Within the last months of 2006, two reports have been issued - one by the US Department of Energy (DOE), the other by the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) that warn about potential reliability problems of the North American electric power grid. For the first time, these reports address critical interrelations between reliability of the power grid and the engineering and technical expertise of the power industry workforce. It is clear that not only the physical infrastructure of the power grid is aging but so is its workforce. Lack of adequate supply of its replacement requires coordinated effort by both, the power industry and the academia to address this dual edged problem. This paper concentrates on some of the steps that are being taken in Western New York. Although it does not address long-term strategic issues, we feel that even small steps in the right direction could help solve both immediate and long-term needs of the industrial and academic sides of power industry.
展开▼
