The electric energy industry is a diverse landscape offering many career paths that do not interact directly with the production, transmission or distribution of electric power. Non-technical jobs held by executives, managers, accounting, personnel and administrative support services are often filled by those with little or no engineering experience. While these positions may not directly deal with the technical side of electric energy, understanding of these more technical components is vital to all employees.

The Intro to the Electric Utility workshop, to be held, Feb. 5,  is designed to provide a basic understanding of electricity, how it is generated and how it is made available to customers. Focusing on a non-engineer audience, the workshop will cover the basic science of electricity, generation, transmission and distribution as well as focusing on understanding various industry terms and devices.

With a focus on five areas, this workshop will provide an overview to electricity and electrical power systems, information on conventional production methods, alternative technologies, transmission and distribution systems and customer service. There will be an emphasis on understanding various words, terms and phrases unique to the electric power industry. Participants will walk away with a clear insight into how electricity works for the end-use customer.

The workshop outline will include:

• The basic science of electricity and why it exists
• The three fundamental methods of electrical generation and how an electrical generator works
• How electricity is transmitted and distributed to homes and businesses
• Understanding various electrical terms and devices: i.e. transformers, capacitors, relays, etc.
• The function of electrical metering devices
• Understanding the computation of power usage and electric bill

The workshop will once again be led by Steve Sax who is a manager with Murfreesboro Tennessee Electric Department. Sax brings extensive experience to his courses, having worked in the utility industry for over 25 years as an engineer and general manager. Sax was employed with the Tennessee Valley Authority where he worked with industrial expansion, community development and energy conservation projects. He has served as general manager of a large municipal utility that generates, transmits, and distributes power to its consumers. He has conducted sessions for individual utilities, state and national associations across the U.S.

Designed for the non-technical utility employees, this workshop is a unique and important opportunity to gain a basic understanding of how electricity is generated, transmitted and distributed. Attendees will receive a continuing education certificate worth 8.0 PDHs.