Workforce Development to Enable an Integrated Grid
GridEd is a workforce development initiative that seeks to develop and train the next generation of power engineers and data scientists so that they can help shape the electric grid of the future by anticipating and fulfilling the needs of changing requirements. The GridEd collaborative consists EPRI, five Partner universities (Stony Brook University, University of California – Riverside, University of Texas — Austin, Virginia Tech, and Washington State University), and utility and industry sponsors.
EPRI is extending participation in GridEd to additional Affiliate universities who are nominated by utility and industry sponsors. GridEd leverages electric industry research to educate a future electric grid workforce by empowering new and continuing education students not only to become competent and well-informed engineers but also to participate and influence major technological, social, and policy decisions that address critical global challenges. GridEd was created in 2013 through funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Solar Energy Technology Offices (SETO) through a 5-year project known as Grid Engineering for Accelerated Renewable Energy Deployment (GEARED). GridEd continues to leverage DOE funding through a new 5-year award called GREAT with Data.
Expanding the GridEd Program
In 2018, EPRI was selected to receive a $6 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) which expands the GridEd program. The Grid-Ready Energy Analytics Training (GREAT) with Data initiative will address workforce skills in five key technical areas:
- Power system fundamentals
- Data science, including descriptive, prescriptive, and predictive analytics, and machine learning
- Cyber security
- Information and communication technologies, with an emphasis on interoperability and standardization technologies
- Integration of solar photovoltaic and other distributed energy resources such as energy storage, electric vehicles, and demand response
Also, it is developing a repository of selected materials from university curriculum created from DOE's previous workforce development project known as Grid Engineering for Accelerated Renewable Energy Deployment (GEARED). This will include contributions from GridEd, FEEDER, and MARMET teams.
Learn more about the GREAT with Data Initiative
