A new microgrid control laboratory in the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ College of Engineering and Computer Science is preparing the next generation of engineers to operate the modern grid and meet the rapidly increasing need for sustainable, affordable and reliable energy.

The lab, which is co-sponsored by Florida Power & Light (FPL) and GE Digital, is a state-of-the-art research facility for faculty and students. Located on the first floor of Research 1 on the main campus, it features control-center equipment and software that students can use to simulate and test real-life grid control operations, including finding ways to optimize and secure the grid of the future.

β€œThis new facility is exactly the kind of strategic partnership that makes ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ a premiere choice for students with future-focused career goals.” β€” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ President Alexander N. Cartwright

β€œThis new facility is exactly the kind of strategic partnership that makes ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ a premiere choice for students with future-focused career goals. GE Digital and FPL have been both philanthropic investors and design collaborators in this lab, ensuring our students in this field will be industry-ready on day one of their careers,” says ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ President Alexander N. Cartwright. β€œIt’s a win-win. Our students get a leading education in a lab environment, and both companies open up a pipeline of incredible talent for their workforce.”

Kwasi Opoku, a doctoral student studying electrical engineering, was one of the students FPL and GE Digital sought input from during the design phase of the lab to provide feedback on the equipment and furnishings that would be helpful for students.

Opoku, who is from Ghana, says for years he has been intrigued by power systems, and the idea of incorporating renewables, like solar and wind. He recalls living in Ghana when conventional power sources were insufficient and supplies had to be rationed.

β€œIt was a national conversation about power and the options being considered,” he says. β€œThat’s where the conversation began for me.”

Opoku was originally drawn to ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ after becoming aware of the RISES (Resilient, Intelligent and Sustainable Energy Systems) faculty cluster. The collaboration brings together ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ researchers from multiple colleges who are working to develop sustainable and resilient energy systems and storage.

Opoku’s area of research is power system protection and specifically finding new ways to detect faults in microgrids and renewables. He’s looking forward to using the lab’s testbed and hardware-in-the-loop simulation.

β€œYou don’t always have hardware available to test, and usually you use simulation only. This is as close to real-life as you can get,” he says.

Kwasi Opoku (left) and Max Caroll '21 (right) near computers and desks
Kwasi Opoku (left) and Max Caroll ’21 (right) are two of the engineering students eager to get to work in the new lab.

Max Carroll ’21 completed his bachelor’s degree in the summer in electrical engineering with focus on power and renewable energy. He was inspired to pursue a career in energy after experiences in Germany, where he grew up and still visits frequently.

β€œWhen you drive through Germany you see windmills and renewable energy sources everywhere, and when I went back, they were expanding on it, and adding panels,” says Carroll. β€œI said to myself, β€˜How do these things actually work?’ ”

Now a graduate student studying electrical engineering at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½, Carroll is planning on spending a lot of time in the new space.

β€œI’ll be doing my research there, as all the tools I need are in there. But I can also study there,” he says. β€œThe computers have virtually all the programs there that I’ll need for my classes.”

β€œWe are excited to bring this innovative research space to ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ engineering students,” says Ed De Varona, FPL’s vice president of transmission & substation. β€œThe lab is a terrific training ground for rising engineers to work directly with the latest technologies and help refine and innovate the way energy is transmitted and distributed across the grid now and in the future.”

Four men and one woman hold large ceremonial power cord for plug-in ceremony at the Microgrid Control Lab
University leadership and representatives from Florida Power & Light (FPL) and GE Digital officially opened the Microgrid Control Lab on Nov. 9.

Currently, more than 1,400 undergraduate and graduate students at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ are studying electrical or computer engineering β€” disciplines that support energy systems and electricity grids. Another 500-plus ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ students have indicated they plan to pursue an electrical or computer engineering major once prerequisite coursework is completed.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s College of Engineering and Computer Science offers a power and renewable energy track as part of its undergraduate programs. In addition, a graduate certificate is offered in sustainable and resilient energy systems.

β€œThe Microgrid Control Lab provides unprecedented access to a modern grid control center that enables some of the brightest young minds in the country to collaborate, learn and help reimagine the energy grid of tomorrow,” says Jim Walsh, general manager of GE Digital’s Grid Software Solutions. β€œAs renewable energy sources, like solar, continue to expand and evolve, the technology behind the grid has to keep up. It is critical that electrical and computer engineering talent have real-life experiences with the hardware and software that underpins the modern grid helping utilities securely deliver reliable clean energy.”

GE Digital is also beginning a new internship program that invests in the development of its team and future grid engineering leaders. The program will offer ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ students an intensive experience in the utilities and power sectors and help students develop analytical and software development skills using emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning.

FPL and GE Digital together employ approximately 400 ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ alumni in their workforces.