needed to meet industry
employment needs, bring innovation to the future challenges,
and take advantage of the tremendous opportunities that are
rapidly developing in the electric power sector, especially in
the clean-energy smart grid arena [1], [2].
III. PROGRAM MODEL FOUNDATION AND INDUSTRY
PARTICIPATION
By identifying the emerging clean-energy smart grid of the
electric power sector as an area of need for educational
development, models for new curriculum development are
therefore required. The smart grid can be defined as ‘the
implementation of various enabling power system automation,
communication, protection, and control technologies that will
allow real-time interoperability between end-users and energy
providers, in order to enhance efficiency in utilization
decision-making based on resource availability and
economics.’ Everything from improved energy efficiency in
buildings to effective implementation of transportation
electrification to the integration of higher penetration levels of
renewable resources will be enhanced through effective smart
grid implementation, as depicted in Figure 1. Key areas of
initial educational development are in the areas of smart grid
integration and real-time control with grid operators at the
interface. Establishing an understanding in these areas, and
how they relate to clean energy integration and growth, will in
turn help to define the standards and specifications of the
emerging technologies required for smart grid benefits, from
smart meters at the end-use level to energy storage
technologies at the resource level to power electronics-based
controls at the transmission and distribution level, to name just
a few.
The University of Pittsburgh’s Power & Energy Initiative
provides a basis for establishing a modern curriculum in this
area, while addressing industry needs for the needed
workforce skill sets [3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8]. Pitt’s Power &
Energy Initiative was developed over the past several years in
direct response to electric power and energy industry
workforce issues, with tremendous support and input from
several regional power-related companies, including the
electric utilities and system operators (e.g., Duquesne Light,
Allegheny Power, FirstEnergy, and PJM Interconnection);
several major manufacturers (e.g., Eaton Corporation,
Westinghouse Electric, CONSOL Energy, BPL Global,
Converteam, ABB, Siemens Power T&D, Mitsubishi Electric,
and others); and a major government research facility (U.S.
DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory). These
companies and organizations are all engaged in various
aspects of the clean-energy smart grid evolution.
Building from this foundation to address the power
engineering workforce talent gap that has developed over the
past several decades, many of the companies in the power and
energy industries located in the Southwestern Pennsylvania
region and beyond, have supported the efforts of the
2
University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering to
develop new and renewed programs in the areas of Electric
Power Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, and Mining
Engineering at the undergraduate and graduate levels. These
programs comprise the Pitt Power & Energy Initiative and
include both education and research components, along with
strong outreach and service activities. The education programs
have been developed with significant input and participation
from industry partners. In addition to support with new course
development, some of the courses are taught by industry
experts serving as adjunct professors within the Swanson
School of Engineering. Many of the new courses are offered
through state-of-the art distance learning techniques, allowing
more opportunities for greater diversity in overall student
participation. The research components also involve strong
industry collaborations, and have rapidly developed through
funding support from industry, government, and other
constituents. Some of the key areas of advanced research work
being conducted are in future directions of energy supply,
delivery, and end-use; including smart grids, renewable and
green energy integration, energy efficiency, energy storage,
advanced energy materials, and other emerging areas.
As the foundation example for modernized curriculum
development, Pitt’s electric power engineering concentrations
at the undergraduate and graduate levels currently consist of
the following courses and requirements.
The undergraduate electric power engineering concentration
consists of a four-course sequence:
Required Courses:
• Power System Engineering & Analysis I
• Electric Machines
• Linear Control Systems
Electives (one of the following):
• Electrical Distribution Engineering and Smart Grids I
• Power Generation Operation and Control
• Power Electronics
• Cost and Construction of Electrical Supply
• Introduction to Nuclear Engineering
The graduate level offerings currently consist of the
following:
Core Power Courses:
• Power System Engineering & Analysis II
• Power System Transients I and II
• Power System Steady-State Operation
• Power System Stability
• Power Electronics – Circuits and Systems
• Electrical Distribution Engineering and Smart Grids II
• Renewable and Alternative Energy Systems
• Special Topics in Electric Power
Recommended Electives:
• Optimization Methods
• Linear Systems Theory
• Stochastic Processes
• Embedded Systems

IV. SMART GRID EDUCATION MODEL APPROACH
A model then, for a modern post-baccalaureate curriculum in
the smart grid area, is derived from successes with existing
undergraduate and graduate program efforts and offerings. By
expanding an already established set of traditional core
electric power engineering graduate courses, a post-
baccalaureate certificate provides a model that can achieve
several key goals – including a means to retrain currently
displaced workers, train existing workers, and provide an
incentive for baccalaureate graduates to pursue advanced
engineering degrees in the clean-energy smart grid area.
Specifically, a set of eight courses could provide the initial
basis and offerings for a program model. These courses
would supplement an already robust graduate power systems
curriculum. A key aspect of such a program would consist of
offering the courses via distance learning, in order to expand
the reach and opportunity for potential students. The
curriculum would provide a clear and immediate pathway for
professional smart grid skills development, and could consist
of the following course offerings, along with brief
descriptions, as examples:
1) Introduction to Smart Grid Technologies and Applications:
The introduction to smart grid technologies and applications
course would provide an in-depth overview and understanding
of the various enabling technologies, components, equipment,
and integration of systems that are applied to achieve greater
levels of power system and end-use interoperability,
efficiency and reliability.
2) Introduction to Clean Energy Systems and Grid Integration:
The introduction to clean energy systems and grid integration
would provide an in-depth understanding of various clean
energy technologies and systems, the impacts of certain types
of renewable resources in relation to power system operations,
and the overall aspects of power grid integration with a
specific focus on integrated generation management.
3) Electrical Distribution Systems Engineering and Smart
Grids II: Electrical Distribution Systems Engineering and
Smart Grids II would be a second course in a smart grid series
(the first is at the undergraduate level). The first course
focuses on power system design utilizing planning and load
forecasting methodology, utility design parameters, end-use
patterns, and power delivery requirements - students design
power distribution systems from the substation to the end user.
The second course, at the graduate level would begin with the
power system initial design and introduce analysis techniques
to evaluate power system performance utilizing smart grid
technologies and their various applications.
4) Energy Storage Technologies and Applications: This
course would provide an in-depth understanding of advances
in energy storage technologies for a range of applications
associated with renewable energy integration, storage
requirements, market regulation, and smart grid interfacing.
3
5) Power System Simulation of the Grid and Renewable
Resources: This course would offer graduate power system
engineers the experience of observing and analyzing the
dynamic interactions of mechanical and electrical
characteristics of an actual power system. Utility case studies
and laboratory experiences would be incorporated using a
fully instrumented power system simulator set-up.
6) Networked Control Systems for Electric Power
Applications: The networked control system course would
consist of the study of a set of dynamical units that interact
with each other for coordinated operation and behavior. The
study of such systems has applications in diverse areas of
engineering, science, and medicine, with a focus on power
network interactions.
7) Advanced Power Electronics (FACTS and HVDC) Systems
and Applications: Advanced Power Electronics (FACTS and
HVDC) would be a comprehensive course in the area of large-
scale power electronics systems, circuits, devices, and the
ever-advancing areas of technology applications, including a
comprehensive treatment of turnkey system supply.
8) Electric Power Industry Business Practices in the Clean-
Energy Smart Grid Environment: This course would cover
modern power and energy industry business practices, as well
as energy policy and future development from both national
and global perspectives.
The requirements for the certification would include
completion of a five-course sequence from the above-listed
eight course offerings. All five courses that are completed
towards the successful certification could also be used as
credits towards a full M.S. or Ph.D. degree. Thus, the
certificate would provide options for advanced training and
education beyond the recognized certification. These courses
not only address the emerging clean-energy smart grid
education needs, they are also complimentary to existing
graduate course offerings.
From a scheduling perspective, the courses could be offered
over a one-year period and thus provide an opportunity for a
potential student to complete the certification in a 12 month
time frame. Three courses would be offered each spring and
fall semester, with two courses running over the summer term.
By offering each course via distance learning, geographical
boundaries are eliminated, expanding the potential for student
participation. This is advantageous for maintaining working
professional productivity, as well as to address demanding
travel schedules of some professionals, etc.
Other benefits of a post-baccalaureate certificate include an
opportunity to utilize the program as a training component for
community college educators and high school teachers in this
area, which could lead to broader outreach activities for clean-
energy smart grid education in the K-12 and technical school
environments.

V. SUMMARY
A post-baccalaureate certificate program in the clean-energy
smart grid area provides a model for modern electric power
engineering curriculum development. Such a program offers
added value to students and employers alike. Newly graduated
B.S. engineering students would benefit from augmenting
their education, regardless of area of discipline, with a
specialization in the clean-energy smart grid arena. These
students would also be in a prime position to continue on
beyond the awarded certificate to complete a full M.S. or
Ph.D. degree early in their professional careers. More
experienced professionals would be able to apply already
gathered skill sets and augment them with an advanced
graduate-level education in this critical area.
Further, certain companies, manufacturers, suppliers,
consultants, and others that have not traditionally been
engaged in the electric power and energy industries are
finding new markets in this growing and dynamic space.
Through the revolutionary changes occurring in the electric
power sector, many new products, technologies, and advanced
skill sets are needed and are finding their way into the clean-
energy smart grid growth. The potential for these companies is
tremendous, whether they be in the areas of communications,
devices, conventional and advanced products, or applied
knowledge; they would all gain great value from employee
training through such a modernized program.
Thus, employers would stand to benefit tremendously through
a low-cost, high-value investment in their technical personnel
and overall training. Such a program would complement
existing employer training programs in many ways, and would
provide a unique path for an organization’s overall knowledge
development and technical growth. By establishing a stronger
formal education base in the clean-energy smart grid, many
companies could add value to the entire organizational chain
of engineering, research and development, business
development, marketing and product development, etc.
Utilities, manufacturers, consultants, government agencies,
and in fact all organizations engaged in the electric power and
energy sector, would benefit from investing in their
employee’s futures and overall professional and personnel
advancement.
4
VI. REFERENCES
[1] Bose, A., Fluek, A., Lauby, M., Niebur, D., Randazzo A.,
Ray, D., Reder, W., Reed, G. F., Sauer, P., Wayno, F.,
“Preparing the U.S. Foundation for Future Electric
Energy Systems: A Strong Power and Energy
Engineering Workforce,” IEEE Power & Energy Society,
April, 2009.
[2] Reed, G. F., Ray, D. J., “IEEE PES Works to Meet
Power & Energy Engineering Education and Workforce
Needs: Concerns about the Future Power and Energy
Engineering Workforce,” IEEE USA Today’s Engineer
On-Line, July 2008.
[3] Reed, G.F., Stanchina, W., “The Power and Energy
Initiative at the University of Pittsburgh: Addressing the
Aging Workforce Issue through Innovative Education,
Collaborative Research, and Industry Partnerships,” Panel
Session on Aging Work Force Issues - Solutions that
Work, IEEE PES T&D Conference and Exposition, New
Orleans, Louisiana, April 2010 (accepted).
[4] Vilcheck, W.S., Stinson, R., Gates, G., Kemp, D., Reed,
G.F., “Eaton and the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson
School of Engineering Collaborate to Train Students in
Electric Power Engineering,” Panel Session on Aging
Work Force Issues - Solutions that Work, IEEE PES
T&D Conference and Exposition, New Orleans,
Louisiana, April 2010 (accepted).
[5] Reed, G.F., “A Powerful Initiative at Pitt - The
University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering
Power & Energy Initiative: Building Engineering
Education and Research Partnerships through Academic-
Industry Collaboration,” IEEE Power & Energy
Magazine, Vol. 6, No. 2, March/April, 2008.
[6] Reed, G.F., “Two Solutions to Aging Workforce Issues
(Pitt Power & Energy Initiative and KEMA Operations &
Planning Knowledge Tools),” Power Engineering
Magazine, Vol. 112, No. 8, August 2008.
[7] Reed, G.F., Lovell, M., Shuman, L., Stanchina, W., “A
Renewed Power and Energy Initiative Development at the
University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering,” IEEE
PES General Meeting, Power Engineering Education
Committee ‘Education of the Power Engineer of the
Future’ Panel Session, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July
2008.
[8] Reed, G.F., Lovell, M., Shuman, L., “Power and Energy
Engineering Program Development at the University of
Pittsburgh School of Engineering – Electric Power
Engineering (I),” IEEE PES Power System Conference
and Exposition, Chicago, Illinois, April 2008.
 5

VII. BIOGRAPHIES

Gregory F. Reed (M’1985) was born in

St. Mary’s, Pennsylvania. He received his
B.S. in Electrical Engineering from
Gannon University, Erie PA; M. Eng. in
Electric Power Engineering from
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy
NY; and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering
from the University of Pittsburgh,
Pittsburgh PA. He is the Director of the
Power & Energy Initiative in the Swanson
School of Engineering and Associate Professor in the
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the
University of Pittsburgh. He also serves as the IEEE PES
Vice President of Membership & Image. He has over 23
years of electric power industry experience, including utility,
manufacturing, and consulting at Consolidated Edison Co. of
NY, Mitsubishi Electric, and KEMA Inc. His research
interests include power transmission & distribution and
energy systems; smart grid technologies; power electronics
and control technologies and applications; energy storage
technologies; and power generation and renewable energy
resources.

William E. Stanchina (M’1968)

Professor and Chair of the Electrical and
Computer Engineering Department in the
Swanson School of Engineering at the
University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Stanchina
received his PhD in Electrical
Engineering in 1978 from the University
of Southern California, Los Angeles. He
joined the department after 21 years at HRL Laboratories
(formerly Hughes Research Laboratories) in Malibu, CA. At
HRL he was directly involved in the research, development,
and low volume production of high speed (40-150 GHz clock
frequency) integrated circuits (ICs) based on indium
phosphide heterojunction bipolar transistor technology. Since
1997, he was the Director of the Microelectronics Laboratory
– an approximately 90 person organization that conducted
R&D and pilot production of cutting-edge compound
semiconductor IC technology including space-qualified
InAlAs/InGaAs HEMT MMICs, GaN microwave and
millimeter-wave MMICs, and ultra-low power narrow
bandgap semiconductor ICs along with novel high frequency
antennas and tunable filter technologies. At Pitt, Dr.
Stanchina conducts research that investigates both the nano-
scale potential and high voltage, high temperature potential of
wide bandgap heterostructure semiconductor devices and ICs.
In other research he is investigating applications of light
emitting diodes for solid-state lighting and medical
diagnostics.

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