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Planet-Profit Report, reporting on sustainable development in the Western United States.

Western community college launches smart grid tech courses

The classes might well be the first of their kind in the nation

What might well be the U.S. West's first in-depth, college-level courses to certify technicians for smart electric grids take off soon in Colorado.

Funded by the Workforce Development Council, the three technical courses were developed by Front Range Community College in partnership with Colorado State University, the University of Colorado, the cities of Fort Collins and Fountain, Xcel Energy, Schneider Electric, Telvent and Spirae. Three more professional, engineering design oriented courses are being developed with CSU.

“We have a two-year degree program called Clean Energy, and this will be a great add-on to that," says Lynn Vosler, director of workforce development for Front Range.

The first of the three technical courses, “Introduction to Smart Grid Power Technologies,” provides an overview of the elements of a smart grid, examines the critical role of information technology and telecommunications, and assesses the limitations and constraints of the existing power grid.  The course instructor is Conwell Dickey, former director of Front Range’s Clean Energy Program.

Currently, the course is a non-credit, continuing education program rather than a degree credit course, but that may change, Vosler says.

"We will run the pilot, and then it does take awhile to get course approved for credit in the community college system,” she says, noting that a non-credit program, however, can be often updated more quickly, allowing it to stay abreast of technology changes more easily.

Vosler says the three technical courses are “for people working with smart meters, and utility and city office people who are dealing with customers.” 

The professional courses, she said, will be targeted to current grid engineers and new electrical engineering graduates who are entering the industry.  They should begin next September.

To offset the $950 price tag for the first course, the State Energy Sector Partnership is providing American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to train up to 200 Coloradans in the emerging technology in which Colorado is quickly taking a lead.

Front Range and its partners are not certain the course is the first in the nation, but, says Vosler, “From other courses we have looked at, these are more in depth than other general courses and it is one of the very few offered at technician level.”  

Beginning in January, the second technical course, “Components of the Smart Grid,” will discuss the technical and operational aspects of the following smart grid components, as well as other select elements:

• Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
• Meter Data Management Systems (MDMS)
• Distribution Management Systems (DMS)
• Distribution Automation (DA)

The third technical course, “Application of Smart Power Grid System Technologies,” set for March, will cover how to integrate the various technologies to make the power grid truly smart, focusing on the information technologies, networking and software tools, applications and smart grid components covered in Course Two.  Course Two must be completed prior to taking this course.

The second and third technical courses will include a lab component that will be held at partner Spirae’s lab facilities.

The first course will meet every Wednesday from 8am-5pm at Rocky Mountain Innosphere, a small cleantech and bioscience business incubator, through December 21.  At press time, it had only a few places left.  For more information, either call or email Becky Troyer on (970) 204-8130, rebekah.troyer@frontrange.edu.