Electric Utility Systems for Non-Engineers 201

January 16-17, 2025 | Online :: Central Time

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“EUCI continues to produce the strongest courses for the industry with the best facilitators. Everything was flawless and I walked away with a better understanding of my industry as well as a the larger picture of energy in the US.” Program Coordinator, NYPA

“I have been in the Utility Industry for over 11 years but it is ever changing and evolving. Take courses like this that will teach you about new technologies, and future industry game changers.” Lead Analyst Non-Wires Alternatives, Avangrid

“Brent was entertaining and informative, he kept it fresh and interesting – really enjoyed learning from him.” Marketing Director, Power Line Sentry

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“Brent is THE MAN! I would literally sign up for any course that he is teaching. Love his style, depth of knowledge, and humor. He is clearly an expert who has mastered how to deliver content in an engaging and fun way. Thanks, Brent!” – Arizona Public Service

“Knowledgeable, good slides, good amount of humor sprinkled throughout, and attentive to questions.” – Holy Cross Energy

“Awesome and so engaging! Great class overall!” – Holy Cross Energy

“Brent is knowledgeable, engaging, and makes it really fun to learn. I would take another course from him in a heartbeat.” – PG&E

“Good use of interactive tools, games, and visuals. Good wealth of industry knowledge and humor.“ – ITC Midwest

“He was very knowledgeable and easy to learn from.” – Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant

“Brent was great! I very much enjoyed his enthusiasm about the topics, as well as the humor he brought to it. He is very knowledgeable about the industry.” – MYR Group Inc.

“Brent was engaging, funny, knowledgeable, and informative. I appreciate that he was willing to gear the class to the attendees and presented the information in a non-biased format.” – Clanton & Associates

In this one-and-a-half-day course, attendees will gain a deeper sense of all the aspects within an electric utility system. Diving into the details on the types of utilities, important organizations, renewables, balancing, economics, resiliency, and more, this class will provide you with more advanced concepts to further your holistic knowledge of the industry and to participate in educated conversations with your team.

Beginning with the electrical basics and spanning all the way to utility economics (rate cases, rate structure, expenses, assets, etc.), attendees will ease into more and more detail as the course moves forward, allowing for quick review for those who need a refresher (or for those who had just attended the Introduction to Electrical Systems for Non-Engineers program) but acknowledging that this is for those who are not brand new to the industry.

Although this course is paired directly after Introduction to Electric Utility Systems for Non-Engineers, it is not a pre-requisite for attending this event.

Learning Outcomes  

• Review electrical concepts, including voltage, current, resistance, power, and energy
• Review the details regarding distribution when it comes to design drawings, unbalanced current, and the complexities and science of underground cables
• Discuss advanced concepts of transformers (i.e., wiring, instrument transformers, turn ration, tap changers, etc.)
• Identify what power factor entails, why it’s bad, and how to improve it
• Assess how energy markets, demand curves, baseload, forecasting, and more affect balancing
• Assess renewables, energy storage, grid resiliency, and grid organization
• Master utility economics concepts, which includes rate cases processes, O&M expenses, shareholders, capital and stranded assets, and more

Thursday, January 16, 2025 : Central Time

Electrical Concepts

• Review of basic electrical components
  • Ohm’s Law
  • Voltage
  • Current
  • Resistance
  • Power and energy

Distribution

• Walkthrough of the grid
• Substation one-line basics
• What is a feeder load profile?
• Recognizing distribution design drawings
• Unbalanced current
• Complexities and science of underground transmission cables
• How helicopters and drones are being used on the grid

Transformers

• How they work and how they’re made
• How turn ratio determines voltage
• How tap changers change voltage
• How 120V and 240V residual wiring is connected
• High voltage vs. high current
• Delta/Wye transformers and systems
• Line-to-line and line-to-neutral voltages
• Understanding wiring from grid to house
• Transformer banks
• Instrument transformers
  • CTs
  • VTs

Power Factor

• Why is low power factor bad and what is it?
• Real, reactive, and apparent power
• Improving power factor

Generation and Renewables

• Series and parallel circuits
• Difference between generator, motor, and engine
• AC generator
• Up-and-coming types of power generation

Balancing

• Balancing authority
• Energy markets
• Daily and yearly demand curves
• How baseload and peaker plants are used in generation
• System peak demand
• Long-term energy forecasting
• How the Duck Curve relates to renewable integration, surplus capacity, and ramp rate
• How Electric Service Suppliers and Direct Access are changing the market
• How Community Choice Aggregates are changing how utilities operate
• How Qualifying Facilities and Independent Power Producers are changing utilities

Friday, January 17, 2025 : Central Time

Energy Storage & Grid Resiliency

• Types of energy storage and their use cases
• Pumped hydro
• How battery storage helps frequency response
• Large grid storage examples
• How demand response creates a flexible load

Grid Organization

• FERC
• NERC
• Interconnections
• Independent System Operators (ISOs)
• Power Pools (PP)
• Balancing Authorities (BA)
• Regional Transmission Operators (RTOs)

Types of Utilities

• Public Power Utilities
• Rural Electric Cooperatives
• Power Marketers
• Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs)
• Federal Power Agencies

Fundamental Utility Economics Concepts

• Rate case process
• Integrated Resource Plan
• Difference between capital assets and O&M expenses
• How do utilities make money?
• Unintended consequences of the current rate structure
• When a utility invests in an asset, where does the money come from?
• Which costs are recovered in rates and which by shareholders?
• Difference between an above-the-line and below-the-line cost
• Depreciation of capital assets
• Stranded assets
• Why are utilities so risk averse? 

Brent Olsen, Owner, 3 Phase Consulting

Brent is an electrical engineer specializing in power systems with a masters in Energy Policy and Management.  He also has an MBA, PMP, Lean Six Sigma certification and a degree in Spanish.  Brent has 25+ years of experience working at a variety of large electric utilities.  He has worked in distribution, transmission and generation engineering and currently works in Specialized Energy Operations where he manages the installation of microgrids, generation facilities, distributed energy resources and various grid edge research and development projects.  He established and leads a user group of utility professionals who follow and discuss business and technological changes in the electric utility industry. He was also the second-place winner of his third-grade renewable energy drawing competition.

We will be using Microsoft Teams to facilitate your participation in the upcoming event. You do not need to have an existing Teams account in order to participate in the broadcast – the course will play in your browser and you will have the option of using a microphone to speak with the room and ask questions, or type any questions in via the chat window and our on-site representative will relay your question to the instructor.

• Microsoft recommends downloading and installing the Teams app if possible. You may also use the Edge browser or Chrome.
• You will receive a separate email with a unique link to a personalized landing page which will include links to join all sessions of this event.
• If you are using a microphone, please ensure that it is muted until such time as you need to ask a question.
• The remote meeting connection will be open approximately 30 minutes before the start of the course. We encourage you to connect as early as possible in case you experience any unforeseen problems.

Please Note: This event is being conducted entirely online. All attendees will connect and attend from their computer, one connection per purchase. For details please see our FAQ

If you are unable to attend at the scheduled date and time, we make recordings available to all attendees for 7 days after the event

REGISTER NOW FOR THIS EVENT:

Electric Utility Systems for Non-Engineers 201

January 16-17, 2025 | Online

Your registration may be transferred to a member of your organization up to 24 hours in advance of the event. Cancellations must be received on or before December 13, 2024 in order to be refunded and will be subject to a US $195.00 processing fee per registrant. No refunds will be made after this date. Cancellations received after this date will create a credit of the tuition (less processing fee) good toward any other EUCI event. This credit will be good for six months from the cancellation date. In the event of non-attendance, all registration fees will be forfeited. In case of conference cancellation, EUCIs liability is limited to refund of the event registration fee only. For more information regarding administrative policies, such as complaints and refunds, please contact our offices at 303-770-8800

Credits

EUCI is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard. IACET is recognized internationally as a standard development organization and accrediting body that promotes quality of continuing education and training.

EUCI is authorized by IACET to offer 1.0 CEUs for this event.

Verify our IACET accreditation

Who recognizes IACET Credits?

Requirements for Successful Completion of Program 

Participants must log in each day and be in attendance for the entirety of the course to be eligible for continuing education credit. 

Instructional Methods

PowerPoint presentations, interactive group discussion, and case studies will be used during this course. 

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Upon successful completion of this event, program participants interested in receiving CPE credits will receive a certificate of completion.

Course CPE Credits: 11.5
There is no prerequisite for this Course.
Program field of study: Specialized Knowledge
Program Level: Intermediate
Delivery Method: Group Internet Based
Advanced Preparation: None

EUCI is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its web site: www.nasbaregistry.org