Delegates from a number of countries recently gathered at the Bellville Campus for the coordination meeting of the Development of a HArmonized MOdular Curriculum for the Smart Grid (DAMOC) project.
The project aims to foster capacity building in the field of Smart Grids by developing a harmonized, modular curriculum.
The project partners are: Technical University Dresden (Germany), Karlstad University (Sweden), Università degli Studi Guglielmo Marconi (Italy), Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology and University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Stellenbosch and Pretoria Universities.
The CPUT meeting followed previous meetings in Dresden, Dar es Salaam, Rome and Arusha.
CPUT’s Centre for Substation Automation and Energy Management Systems (CSAEMS) had a unique opportunity to showcase their progress in the DAMOC project during the meeting.
This was done by demonstrating the performance of the newly-acquired DAMOC funded Real-Time Digital Simulator, called NovaCor – the first on the continent – and its ability to contribute towards innovative Smart grid education and research.
CSAEMS also reported on the commencement of the new Smart Grid qualification which officially started on March 6.
The five-day programme included discussions and feedback reports from the participating universities, presentations on the block courses to be offered and on CPUT’s Research Laboratory of the CSAEMS.
Demonstrations of some of the practical components of the subjects developed at CPUT were done using industrial grade equipment by Drs Senthil Krishnamurthy, Carl Kriger and Mkululi Mnguni.
In her address, Prof Marshall Sheldon, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships, aligned the DAMOC project with CPUT’s RTI 10-year blue print
“This project aligns with our six strategic imperatives, including: Excellence, Strategic partnerships, Unlocking staff and student potential, Service and Research Uptake, and Multidisciplinary focus areas. It seeks to produce research and innovation which is relevant and which is aligned to the needs of the province, the country, and the continent through knowledge discovery, excellence in teaching, and service.”
The next meeting will take place at Pretoria University.
This project has been made possible through the ERASMUS + Key Action 2: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices programme for Capacity Building in Higher Education.
