Dr. John Simmins to lead Alfred University GE Vernova Advanced Power Grid Lab

Gabrielle Gaustad ’04, dean of the Inamori School of Engineering at Alfred University announced Simmins’ appointment, effective July 1. David Gottfried, who had been deputy director of the CACT since 2016, will now lead the Center.

The recently-launched GE Vernova Advanced Power Grid Lab is part of a workforce development initiative that will prepare students for careers in the growing renewable energy industry. It is supported by a $466,853 grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and $2.8 million in software licenses donated by GE Vernova.

The University was initially awarded $786,000 in Advanced Energy Management System (AEMS) and Advanced Distribution Management Solutions (ADMS) software packages from GE Vernova, to be used in 2023-24, the first year of the project. GE Vernova has since awarded the University an additional $2 million in software, which will be used over the ensuing five-year period.

The Advanced Power Grid Lab will benefit students in the Alfred University Inamori School of Engineering’s Renewable Energy Engineering and Electric Engineering programs by providing them with access to state-of-the-art equipment and training. Located on the second floor of the Inamori School’s McMahon Engineering Building, the lab will house a microgrid control center and a DERs (distributed energy resources) command center to be used as a training resource. Software provided by GE Vernova will facilitate training in power grid planning and operations.

The lab will provide students valuable experience, making them attractive to employers in the power industry. “This lab will be a huge benefit for the region. Our students will be able to contribute immediately to utilities like RG&E and NYSEG,” Simmins said at a May 9 ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the lab’s opening. “Alfred University is committed to providing the utilities of New York State a talent pipeline (of workers and educational resources) they can count on for years to come.”

Simmins will manage the NYSERDA grant expenditures, which will subsidize student internships and fund the purchase the microgrid control center and DERs command center. The program also allows the University to subcontract with the EPRI, an independent, non-profit research and development organization, to conduct industry-standard training short courses for students.

Two of the EPRI courses—“Modern Electrical Grids and Electricity Markets for 100 percent Renewables,” taught by Dan Lu, associate professor of renewable energy engineering; and “100 percent Renewable Advanced Power Electronics,” taught by Xingwu Wang, professor of electrical engineering—were offered during the spring 2024 semester. Two students who took one or more of the courses were placed in full-time jobs in the renewable energy space after graduation in May; another is currently working in a paid summer internship. An EPRI short course in machine learning will be offered over three days in September.

Some of the GE Vernova software has been received and workstations have been installed in the lab, and approximately $400,000 in software licenses will be provided each year for the next five years. The microgrid control center and DERs command center are expected to be purchased this summer, with the completed lab expected to be in place by the beginning of 2025.

Simmins said the GE Vernova Lab and NYSERDA grant programs, along with the training opportunities made available through EPRI’s short course offerings, will be a boon for the University’s recruitment efforts. “This will raise the profile of Alfred University and our Renewable Energy Engineering program. EPRI and NYSERDA are world-class experts to work with. Collaborating with these entities enhances the reputation of the University.”

He added, “We want to get more undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in our Renewable Energy Engineering program. Making us more aligned with the utilities industry will help bring those numbers up. And a greater demand for our renewables curriculum will hopefully lead to an increase in faculty and staff. We will gain a lot of visibility through this program and do a lot more work with utilities for both applied research and training opportunities.”

Simmins, a native of Arkport, NY, has been with Alfred University since 2019, when he was appointed associate provost for Research and Economic Development. In that role, he served as director of the CACT, and also had oversight of the University’s research and economic development initiatives. Prior to coming to Alfred, Simmins spent a decade at EPRI, serving as technical executive, Information and Communication Technology for Smart Distribution Systems. He has worked closely with the utilities industry for much of his career, something he feels will serve him well in his new role.

“I’m looking forward to reaching out to people I know in the industry,” said Simmins, whose work at EPRI focused in part on network architecture for renewable energy distribution and storage. “I’m looking forward to testing out (his prior work) with the software and hardware we are getting (for the GE Vernova lab), seeing how it works in practice.”