Implementing Engineering And Technical Education To Support Florida’s 21 St Century Energy Sector

As the intensity of attention on optimizing energy generation and use as well as bringing renewable energy technologies into all aspects of mainstream life increases, the need for engineering and implementing technical professionals to support the 21 st Century energy age is also apparent. In 2008, Florida’s legislature directed the Florida Energy Systems Consortium (FESC), and the State’s University and State College systems to develop applied research and specific technical education pathways to allow Florida to meet its 2020 energy generation and demand criteria. The current strategy is entertaining a mix of conventional, nuclear, solar and bio-fuels for generation and a range of options to make Florida “green” within a “smart” grid. In that same legislative action, the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education Center for Florida (FLATE) was commissioned to determine the expected skills that would be needed to support this new energy reality. Part of this assignment is to find the common skills that will cross various alternate energy technologies and assess the current and projected status of curriculum for such engineering and technical education. The strategy that FLATE and FESC developed for providing the formal technical education to cover this skill set at various levels within the Florida university, state college, and community college systems will be discussed. Florida Energy Systems Consortium (FESC) FESC was created by the Florida State legislature in 2008 to promote collaboration among the energy experts at its 11 supported universities to share energy-related expertise. The consortium assists the state in the development and implementation of an environmentally compatible, sustainable, and efficient energy strategic plan. The Consortium was charged to “perform research and development on innovative energy systems that lead to alternative energy strategies, improved energy efficiencies, and expanded economic development for the state” (5). The legislature appropriated funding for research at six of the universities as well as support for education, outreach, and technology commercialization. The Consortium reports to and supports the Florida Energy and Climate Commission in developing and implementing the State’s energy and climate agenda (1). The Consortium’s energy research strategy is a systems approach for a systemic solution to identify innovation opportunities, prepare an energy workforce, and guide economic development. Through collaborative research and development across the State University System and the industry as well as partnership with FLATE as the conduit to the state college and community college system, the goal of the consortium is to become a world leader in energy research, education, technology, and energy systems and analysis. In so doing, the consortium shall: