The design of a masters curriculum in smart grid technology within the Erasmus + K2 DAMOC project

Abstract

The power industry is under pressure to change the way it has been operating for most of the past century. Responding to these pressures presents a range of challenges for the industry, which is also beset by aging infrastructure, overburdened grid capacity and outdated technology. While the Smart Grid is often put forward as the means of addressing these challenges, the introduction of a smart grid in a modernized power industry will however require the support of a multidisciplinary workforce with a much broader skill set than is currently the case. As a consequence, universities find themselves under increasing pressure to update their power systems curriculum to better prepare students for a modernized power industry. The incorporation of smart grid technology into the power systems curriculum presents a set of unique challenges. This paper discusses the efforts of Cape Peninsula University of Technology to address these challenges by designing a Masters programme in smart grid technology within the Erasmus + K2 DAMOC project.