The electricity long trip to reach our appliances!

It's always there whenever you flip a switch or plug in a cord - but electricity has to travel a long way to reach your home. Take a look at how electricity is generated inside a power plant, and the long trip it takes to your appliances.

Inside the power plant

New technology is making power generation faster, cleaner and safer, but the process for making electricity has been the same for more than 100 years.

• Coal or natural gas is burned to produce heat to boil water.
• The steam from the boiling water spins a large fan called a turbine.
• The turbine rotates a large magnet to create an electrical charge.

Dr Manmohan Singh Scholarships for Indian Nationals to Study in University of Cambridge

Study Subject: Science and Technology, Economics and Social Science
Employer: The British Council
Level: Doctoral
Scholarship Description: Dr Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India, is a graduate and Honorary Fellow of St John’s College.  He is widely acknowledged as the architect of the economic reforms that have helped propel India onto the World Stage.  In honour of Dr Singh St John’s College, the University of Cambridge launched the Dr Manmohan Singh Scholarships in Delhi in 2007.  These awards will enable academically outstanding Indian students to come to St. John’s College, University of Cambridge to study for doctoral degrees in subjects like Science & Technology, Economics and Social Sciences.
Scholarship Application Deadline: 31 December 2010
Further Scholarship Information and Application

Introduction to Distributed Generation & Renewables (Webcast)

Distributed Generation (DG) and Renewable Energy Sources (RES) are important in increasing the security of energy supplies by decreasing the dependency on imported fossil fuels and in reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases.

RES include the sun, wind, hydro and wave & tidal energy as well as sustainable fuels such as biomass.

DG refers to the local generation of electricity (and the cogeneration of heat) often, but not essentially from RES. The economics of DG and RES depend on many factors such as the state of development of the required processes, the investment cost and the predicted financial return from the sale of energy produced. The main investment costs include the initial investments, fuel prices and the cost of connecting to the grid.

DST’s Scholarship Scheme for Women Scientists and Technologists

Study Subject: Science and Technology
Employer: Ministry of Science and Technology
Level: Research
Scholarship Description: Women constitute an important section of the workforce. However, the present situation of a large number of well-qualified women scientists who due to various circumstances have been left out of the S&T activities needs to be addressed. The problems faced are several but, significantly, most often the “break in their careers” arises out of motherhood and family responsibilities. The option for revival of their profession is presently unavailable due to restrictions in age and qualification and no system at present addresses these issues.

Japan Pioneers Smart Energy

By coordinating energy use for electricity, heating, and transportation, four Japanese cities plan to reduce their carbon footprints and increase reliance on renewables. The cities are pledging to cut their carbon-dioxide emissions by up to 40 percent by 2030, employing systems that will go beyond smart-grid proposals like those being implemented in the U.S. and elsewhere. While smart-grid projects manage electricity, the Japanese "smart community" demonstration projects will also manage energy for heating and transportation, said Hironori Nakanishi, a director at Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, describing the projects at a recent smart-grid conference in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Technical Papers: Arc-proof low voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies

In the last years safety in LV electrical installations has taken an increasingly dominant role.Also from a normative point of view, the panorama has become more complete and a large number of users consider safety in the first place among the necessary requirements for their own plant. 

LV switchgear assemblies are undoubtedly the components of the electric installation more subject to the direct intervention of personnel (operations, maintenance, etc.) and for this reason users demand from them higher and higher safety requirements.

In the last years a lot of users have underlined the question of safety in electrical assemblies with reference to one of the most severe and destructive electrophysical phenomenon: the electric arc.

Unlike tripping devices, for which arc phenomena represents one of the standard operating conditions, in LV switchgear the electrical arc is an absolutely anomalous and rare event. 

But, if the electric arc occurs inside LV switchgear it generates internal overpressures and results in local overheatings which may cause high mechanical and thermal stresses in the equipment.

Besides, the involved materials can generate hot decomposition products, gases or fumes, which, due to the overpressure, are almost always ejected to the outside of the enclosure thus jeopardizing the operator safety.

PhD Scholarship program for Chinese citizens at Queen Mary University of London

Study Subject: Science, Engineering, Geography, Linguistics, Dentistry, Business and Management, Medicine, Mathematics
Employer: CSC & Queen Mary University of London
Level: PhD
Scholarship Description: Queen Mary is pleased to be able to offer 56 joint PhD scholarships in co-operation with the China Scholarship Council (CSC) for 2011. These scholarships are available for students who would like to study for their PhD at Queen Mary.
Under this scheme Queen Mary, University of London provides a scholarship to cover all tuition fees and the CSC provides living expenses and one return flight ticket to successful applicants.
Eligibility
In order to be eligible for these awards applicants must:
+ Be a Chinese national;
+ Want to study a PhD at Queen Mary in one of our research areas;
+ Be a student at any Chinese Universities or research institutions that are eligible for CSC scholarships;
+ Meet CSC’s other criteria for the scholarships.
Scholarship Application Deadline:14 January 2011
Further Scholarship Information and Application

Energy Glossary

Getting to know these basic energy terms can help you understand - and lower - your utility bill.

Amp
Short for "ampere" - this measures the amount of electricity moving through a wire. Most household appliances use 15 or 20 amps of power. Amps are what give electricity its "shock."

Volt
Volts or voltage, is the pressure that pushes the electricity through the wires. This is how electricity gets from the power plant to your house - high-voltage transmission lines carry the electricity under greater pressure to carry it long distances, while lower-voltage power lines serve individual homes and businesses.

Watt
Watts, or wattage, is how electric use is measured - the amount of power a device consumes. Wattage is equal to the amperage multiplied by the voltage (amps X volts = watts).

Kilowatt
A kilowatt (kW) is equal to 1,000 watts. This is how electric companies measure how much electricity your family uses at home. Most homes use about 10,000 kilowatts each year.

Kilowatt-hour
A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is the unit of energy equal to that expended by one kilowatt in one hour.

Megawatt
A megawatt (MW) is one million watts. A large-scale power plant produces more than 500 MW a year.

Btu
This is an abbreviation for British thermal unit - the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree. The heat output of a natural gas flame is measured in Btus.

Therms
A therm is equal to 100,000 Btus - this is how utility companies measure how much natural gas your family uses.

A Guide for Young Protective Relay Engineers

Following my electrical engineering education at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA I was in search of a career that was not only challenging but also stimulating and self-satisfying. I was fortunate to find just that with GE Energy in Schenectady, NY. Here I am in pursuit of earning the right to designate myself an official protection engineer. After working for nearly two years, I am here to share my experiences, challenges faced, and any advice I can offer for fellow young protection engineers.

Upon beginning my career at GE I was unaware I would be working in the field of relay protection. However, I accomplished many things while in school to prepare myself for this transition. On top of taking power courses I had two summer internships. The first was with Commonwealth Edison in Chicago, IL where I worked in the Research and Development department. I also had an internship in the NEETRAC high voltage lab in Atlanta, GA. In my nearly two years at GE I have completed seventeen generator protection coordination studies for large gas, steam, combined cycle and nuclear power plants in fourteen different countries. I have also participated in two WECC generator testing jobs where I obtained invaluable field experience.

Master of Science in Applied Science (Electrical Engineering), Canada

Study Subject: Applied Science
Employer: Saint Mary’s University
Level: Masters
Scholarship Description: Master of Science in Applied Science position is available in Electrical Machine Control for Wind Energy Conversion Systems at Engineering Division, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada. Successful M. Sc. candidate will work on the development of Controllers for Variable Speed Wind Energy Conversion Systems
The candidate should have a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering or related fields with a focus on Energy Systems, Electrical Machines, Control, Power Electronics and Electrical Network.
Experience with MATLAB/SIMULINK is essential.

Study Launched into Transmission Power Cable Costs

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and KEMA are announcing a comprehensive study into the costs of building new high voltage power cables. The IET, in partnership with the energy consultancy KEMA, will produce an independent report comparing the costs of laying power transmission cables under the ground, in tunnels or under the sea against the costs of building new overhead lines.

The report, which is due for release in 2011, is intended to provide an objective and independent basis for assessing the overall costs of these different methods for transferring power through Britain’s electricity transmission system. It will also provide an indication of the environmental impacts of the different technologies.

IBM Research Teams With Indian Institute of Technology

IBM has signed a research collaboration agreement with IIT Madras and IIT Kharagpur to open system designs that can boost the potential of Phasor Measurement Units (PMU), a new type of sensor on power grids. The IBM researchers and the students will develop network architectures to reliably collect data from PMUs as well as analytics tools that process the collected data to provide valuable information to the grid operators.

The knowledge and insights gained from this collaborative research work will be made publicly available, in order to allow governments and businesses around the world to take advantage of the PMU technology.

Technical Papers: ABB circuit-breakers for direct current applications

Direct current, which was once the main means of distributing electric power, is still widespread today in the electrical plants supplying particular industrial applications.

The advantages in terms of settings, offered by the employ of d.c. motors and by supply through a single line, make direct current supply a good solution for railway and underground systems, trams, lifts and other transport means.

In addition, direct current is used in conversion plants (installations where different types of energy are converted into electrical direct energy, e.g. photovoltaic plants) and, above all, in those emergency applications where an auxiliary energy source is required to supply essential services, such as protection systems, emergency lighting, wards and factories, alarm systems, computer centers, etc.. Accumulators - for example – constitute the most reliable energy source for these services, both directly in direct current as well as by means of uninterruptible power supply units (UPS), when loads are supplied in alternating current.

HVDC Transmission Market to Grow 44% by 2015

The electric transmission grid is a crucial component of modern society – much like the cornerstone of a building, transmission is the foundation that supports activity in virtually all areas of the energy sector.  Industry and government leaders are increasingly finding that, in order to reap the full benefits of renewable energy and smart grid technologies, the capacity and information-carrying ability of transmission systems much be expanded substantially.    According to a recent report from Pike Research, one of the most important high-growth sectors within this market is High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission.  The firm forecasts that annual global investment in HVDC will increase by 44% over the next five years, rising from $8.4 billion in 2010 to $12.1 billion in 2015.

USA International Awards 2011 (FULBRIGHT )

Employer: Top USA universities

Scholarship Description: The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State sponsors the International Fulbright Science & Technology Award for Outstanding Foreign Students (Fulbright S&T) to provide exceptional foreign students with an opportunity to pursue Ph.D. study at top U.S. universities.

Aeronautics and Astronomics/Aeronautical Engineering,Agriculture,Astronomy / Planetary Sciences
Biology,Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, Computer Sciences/Engineering, Energy,Engineering (electrical, chemical, civil, mechanical, ocean, and petroleum), Environmental Science/Engineering, Geology / Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Information Sciences / Engineering (engineering focus only; business-focused study is not eligible), Materials Science/Engineering, Mathematics, Neurosciences, Oceanography, Physics, Public Health

Developing Solutions Masters Scholarship, UK

Do you want to make a difference to the development of your home country?

105 scholarships – 30 full tuition fee and 75 of 50% towards tuition fee

You can apply for this scholarship if you

• are a national of (or permanently domiciled in) Africa, India or one of the countries of the Commonwealth listed below* AND
• are classed as an overseas student for fee purposes AND
• already hold an offer to start a full-time Masters degree programme (including MRes) at Nottingham in 2011 – Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences and Faculty of Science, plus some courses in the School of Geography, Institute for Science & Society, Institute of Work, Health & Organisations, and courses allied to Operations Management in the Business School

ExxonMobil Middle East and North Africa Scholars Program, USA

Study Subject: Geoscience, Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Math or Geography
Employer: Institute of International Education
Level: Graduate

Scholarship Description: The program is funded by ExxonMobil and administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE). Through this unique scholarship opportunity, ExxonMobil aims to contribute to the Middle East and North Africa region by helping to develop highly skilled and culturally adept individuals. The program also seeks to build relationships with academic leaders by offering a Faculty Sponsor Program to the home academic departments of successful scholars. Some students may qualify for the opportunity to apply their skills through internships with ExxonMobil.

India Blackout, January 2010

Grid disturbances in Northern Part of India on 2nd January, 2010.

On 2nd January 2010, Northern part of the Indian Power system network was operating with depleted network caused by tripping of multiple transmission lines due to dense fog in most of the areas. Dense fog mixed with pollution reduces the breakdown strength of insulators and increases the conductivity along the surface of insulators causing the flash over across insulators and tripping of lines on earth fault. It has been observed that whenever temperature is low i.e. below 9 degree and humidity is high, more than 90 degree, formation of sufficient smog takes place causing flash over across insulators strings. Evening peak hours of 1st Jan 2010 were normal, however low ambient temperature (below 100 C) and high relative humidity (above 90 %) were observed in the region. Such atmospheric condition was witnessed for the first time during this winter season. Situation was under alert condition as it has been experienced in the past that such atmospheric conditions are favorable for fog / smog formation and tripping of transmission lines may occur.

Online Courses: Power System Dynamics and Control (EEH-Switzerland)

Subject

Dynamic processes in power networks, regulation of turbines and voltage control , stability, protection of transmission lines.

Contents

Dynamic properties of electrical machines, networks, loads and interconnected systems. Models of power stations and turbines, control of turbines, load- and frequency control, power exchange between networks, model of the synchronous machine connected with the network, transient model, block diagram, behaviour of the machine in case of disturbances, transient stability, equal area criterion, model for small disturbances, voltage control. Facts-Devices. SCADA/State Estimation. EMS-Implementations, Protection, Asset Management, Future Trends in IT for Power Systems.

Introduction to Green Power

Green power is another name for renewable energy - electricity generated from sustainable resources, by producing few or no hazardous emissions or pollutants, and having minimal impact on fragile ecosystems.

Why not all green, all the time? The answer is complicated, but it boils down to a few key factors:

• Fuel cost: Coal has always been the most cost-effective way to make the large amount of electricity needed for modern life. Producing electricity from renewable resources like wind and biomass is simply more expensive. In addition, green technology doesn't have the entrenched infrastructure that fossil fuels have developed over the years, making the initial cost of building green power facilities more expensive.
• Location: Fossil fuel power plants can be placed almost anywhere, as long as a railroad or pipeline can reach the site. In contrast, the areas where green energy like wind, water or solar power can be utilized are limited by the landscape.
• Reliability: Utility companies can easily stockpile coal to meet the ever-changing demand for electricity, especially during "peak" times in the summer. Most renewable energy sources can't be stored to provide for future use - the amount of electricity produced depends on how hard the wind blows, how fast the river flows, or how much the sun shines.
• Customer cost: While almost all utility customers would agree that green power is best, only some would be willing to pay a higher price for it, and few would be willing to give up the 24-hour reliability of a fossil-fuel power plant. Researchers are investigating new technologies like microturbines and fuel cells that could eliminate some of these concerns, but their wide-scale use is decades away.

There are five main types of renewable energy - hydro, biomass, geothermal, solar and wind - and each has its benefits and drawback.

Department of Energy Announces Five Awards to Modernize the Nation's Electric Grid

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu has announced an investment from the Department of Energy of more than $19 million for five projects aimed at optimizing the nation's electric grid. Collectively, these projects will apply technologies, tools and techniques that are capable of transforming the electric grid into a system that is cleaner and more efficient, reliable, resilient and responsive.

"These innovative projects will greatly enhance the reliability, efficiency, and resource diversity of the nation's electric grid," said Secretary Chu. "Developing smart grid technologies will give consumers choice and promote energy savings, increase energy efficiency, and foster the growth of renewable energy resources."

Smart grid technologies can help modernize the nation's electric grid by employing remote control and automation, two-way communications, and information technology to better inform consumers and utilities. 

Understand the basics of electricity (e-leaning training course)

The fundamental physical concepts underlie creative engineering and form the most valuable and permanent part of an engineering education. The approach adopted in this e-learning training is designed to develop student's thinking process, enabling them to reach a sound understanding of a broad range of topics related to power-system engineering, while motivating their interest in electrical power industry.

Technical Papers: Low voltage selectivity with ABB circuit-breakers

Selection of the protection system of the electrical installation is fundamental both to guarantee correct economical and functional service of the whole installation and to reduce the problems caused by abnormal service conditions or actual faults to a minimum.

Within the sphere of this analysis, the coordination between the various devices dedicated to protection of sections of installation or specific components is studied in order to:

·         guarantee safety of the installation and of people in all cases; rapidly identify and exclude just the area involved in the problem, without indiscriminate trips which reduce the availability of energy in areas not involved in the fault;

Tokyo Blackout August 14, 2006

The second largest blackout in the history of TEPCO (The Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc.) hit central Tokyo area at about 7:38 a.m. on August 14, 2006. It was caused by a floating crane on a barge going upstream on a river on the eastern edge of the city.

The workers on the boat did not realize that the 33 meter crane was raised too high, so it hit TEPCO's 275 kV double circuit transmission lines that run across the river.

Technical Papers: ABB circuit-breakers inside LV switchboards

An electrical switchboard is the combination of more protection and switching devices assembled in one or more adjacent compartments.

A switchboard is formed by the compartment, which the Standards name “enclosure” (with support and mechanical protection functions for the different components enclosed), and the electrical equipment, constituted by the apparatus, the internal connections and the incoming and outgoing terminals for the connection to the installation.

Technical Papers: Power factor correction and harmonic filtering in electrical plants

In electrical plants the loads draw from the network electric power (active) as power supply source (e.g. personal computers, printers, diagnostic equipment, etc.) or convert it into another form of energy (e.g. electrical lamps or stoves) or into mechanical output (e.g. electrical motors).

To get this, it is often necessary that the load exchanges with the network (with net null consumption) the reactive energy, mainly of inductive type. This energy, even if not immediately converted into other forms, contributes to increase the total power flowing through in the electrical network, from the generators, all along the conductors, to the users. To smooth such negative effect, the power factor correction of the electrical plants is carried out.

The power factor correction obtained by using capacitor banks to generate locally the reactive energy necessary for the transfer of electrical useful power, allows a better and more rational technical-economical management of the plants.

Technical Papers: MV/LV transformer substations: theory and examples of short-circuit calculation

An electrical transformer substation consists of a whole set of devices (conductors, measuring and control apparatus and electric machines) dedicated to transforming the voltage supplied by the medium voltage distribution grid (e.g. 5kV or 20kV), into voltage values suitable for supplying low voltage lines with power (400V - 690V).

The electrical substations can be divided into public substations and private substations:

public substations: these belong to the electricity utility and supply private users in alternating single-phase or three-phase current (typical values of the voltage for the two types of power supply can be 230V and 400V). In turn, these are divided into urban or rural type substations, consisting of a single reduced-size power transformer.

Urban substations are usually built using bricks, whereasrural ones are often installed externally directly on the MV pylon.

Online Courses: Power Systems Analysis (ILLINOIS-USA)

Lecturer: Alejandro D. Dominguez-Garcia

Course Syllabus:

• Introduction and review of phasors & three phase
• Transmission line modeling
• Per unit analysis and change of base
• Models for transformers, generators, and loads
• Power flow analysis and control
• Economic system operation/restructuring
• Short circuit analysis
• Transient stability
• System protection

Technical Papers: Distribution systems and protection against indirect contact and earth fault

The earth fault, caused by an insulation loss between a live conductor and an exposed conductive part, represents a plant engineering problem which may cause damage to the electrical installations and above all may jeopardize people; as a matter of fact, people could get in touch with an exposed-conductive-part not normally live but which, due to the fault, might have a dangerous potential to ground.

The scope of this technical paper is providing the reader with the necessary information about the main normative aspects regarding protection against earth fault and indirect contact, clarifying the relevant problems and illustrating the solution proposed by ABB SACE.

Technical Papers: Three-phase asynchronous motors - Generalities and ABB proposals for the coordination of protective devices

Three-phase asynchronous motors can be considered among the most reliable electrical machines: they carry out their function for many years with reduced maintenance and adapt themselves to different performances according to the requirements of both productions as well as service applications.

As already said, these motors find their application in the most different industrial sectors, such as food, chemical, metallurgical industries, paper factories or water treatment and extractive systems. The applications concern the equipment with machine components running at fixed or variable speed such as for example lifting systems as lifts or good hoists, transporting systems as conveyors, ventilation and air conditioning installations, without forgetting the commonest use with pumps and compressors.

UAE:Full Scholarships at Masdar Institute of Science and Technology

Full Scholarships  MIT quality education  International travel and experience with students from 32 different countries  Carbon-neutral campus powered by alternative energy  The MASDAR Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi is pleased to announce full scholarships to highly qualified graduate students from around the world.  The MASDAR Institute is a private, not-for-profit, independent, research-driven institute developed with the support and cooperation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
MIT provides assistance in recruitment of faculty members and senior administrative staff and the provision of course curriculum. The Institute is located inside the world’s first carbon neutral, zero waste Masdar City which will be powered solely by alternative energy, mainly solar energy.
The Institute offers Masters and PhD programs in science and engineering disciplines, with a focus on advanced energy and sustainable technologies. It welcomes and encourages applications from qualified students and provides full scholarships to talented students who meet its high admission standards.
For September 2011, the MASDAR Institute will offer seven 24-month Master of Science programs (coursework and thesis) as below.
 Two additional MSc programs – Smart Infrastructure and Green Chemical Engineering – are being considered.  MSc in Computing and Information ScienceMSc in Electrical Power EngineeringMSc in Engineering Systems and ManagementMSc in Materials Science and EngineeringMSc in Mechanical EngineeringMSc in Microsystems EngineeringMSc in Water and Environmental EngineeringDetails of faculty profiles, current research, programs offered, course description, scholarships, and other information are available on the website at www.masdar.ac.ae.

Postdoctoral Position in Wind Energy, USA

Employer: University of Indiana
Level: Postdoctoral
Scholarship Description: Applications are sought for a post-doctoral position to simulate, analyze and measure wind turbine wakes. The research will be conducted using computational fluid dynamics codes, engineering and analytical models and state of the art equipment using Doppler lidars. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with wake modeling groups on an international scale.
The successful applicant will be familiar with a range of programming languages and have a background in wind energy, atmospheric science or physical science/engineering. The start date is as soon as possible and no later than 1 February 2011. For full consideration, please send a letter of application, a current curriculum vitae, and the names and contact information of three references to: Rebecca Barthelmie, Multidisciplinary Science Building II, 702 N. Walnut Grove, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405. Indiana University is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and we strongly encourage applications from women and minorities.

Schlumberger Interdisciplinary Research Fellowship, UK

  The Governing Body of Darwin College, Cambridge, and Schlumberger Cambridge Research Limited jointly invite applications for a non-stipendiary Research Fellowship supporting interdisciplinary research, tenable at Darwin College, Cambridge, and sponsored by Schlumberger Cambridge Research Limited.

Eligibility
Candidates' research interests may be in Chemistry, Physics, Geophysics, Mathematics, Engineering (including Chemical Engineering), Biosciences and Materials Science. The successful candidate will be expected to pursue interdisciplinary research during the tenure of the Fellowship and will be expected to organise seminars and meetings to promote innovative work across disciplinary boundaries. The Fellow would be encouraged to establish links with Schlumberger Cambridge Research Limited if appropriate. The Fellowship is open to men and women from any university, irrespective of age, and is intended for outstanding researchers who are completing, or who have recently completed, their PhD Degree. No candidate should have completed in total more than seven years of postgraduate research by 1 October 2011. The function of this Fellowship is to provide a formal, supported starting point for an academic career.

AXA PhD Fellowships, Canada

AXA PhD Fellowships for all Nationalities
Study Subject: Finance and Economics,  Science, Technology, Social sciences
Employer: AXA Research Fund
Level: PhD
Scholarship Description: Knowledge has become an important asset that needs to be developed and well managed to produce economic development and social well-being in the world. In this context, the AXA research Fund is a major commitment by the AXA Group to contribute creating the conditions for scientific progress, by encouraging innovative world-class research in well-targeted fields of general interest aligned with our core expertise.
The AXA Research Fund’s mission is to help understand the world’s major transformations, their impact and related risks.
The AXA Group has created this new Fund to encourage research in a number of disciplines that touch on the risks, challenges and major transformations that affect our rapidly changing world. The Fund will award 100 million Euros over five years to finance innovative research.
Schoplarship Application Deadline: 7 March 2011

Anglo-Spanish Society Scholarships for the Nationals of Spain and UK

Employer: King’s College London
Level: Graduate and Postgraduate

Eligibility criteria

• Open to the following nationalities
  • Spain
  • United Kingdom
• Applicants for grants from the Society should consider the following: 1. Applicants must be United Kingdom or Spanish nationals who are or will be engaged in university studies at postgraduate level that have some connection with bilateral links and relationships between the United Kingdom and Spain in any field of academic interest; 2. Applicants may be undergraduates in their final year, or be postgraduates or mature students seeking; 3. Students should already have been accepted at the University/Academy of their choice and be able to produce written confirmation of this; 4. The Society’s aim is to provide support for a course or research project which would not be possible without this additional funding.
• Applicable subjects
  • All subject areas

International Scholarships – Undergraduate Students – 2011 – 2012 – Kent University – UK

Scholarship Introduction:
The University has a long tradition of welcoming international students from around the world and is pleased to be able to offer a number of scholarships for entry at undergraduate level.The scholarships will be worth £5000 per annum (for up to three years of study) towards the cost of tuition fees and are offered to nationals of any country paying international fees.
Eligibility for scholarship:

Applicants for undergraduate study at the University of Kent may ask to be considered for one of the University’s International Scholarships.In order to be eligible for consideration for a scholarship, all of the conditions below must have been satisfied:

• an application must have been made for a degree course at the University of Kent .
• the applicant must have received an offer of a place on such a degree course.
• the University must have received confirmation of the applicant’s firm acceptance of the offer.
• the applicant must have demonstrated ability to fund their study programme.

Future Energy also Comes from Middle East!

The Middle East region is now the main source for oil especially in the Arabian Gulf. In future,solar thermal power plants in sun-rich regions of North Africa and the Middle East will in the future produce electricity for Europe in major projects such as Desertec.The energy will then be transmitted to the consumer over distances of more than 500 kilometers via high-voltage direct current (HVDC) power lines or undersea cables. The existing cables, systems and components need to be adapted to the future energy mix now, so that the electricity will get to the consumer as reliably and with as few losses as possible.

The power electronics experts at the IISB in cooperation with Siemens Energy are working on technological solutions, and are developing components for the efficient conversion of electrical energy.

ABB Review

ABB Review is ABB's corporate technical journal,published quarterly in five languages and designed and written for a worldwide audience. By presenting the best of ABB technology, it backs up the company's claim to be a technological leader and enhances ABB's reputation for technical excellence. The latest issues of ABB Review are available for download below. 

Online Courses: Power Systems Operation and Control (ILLINOIS-USA)

Course Director:  Prof. George Gross

Course Description:




This course discusses energy control center functions, power system operating states, supervisory control and data acquisition, state estimation, on-line load flow, security assessment, economic dispatch, automatic generation control, optimal power flow, security constrained economic dispatch, multistage rescheduling, and equivalents.

Online Courses: Analysis Techniques for Large-Scale Electrical Systems (ILLINOIS-USA)

Course Director:  Prof. George Gross


Course Description:
This course covers fundamental analysis techniques for the analysis of large-scale electrical systems, including methods for nonlinear and switched systems. The course stresses the importance of the structural characteristics of such systems. The key aspects of static and dynamic analysis methods are presented

Online Courses: Green Electric Energy (ILLINOIS- USA)

Instructors:  Katherine Rogers & Thomas Overbye

Course Syllabus: 

•Introduction, fundamentals of electric power  

•Electric Power Grid, Conventional Generation  

•Wind Power Systems 

•Wind/Grid Integration, Introduction to Power Flow 

•Distributed Generation Technologies  

•Economics of Distributed Resources 

•Energy Storage including Electric/Pluggable Hybrid Cars

•The Solar Resource

•Photovoltaic Materials and Systems

•Smart Grid Integration Issues

Online Courses: Electricity Resource Planning (Illinois-USA)

Course Directors:  George Gross

Course Description: Techniques in electricity resource planning including methodologies for reliability evaluation and assessment, production costing, marginal costing, supply-side and demand-side planning, integrated planning, and planning under competition.

Using Robots in Inspecting Power Lines

Hydro-Québec's LineScout rolling on a high-voltage line. Image: Hydro-Québec

Canada's Hydro-Québec Research Institute started the LineScout project after the1998 North American ice storm that led to massive power outages and left millions of people without electricity for several days. The idea was to have a small mobile robot that could be able to roll on high-voltage transmission lines and de-ice them.

The first line scout was a little rover that would hang head down like a sloth and was equipped with claws to break the ice. The new generation, featured in a recent IEEE Spectrum article, is larger and equipped with cameras and a thermo-infrared imager. The remote-controlled robot has been used dozens times to do inspection and maintenance on high-voltage lines (2000 amps, 735 kilovolts). It uses cameras to inspect line conditions and discover irregularities, while also employing a smart navigation system to pinpoint locations in need of attention.

Japanese robotics company HiBot and the Electric Power Research Institute in the United States are also developing power line inspection robots.

Online Courses: Power System Analysis-video (NPTEL-INDIA)

Lecture Series on Power System Analysis by Prof.A.K.Sinha, Department of Electrical Engineering,IIT Kharagpur.



Contents


The electrical power transmission system, the network control system, requirements for
power transmission systems (supply, operation, economics), network planning and
operation management, models of N-port components (transmission line, cable, shunt,
transformer), data specification per unit (p.u.), Linear Modelling of networks, Linear und
non-linear calculation (NewtonRaphson), non-linear load flow (specification and solution
methods), threephase und generalized short circuit current calculation, further
applications of load flow calculation. Introduction to dynamics and stability in power
systems. Rotor angle and voltage stability. Equal area criterion. Control of power
systems.

Online Courses: Power Systems Analysis (NPTEL-INDIA)

Lecturer:
Professor Arindam Ghosh






The course is designed to give EE students the required knowledge for the design and analysis of electrical power grids

International Master's Programmes (NTNU)

NTNU offers more than 30 international master's programmes taught in English, ranging from the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, architecture, medicine and Erasmus Mundus programmes.

Programme Catalogue 2010-2011 (PDF)
Because the language of instruction for these programmes is English, you don't have to comply with NTNU's Norwegian language requirements. You do, however, have to be able to demonstrate your English-language proficiency if you come from a country where a language other than English is the native language.
Program page :  Electric Power Engineering (MSc)

Illustrated glossary for electric power generation, transmission and distribution system

Illustrated Glossary Figure 1. Diagram of the Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution System This illustrated glossary contains definitions, photos, and graphic illustrations of equipment used in a typical electric power generation, transmission and distribution system. For terms and concepts not equipment related see the glossary. A typical power generation, transmission and distribution system has these components: Power Generation Plants   Substations Step-up Transmission Substation Step-down Transmission Substation Distribution Substation Underground Distribution Substation Substation Functions Substation Equipment Transmission Lines Overhead Transmission Lines Subtransmission Lines Underground Transmission Lines Distribution Systems Industrial Customer Commercial Customer Residential Customer Transportation Customer