VOOZH about

URL: https://www.coursera.org/learn/electric-utilities

⇱ Electric Utilities Fundamentals and Future | Coursera


Electric Utilities Fundamentals and Future

Ends soon! Keep adding new skills with 10,000+ programs for $239 (usually $399). Save now.

Electric Utilities Fundamentals and Future

32,225 already enrolled

Included with

β€’

Learn more

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.7

752 reviews

Beginner level
No prior experience required
Flexible schedule
1 week at 10 hours a week
Learn at your own pace

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.7

752 reviews

Beginner level
No prior experience required
Flexible schedule
1 week at 10 hours a week
Learn at your own pace

There are 5 modules in this course

THIS COURSE GIVES YOU THE INSIDE TRACK TO A COMPLICATED INDUSTRY. The approach of this course is truly unique in how it approaches and engages learners. It looks at the electric utility industry, which has remained critical to our quality of life, health and comfort from the eyes of numerous industry experts through on-location interviews, compelling visuals, and animation. You will benefit from having the inside track because you see some behind-the-scenes information not covered in news stories, social media or even if we are in the business ourselves.

EACH WEEK YOU NOT ONLY LEARN WHAT IS CHANGING, BUT WHY. As this industry continues to unfold at an unprecedented pace, you will be armed with knowledge and insights to form informed opinions supporting decisions you will increasingly make for your energy-dependent homes and businesses. This course kicks off with animated crash course on industry history, highlighting aspects of the structure, governance, and technology that remain today, despite the passage of time. Then, throughout the modules, you will build some basics about how electricity gets to you, who watches over decisions, including setting rates. This information establishes a knowledge foundation so that when we explore some of the most critical topics, like renewable energy, smart grid, battery storage, and you can think about it from a much more analytical and critical viewpoint. YOU WILL DEVELOP A FRAMEWORK FOR MAKING SENSE OF THIS INDUSTRY THAT WILL BENEFIT YOU BEYOND THIS COURSE. This industry can get pretty complicated, and this course will help you make more sense of it. Electric Utilities Fundamentals and Future is the course for you whether you’re just curious about the industry or an industry veteran looking to grow – or, thinking about joining the industry. (Hint: now is a good time. You'll learn why in this course.) No prior education or experience required. You just need a healthy curiosity and an open mind to learn about an industry that I think a lot of us, including myself sometimes, take for granted.

We kick off this course with a look at how the electric utility industries' technical, regulatory and structural history continues to shape how we receive electricity today. You'll follow electricity from how utilities generate it by using fossil fuels or renewables to how it is delivered to your home or business. And, you'll learn there is more than meets the eye when it comes to the electricity we all depend on.

What's included

11 videos1 reading1 assignment1 discussion prompt

11 videosβ€’Total 75 minutes
  • 1.1 Introductionβ€’2 minutes
  • 1.2 Electric Utility Industry Animated Crash Courseβ€’7 minutes
  • 1.3 What Happens When You Flip a Switch?β€’4 minutes
  • 1.4 Generation for Generationsβ€’8 minutes
  • 1.5 Fossil Fuelsβ€’9 minutes
  • 1.6 Nuclearβ€’6 minutes
  • 1.7 Renewables - Hydroelectric and Windβ€’13 minutes
  • 1.8 Renewables - Solar, Biomass and Geothermalβ€’16 minutes
  • 1.9 The Generation Portfolioβ€’5 minutes
  • 1.10 Transmission and Distributionβ€’6 minutes
  • 1.11 Outroβ€’1 minute
1 readingβ€’Total 5 minutes
  • Get help and meet other learners in this course. Join your discussion forums!β€’5 minutes
1 assignmentβ€’Total 30 minutes
  • Taking Shape and Fundamentalsβ€’30 minutes
1 discussion promptβ€’Total 30 minutes
  • Where does YOUR electricity come from? Real-world case studies using our own electric utilitiesβ€’30 minutes

From generating electricity through various primary fuel sources to transmission and distribution, we know there is value in the grid itself. At the same time, this value is not necessarily obvious to customers. In this module, we'll learn how rates are determined and governed. We will also review different types of utilities as we explore pricing and value together.

What's included

5 videos1 assignment2 discussion prompts

5 videosβ€’Total 36 minutes
  • 2.1 Introductionβ€’2 minutes
  • 2.2 Usage, Rates and Your Billβ€’7 minutes
  • 2.3 Utility Types and Prices: Overview, Public Power and Electric Cooperativesβ€’10 minutes
  • 2.4 Utility Types and Prices: Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs)β€’7 minutes
  • 2.5 Regulatory Compact and Rates Processβ€’10 minutes
1 assignmentβ€’Total 30 minutes
  • Price and Valueβ€’30 minutes
2 discussion promptsβ€’Total 60 minutes
  • The electric utility in your backyardβ€’30 minutes
  • What would you do?β€’30 minutes

You've invested time in learning the basic blocking and tackling in this industry. This foundation will be important as we examine how this industry is evolving. With this information under your belt, you can knowledgeably evaluate the various options and choices you will have in the future and can weigh in with an informed opinion on some of the most pressing and even controversial topics today.

What's included

4 videos1 assignment2 discussion prompts

4 videosβ€’Total 38 minutes
  • 3.1 Introductionβ€’3 minutes
  • 3.2 Becoming More Customer Focusedβ€’10 minutes
  • 3.3 Energy Efficiencyβ€’15 minutes
  • 3.4 Distributed Generationβ€’10 minutes
1 assignmentβ€’Total 30 minutes
  • Not your grandparents' utilityβ€’30 minutes
2 discussion promptsβ€’Total 60 minutes
  • Energy efficiency programs and their appealβ€’30 minutes
  • Utilities and Distributed Generationβ€’30 minutes

Arguably, the electric utility industry is moving at a pace faster than ever seen before in its century-old history. Customer expectations and evolving technology will continue to drive this evolution. While many may express frustration that the pace of change is too slow, the existing regulatory structure and customer requirements around affordability and reliability mean that there is little room for error. We will explore the regulatory framework at a federal, state and local level and touch on some of the global trends in this area as well. We will tackle some of the more controversial topics, including potential overlap between federal and state regulatory accountabilities. The information you glean from this module will help you form more holistic and knowledgeable opinions as you watch this industry continue to unfold.

What's included

7 videos1 assignment3 discussion prompts

7 videosβ€’Total 36 minutes
  • 4.1 Introductionβ€’4 minutes
  • 4.2 Technology and Customer Expectationsβ€’4 minutes
  • 4.3 Aging Grid and the Rise of Federal Transmission Regulationβ€’10 minutes
  • 4.4 Federal Regulation and the Environmentβ€’6 minutes
  • 4.5 State of Electric Utility Policyβ€’4 minutes
  • 4.6 State Regulation and the Environmentβ€’6 minutes
  • 4.7 Outroβ€’2 minutes
1 assignmentβ€’Total 30 minutes
  • Pace of Change, Technology and Innovationβ€’30 minutes
3 discussion promptsβ€’Total 80 minutes
  • Is less reliable service acceptable?β€’25 minutes
  • Renewable portfolio standardsβ€’30 minutes
  • Weigh in on the Clean Power Planβ€’25 minutes

Over the past four weeks together, we've learned that there is more than meets the eye in this industry. With its rich history, complex regulatory framework and dependency on natural resources we know that the decisions we make today will impact how future generations receive electricity over the next century. This module pulls together the information we've learned so far so we can think about what the future holds from a place of knowledge. We'll look at what industry insiders consider the biggest hurdles and opportunity areas and hypothesize about what shifts might occur. In this final module, armed with your newfound knowledge, I'm going to ask you to connect the dots and express your informed opinion. With that - let's jump on in!

What's included

9 videos1 assignment2 discussion prompts

9 videosβ€’Total 49 minutes
  • 5.1 Introductionβ€’3 minutes
  • 5.2 Smart Gridβ€’10 minutes
  • 5.3 Microgridsβ€’2 minutes
  • 5.4 Storageβ€’3 minutes
  • 5.5 Electric Vehiclesβ€’4 minutes
  • 5.6 Net Metering and Distributed Generationβ€’7 minutes
  • 5.7 Clean Power Planβ€’5 minutes
  • 5.8 Future Modelsβ€’14 minutes
  • 5.9 Outroβ€’2 minutes
1 assignmentβ€’Total 30 minutes
  • Final Exam - Apply What You Learned!β€’30 minutes
2 discussion promptsβ€’Total 55 minutes
  • Microgridβ€’30 minutes
  • Utility of the Futureβ€’25 minutes

Instructor

Instructor ratings
4.7 (196 ratings)
University of Colorado System
1 Courseβ€’32,225 learners

Why people choose Coursera for their career

πŸ‘ Image

Felipe M.

Learner since 2018
"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."
πŸ‘ Image

Jennifer J.

Learner since 2020
"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."
πŸ‘ Image

Larry W.

Learner since 2021
"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."
πŸ‘ Image

Chaitanya A.

"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."

Learner reviews

  • 5 stars

    79.41%

  • 4 stars

    15.93%

  • 3 stars

    2.92%

  • 2 stars

    0.66%

  • 1 star

    1.06%

Showing 3 of 752

EA
Β·

Reviewed on Jul 27, 2017

Very Good basic course about Electric Utilities. You don't need to be in the Electrical Utility Industry to benefit from this course.

ET
Β·

Reviewed on Aug 21, 2023

Great course and really opened my eyes to Electric Utilities. Great course. I would highly recommend to everyone to educate themselves.

NE
Β·

Reviewed on Sep 3, 2020

This course was very informative and recommend every single on who is currently working with utility company to enroll in this course.

Frequently asked questions

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

Financial aid available,