Distributed Generation and Smart Grid Course for an Electrical Engineering Technology Program

Grid inefficiency, grid instability, projected world energy consumption, decreasing use of fossil resources and reduction of the CO2 footprint, were the motivations to develop the distributed generation system (DGS) and the Smart grid. The future DGS and Smart grid worker will need a solid background at several disciplines such as engineering math and physics, electrical, electronic, power, control, information technology, and business & management. Motivated by the last facts several attempts have been proposed in colleges and universities to satisfy the current and future work force. Following this trend in this paper a new course in DG and Smart grid for an Electrical Engineering Technology Program at Mohawk College is presented. Fundamentals and practical recommendations based on inquiry-based model are also covered.