Unlocking the Grid: A Fun, Eye-Opening Dive into How Electricity & Utilities Really Work

This will be the most captivating, entertaining and enlightening course you have ever attended. Choose one 8 hour class or split into two 4 hour segments. Contact us to schedule a course.
This training will demystify generation, transmission, distribution, substations, balancing, storage, ancillary services and how electricity really works. Attendees will gain a much better understanding of energy markets, the different types of utilities and how they earn money. It will review the grid layout, equipment, overhead vs underground, substations, different types of generation and how they work as well as microgrids and distributed energy resources. All will leave with an appreciation for the different types of generation, goals, challenges, and new tools to balance them reliability.

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⚡ Ready to Power Up Your Understanding?

Unlock the mysteries of how electricity really works — from generation to the grid, and everything in between. Whether you’re new to the energy sector or looking to sharpen your expertise, this engaging and interactive training will transform how you think about electric utilities.

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Frequently Asked Question's

WHAT CONTENT WILL BE COVERED

Transmission & Distribution

Key parts, pieces and equipment of the grid
How substation & transformers work
How to reduce and respond to outages
Overhead vs undergrounds
Demand charge, reactive demand, Vars
ADMS, SCADA, DR, DER, RPS, and more
See our website for more covered topics.

Generation & Balancing

Types of generation and their future
Energy storage uses and limitations
Integrated resource plans, and RPS’s
The importance of forecasting
Using the different markets to balance
How a generator makes electricity
What is AC, DC, 60hz, watts, voltage, etc

Business & Financial

Types of utilities, IOU, PUD, Rural
How utilities make money and fund projects
Rates, tariffs, shareholders, emergencies
O&M, capital, rate base, depreciation
Public utility commissions and the GRC
Regulations, FERC, NERC, DOE, WECC, etc.
QF, IPP, ESS, CCA, BA, ISO, PP, and more

The content is customized for your company, incorporating regional regulations, strategic priorities, company-specific statistics, and any other topics you want us to emphasize. See the SAMPLE AGENDA for a complete list of topics.

WHERE IS THE TRAINING LOCATED?

Training can be virtual or in person. Virtual courses use Microsoft Teams or your preferred tool.

WHAT IS THE Cost?

We guarantee to provide the lowest cost. More affordable than other training organizations or even conducting the training in-house.

The course fee is per course, not per person, allowing unlimited attendees at no extra cost. Typical virtual one day classes are $7,000 and in person $9,000. Both the virtual or in-house classes offer electric utilities a more cost effective way of providing employees with training by eliminating the cost of employee travel.

What is the lead-time required?

Virtual courses can be scheduled as soon as possible pending schedule availability. In-house classes can be conducted as quickly as 3-4 weeks after the initial contact.

How long is each course?

Each course includes 8 hours of content and can be delivered in flexible segments to suit your schedule. For example: one 8-hour session, two 4-hour sessions, etc.

Please see the sample agenda

What are the start and end times?

You can set the beginning and end time to your scheduling needs. Typically most courses have an 8:00AM to 4PM duration or for the two day split course, 8:00AM to 12:00PM.

See the SAMPLE AGENDA

What are the next steps in scheduling a course?

Contact me to reserve a day or ask questions.

What material is included

Participants will receive:

A copy of the presentation slides
A 7-page quick reference guide summarizing the key information
Access to a curated playlist of ~130 videos for continued learning and deeper exploration of specific topics

About the instructor

Brent Olsen is an electrical engineer specializing in power systems with a masters in Energy Policy and Management. He also has an MBA, PMP, Lean Six Sigma certification and a degree in Spanish. He owns 3 Phase Training which has provided courses on electricity and utility systems to thousands of professionals at hundreds of organizations.
Brent brings 30 years of experience to the class across multiple roles at large electric utilities. His background spans distribution, transmission, and generation engineering, with hands-on work in nearly every area of utility operations. He has led research and development initiatives, managed the installation of microgrids, generation facilities, transmission and distribution systems, distributed energy resources, maintenance programs, and numerous other grid-edge innovation programs.
He also established and leads a user group of utility professionals who follow and discuss business and technological changes in the electric utility industry. His greatest professional success was placing second in his third grade renewable energy drawing competition.