2010 Issue

29 I N ADDITION TO THE NEEDED expansion of the grid, there is a new focus on its modern- ization. The so-called smart grid is being proposed to offer increased efficiency, flexibility, and reliability. Some of the objectives are to manage renewable sources that are not available on demand and to accommodate new loads such as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). Reliability is also of paramount impor- tance, and stretches from traditional concepts of network stability and handling of peak demand to new concerns over cyber-security. The expansion and modernization of the grid comes at a time of crisis for the electric power industry. The median age of the workforce is over 50 years, and a recent report from the A New Power Engineering Program in Utah MARC BODSON We currently witness a considerable excitement over renewable energy. Utah, in particular, has a good portfolio of solar, wind, and geothermal resources. However, the best renewable sources are often found in remote locations that are not presently served by electric transmission lines. stands with a large program. The last power engineering program in Utah disappeared in the early 90’s. Reasons for the decline are twofold. First, as the industry grew more efficient, job opportunities for new graduates became limited. Further, the field was increasingly viewed by students as low-tech compared to emerging areas of electrical engineering. Course enrollments continuously declined. A second factor contributing to the decline of power engineering programs was the relatively low research funding provided by the federal government. Generally, industry also invested little in research. Thus, research universities re- assigned faculty positions after retirements to areas with greater student interest and higher funding potential. Interestingly, these events occurred despite exciting developments in power electronics, variable speed drives for motor controls, and many other areas of power engineering. Re- search continued at a strong pace in Europe and Japan, while solid educational programs were sustained in India and other Asian coun- tries, where they were less vulnerable to the vagaries of research funding, and there was greater appreciation for the critical role of electric energy. Regardless of the reasons for the present situ- ation, there is now interest across the U.S. in reviving power engineering programs. In a brand new initiative at the University of Utah, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering hired Professor Faisal Khan to rebuild a power engineering program. Funds were obtained from the State’s Engineering Initiative, which was created to increase the supply of engineers in all areas. Thanks to the support of Professor Richard Brown, Dean of the College of Engineering, one of these positions was allocated to power engineering. The new faculty member, Professor Khan, is the ideal choice for the new program. He obtained his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from The Center for Energy Workforce Development, available at http://www.cewd.org/ , indicates that 46% of electric utility engineering jobs could be vacated by 2012. This workforce shortage occurs after a period of considerable downsizing in the power engi- neering programs training B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. students in the U.S. Consider the number of positions lost at some top universities: Carn- egie Mellon University: 1975: 8 faculty; 2007: 1, Cornell University: 1975: 7 faculty; 2007: 1, UC Berkeley: 1971: 4 faculty; 2007: 1, Univ. of Missouri-Columbia: 1975: 8 faculty; 2007: 0. Most of the surviving programs are located in the Eastern and Midwestern parts of the coun- try. In the West, only Arizona State University continued on page 30