Engineers are crucial to the electric grid, but it worked so well for so long that it became a victim of its own success– many engineering students started to see it as boring and looked elsewhere for careers they perceived as more exciting.
All that is starting to change, and Clemson University is using that momentum to recruit students and prepare the grid workforce of the future.
Factors that include rising energy demand from data centers, electrification of the manufacturing sector and extreme weather are putting unprecedented stress on the grid. At the same time, utilities are facing a wave of workforce retirements.
Clearly, those are problems for society. But for power engineering students, they become interesting challenges to solve and the foundation for meaningful careers.
For the Clemson faculty members who teach those students, it is an opportunity to foster a passion for power engineering in the next-generation workforce.
Ramtin Hadidi, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, said he is seeing an uptick in interest in the grid among students.
“There was a period of time when this was not a popular topic,” Hadidi said. “Students said, ‘Oh, power, everybody knows how it works. There’s nothing to research about that.’ It was not an enticing topic. Computers and the internet were enticing. Now power engineering is back on top. Students like to know more about it and work in this field.”
The next generation of power engineers will need more than a traditional electrical engineering background.
Clemson faculty members said that while strong fundamentals in power systems will continue to be critical, students will also need to understand power electronics, computing, communications, controls, artificial intelligence and the practical realities of keeping electricity reliable.
That is why Clemson is combining classroom instruction with hands-on labs, industry-connected projects and facilities such as the Duke Energy eGRID, where students can see how real grid equipment behaves under real-world conditions.
It’s a combination that has attracted top students, including a Fulbright Scholar.
“You have to teach fundamentals at the right level but also make it interesting,” said Johan Enslin, a professor of electrical and computer engineering. “I don’t think you should just give them differential equations until it’s over their heads. I think it’s important to make it fun for them in class.”
Kevin Tomsovic, the Duke Energy Endowed Chair in Smart Grid Technology, said power engineering gives students a wide range of problems to solve, from helping data centers manage their electricity use to keeping the full grid working together.
It’s also an opportunity to work in a field that provides a critical service to society.
“I’m happy to be part of the utility industry, because I think it’s a service field,” Tomsovic said. “We’re providing critical services, and it’s good for society. The system runs well, and everybody’s better off.”
Coming Friday: Watch a video summarizing the highlights of Grid Resilience Week.
