4.7
stars
627 ratings

Melissa Wood

20,397 already enrolled

Offered By

Electric Utilities Fundamentals and Future

University of Colorado System

About this Course

13,666 recent views

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.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 11 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish

Skills you will gain

Energy Policy
Demand
Renewable Energy
Management

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 11 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.74/5 (134 Ratings)

Melissa Wood

Faculty Member

University of Colorado Denver Business School, Global Energy Management Program

20,397 Learners

1 Course

Offered by

University of Colorado System

The University of Colorado is a recognized leader in higher education on the national and global stage. We collaborate to meet the diverse needs of our students and communities. We promote innovation, encourage discovery and support the extension of knowledge in ways unique to the state of Colorado and beyond.

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating94%(1,109 ratings)

Week

Week 1

2 hours to complete

Taking Shape and Grid Fundamentals

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.

2 hours to complete

11 videos (Total 75 min)

11 videos

1.1 Introduction1m

1.2 Electric Utility Industry Animated Crash Course6m

1.3 What Happens When You Flip a Switch?3m

1.4 Generation for Generations8m

1.5 Fossil Fuels8m

1.6 Nuclear5m

1.7 Renewables - Hydroelectric and Wind12m

1.8 Renewables - Solar, Biomass and Geothermal15m

1.9 The Generation Portfolio4m

1.10 Transmission and Distribution6m

1.11 Outro55s

1 practice exercise

Taking Shape and Fundamentals30m

Week

Week 2

2 hours to complete

Price and Value

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.

2 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 36 min)

Week

Week 3

2 hours to complete

Not Your Grandparents' Utility

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.

2 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 38 min)

Week

Week 4

2 hours to complete

Pace of Change, Technology and Regulation

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.

2 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 36 min)

Reviews

4.7

183 reviews

5 stars
80.12%
4 stars
16.08%
3 stars
2.83%
2 stars
0.47%
1 star
0.47%

TOP REVIEWS FROM ELECTRIC UTILITIES FUNDAMENTALS AND FUTURE

by BMOct 14, 2018

Fantastic course providing fundamental foundational information about the industry and its different elements.

by JSOct 28, 2021

Exceptionally informative for someone new to the Utility industry. Very engaging, especially for complex content. Melissa is excellent! Quiz material is fair. Videos are high production value.

by CRSep 26, 2017

Great course for people who have no clue how utilities and microgrids work. Take this class if you're considering diving deeper into concepts like green energy, regulation and distributed generation.

by SKMay 25, 2020

It helpful in professional career. They explained clearly about electric utilities fundamentals and future. From this I learned a lot about electricity how to use and maintain to reduce monthly bills.

View all reviews

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Is financial aid available?
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Electric Utilities Fundamentals and Future

Electric Utilities Fundamentals and Future

About this Course

Skills you will gain