The added value of system integration in the energy transition

The energy transition is in full swing and requires the necessary expertise. This knowledge is often spread across different disciplines and that can be a challenge. Collaboration is essential to find solutions. Lecturer Kees Pieters of Dirksen University of Applied Sciences advocates broadening knowledge in educational institutions. By bringing together multiple areas of expertise in the study offer, the student of the future will be more broadly oriented.

It is becoming increasingly apparent in society that problems are less restricted to one specific specialism. This is leading to more forced collaborations. The corona crisis is a good example of this. COVID-19 is forcing experts to work together. The expertise of physicians is not sufficient to solve this problem, because the pandemic is much bigger than healthcare. The economy, for example, is also affected. An economist is not responsible for the effects of the virus on health, while physicians can say little about the consequences of the pandemic for the economy. People are not trained for multiple tasks that are so far apart. This also applies to the energy transition.

An expert in the field of solar panels will have difficulty with questions about wind energy. After all, that is a completely different discipline and requires a different level of knowledge. It is advisable to include multiple areas of expertise in technical training courses, so that the level of knowledge is increased. It is up to educational institutions to look beyond a single specialism. By combining multiple areas of expertise, students are better prepared for future challenges. Systems theory is a good example of this. Systems theory teaches you to look at technical systems at a higher level of abstraction. As a result, you learn to see the similarities between these systems. Electrical engineering, pneumatics, hydraulics and thermodynamics then appear to have similarities that can be tackled with the same mathematics.

Hierarchy
Combining multiple areas of expertise is a great starting point, but that does mean that there must be interest in the field. The fact that few people choose a career in technology says a lot. It is up to the sector to see how the range of courses can be made as attractive as possible. One point that many technicians encounter is that it is difficult to make a career in this sector in terms of content, because technicians seem to be running up against a kind of ceiling. The higher up in the hierarchy, the less professional knowledge. Managers often have less technical knowledge than their employees, which can cause difficulties.

Pioneers also often have a hard time, because their ideas are not understood by their managers. But by giving pioneers space, new ideas emerge that are good for the future. Such innovations arise from people who dare to experiment because of their background. Trainers must stimulate the urge to experiment and combine different expertise. This requires money and that means that investments are necessary. For these pioneers, it applies that they often seek cooperation with other experts in order to jointly arrive at new insights.

Smart tuning
The energy transition requires intensive partnerships. Solar panels, wind farms, heat pumps and hydrogen reinforce each other and can together ensure major energy savings. These different systems are gradually integrating with each other and influence each other. If solar panels and wind farms come together, this must be facilitated well and smart coordination is required. Research must be conducted so that potential problems can be tackled in advance. Educational institutions can play a major role in this. It starts with individual installations with which consumers can save money; if these systems work properly, knowledge can be further increased until it reaches a more abstract level. It starts with individual installations with which consumers can save money. These systems are in turn included in larger networks (grids), which requires knowledge at a higher level of abstraction. For example, it is now known that the weather has a major influence at this level. New ideas arise at this level. Education must respond to this. The implementation of the Internet of Things (IoT) is a good example of this, because this application simplifies and facilitates networks and partnerships.

Information technology is becoming increasingly important for educators. Problem-based learning has grown steadily over the past ten to fifteen years. As a result, the subject has become more interesting for many students. By presenting problems that can be solved with technical insight, students' creativity is tapped. For example, there are more and more so-called Fabrication Laboratories (FabLabs, also called Fabulous Labs) worldwide, such as the StadsLab in Rotterdam, where technical problems are presented to students in an accessible manner. The advantage of these accessible workshops is that they stimulate people. One point of attention is that at some point there must be a professionalization step, so that the hobby-like, often recipe-driven approach that is stimulated in these FabLabs reaches the level that you may expect from a technical professional.