ACEP to Launch ‘Foundations of Microgrids’ edX Course This Spring

Class is almost in session and you’re invited! Can’t come to us? Then we’ll come to you! 

The ACEP team has been busy putting together a comprehensive and immersive 'Foundations of Microgrids' edX course, which will be launching in the spring of 2022. 

Course participants will learn fundamental concepts underlying microgrid systems that incorporate local renewable energy resources, with an emphasis on community-based projects and non-grid connected systems 

What is edX you might ask? 

EdX is a non-profit, massive open online course provider founded by Harvard and MIT, that offers free online courses from top schools and institutions, with optional paid certificates. 

At ACEP, we feel it is extremely important to seek out new and exciting ways to engage our audience. With remote learning at its highest demand, the timing couldn’t be better for ACEP to join other top institutions in creating an approachable and easy-to-follow course that shares our knowledge in the energy space. 

For ACEP’s chief storyteller and EdX course producer Amanda Byrd, it has been an invaluable experience creating the course. 

"Working in partnership with UAF's E-Campus in creating the content for this course has been very fun, and even more important, it has given me the opportunity to work with some very talented video producers," said Byrd. "Gwen does a terrific job bringing together the voices and experiences from some of the leading content matter experts, explaining many of the basic but often misunderstood fundamentals of energy and I've learned so much!"

ACEP Director Gwen Holdmann sees this as an opportunity to make our work digestible and more accessible to a broad audience. 

“The microgrid course is intended as a high-level introduction to various aspects of microgrid design,” said Holdmann. “I am trying to incorporate the many lessons I have learned in 25 years of working on these complex systems and present it in a way that is accessible and understandable for non-engineers.”

There is still work to be done before the launch, but in the meantime check out our Golden Valley Electric Association's battery energy storage system case study video here that will be a part of the course!

 

Amanda Byrd collects footage for the ACEP edX course. Photo by Jeff Fisher.