The energy industry is at a tipping point – facing a paradigm shift in the way that energy is produced, delivered and used.  Increased demand for power has put a strain on the aging infrastructure of the United States power grid, causing it to become increasingly overloaded and unstable.  Reorienting the nation’s urban and energy infrastructure around platforms of efficiency, sustainability, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions represents perhaps the greatest engine for innovation, job creation, and economic productivity growth in coming decades. 

As the old grid is rapidly being replaced with smart grid technology, a critical shortfall in workforce training and education has been identified –that is, there is a lack of well-trained, highly skilled electric power sector workers who are vital to deploying and maintaining a national clean-energy smart grid.

In 2010, Robert W. Galvin Center for Electricity Innovation initiated a $12.6 million project, supported by the Department of Energy and the State of Illinois, to educate and train the nation’s workforce to meet the global challenges and opportunities of the smart grid.  The Center for Electricity Innovation will oversee the operations of this initiative.

Center News:

Coming soon

Upcoming Events:

October 19th-  Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for IIT's Smart Grid Education and Workforce Training Center