The University of Johannesburg (UJ) has partnered with digital automation and energy management firm Schneider Electric, to unveil a Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Experience Room, in its Auckland Park Campus.
According to the organisations, the partnership provides opportunities for UJ’s engineering faculty students to gain practical experience and develop the skills needed to work in the energy industry.
The experience lab is aimed at helping students explore emerging technologies in the energy sector by harnessing modern teaching strategies.
It showcases the latest smart energy solutions and apparatuses, such as power conditioning systems, power grid monitoring infrastructure, internet of things (IOT)-enabled real-time remote monitoring devices, and augmented reality and virtual reality-enabled smart building solutions.
Zanélle Dalglish, global leader of training and education affairs in the division of global strategy and sustainability for Schneider Electric, spoke to ITWeb on the sidelines of the launch, at the UJ Campus, on Friday.
According to Dalglish, Schneider's purpose is to empower South Africans to make the most of their energy resources, by providing students with access to smart energy education to empower them to bridge the gap between theory and practical learning for the digital economy.
“Globally, Schneider Electric has a mission to train one million students in the field of energy by 2025, and within this programme, the company has different ways in which the students are trained across the globe,” she explained.
“The experience room brings together all the emerging trends in the field of energy, the student’s lessons in the classroom and brings these components to life in a digital fashion. Electrical engineering is a highly-practical field, and hands-on learning is essential for students to develop the skills and expertise needed to design, build and maintain energy systems of the future.”
The 4IR Experience Room’s computer devices are powered by Schneider’s EcoStruxure platform, which assists developers, system integrators and engineers to build applications, such as monitoring, visualisation and control systems for implementing smart operations across enterprises.
Leveraging Microsoft Azure’s IOT platform, EcoStruxture runs across multiple energy solutions, circuits and switchgears, to help build intelligent solutions using standards-based communications protocols.
As the demand for skilled electrical engineers continues to grow, Dalglish believes the lab will help prepare students for careers in a range of industries, including renewable energy, power generation and smart grid technology.
As SA continues to experience unprecedented power cuts, the electricity crisis has led to more homes and businesses deploying renewable energy solutions to circumvent power shortages.
“The lab predominantly targets students in the engineering faculty, such as electrical engineering and electronic engineering. However, the engineering faculty is looking to expand reach to the IT engineer and mechanical engineering students and others, to also give them an opportunity to gain exposure to the lab.”
Schneider Electric's partnership with UJ dates back to 2016, serving several purposes, including to collaborate on research projects focused on energy-efficiency, sustainability and innovation.
The partnership facilitates knowledge sharing between Schneider Electric and UJ faculty and students.
“After UJ established the partnership with Schneider Electric, it became part of our network of training centres, called the French Southern Africa Schneider Electric Education Centre, which has a primary focus of training future artisans, electricians and technicians in the field of energy. We already have a partnership with three local institutions and we are in the process of signing more partnerships,” Dalglish concluded.
Share