The National Science Foundation is looking to the Carolinas as a partner in building tomorrow's energy grid.
Last week, NSF announced the Grid Modernization Engine project, a $160 million grant project to 36 counties in North and South Carolina.
The goal of the engine is to build a hub for grid innovation while driving economic growth and opportunity across the region.
One of the founding partners in the engine is York Technical College in Rock Hill. York Tech will spearhead the workforce development aspect of the project.
I sat down with Dr. Stacey Moore, president of York Tech, to discuss how the school and partners are looking at the needs, demands, and security of the U.S. energy grid of tomorrow.
Scott Morgan: What is this project, and what is York Tech's role in it?
Stacey Moore: This project is a National Science Foundation Engines program, so it's out of their Engines program.
The project is to create an entire ecosystem in the Carolinas to modernize the electric grid. So whether that's with new technologies, more advanced technologies, better processes, ultimately to allow the electric grid to be more reliable, to take on additional energy input from multiple sources of energy, and ultimately serve the needs of the entire nation.
Although the project is based in 36 counties in the Carolinas, the idea is to create a model ecosystem that then could be used across the nation. That really is the expectation of the National Science Foundation as well. So our role is to direct all the workforce development efforts.
There are four major parts of the Engine: research and development, translation and commercialization, workforce development, and regional partnerships. We are the, we are the responsible party for all the workforce development.
Scott Morgan: As you're looking at this, are you weighing the whole grid security aspect of things?
Stacey Moore: Absolutely. That's a major emphasis of this Engine. All energy conversations anymore is the security of the grid
One of the major parts of the workforce efforts is we've got to ensure that all of the types of jobs and occupations in it, whether those are manufacturing type jobs, or whatnot, these students now need to understand cybersecurity.
They need to understand, network securities. They need to understand the implications of that, if they are programming a machine, operating a machine, fixing a machine. We're trying to fill jobs in the energy sector right now as a part of this grid, and then we're conservatively anticipating over 11,000 new jobs created over the time of the Engine because we expect it to be a magnet for new economic development, and for- existing companies, for example, to start to generate new product lines.
So maybe you make automotive parts, but now you're going to make parts of the grid. So it'll really expand economic development opportunities.
Our use case for the engine is nuclear energy, so you're talking about building, maintaining, repairing nuclear facilities, small and large, you know, small modular reactors to large nuclear stations.
You're also talking about manufacturing. So you're talking about utilities jobs, building construction jobs, manufacturing jobs, making and, and fixing parts of the grid. across all of those, they have to be, even if they're not directly working on security, which will be some of them literally in security jobs on the grid, or behind the grid, or related to the grid. But you're also talking about every part of it has to be, because there are vulnerabilities at every point in the process of creating parts for the grid or of just simply managing energy inputs, outputs, distribution, all of it.
Scott Morgan: when does this technically start in terms of, you know, putting the program together, and then what does build-out look like in, say, a year, two years, five years?
Stacey Moore: We have to start pretty immediately. We haven't gotten the final [word on] what is going to be due to NSF quickly, but we anticipate only having about a month or so to put together our implementation plan.
Now, mind you, as part of the grant process, in truth, they've gotten all of that. This is now just a tighter version of what are you going to do and commit to, the specific metrics for years one and two. Because we get $15 million for years one and two for the Engine, then they evaluate our progress, and then they release the additional $145 million.
It's $160 million total. So the first two years are pretty critical to make sure you're going to continue funding. What it looks like for us, because we're the lead for workforce development, our job is to be the folks who … could be designing new programs, enhancing programs, ensuring that existing academic programs are spread across our service area. It's working with all of our K-12 partners and our both community colleges in North Carolina, technical colleges, South Carolina's, so that we're really taking an approach that is everyone together is ensuring that the, the people are aware of the kind of jobs that are coming; [that] the kind of jobs that are available, the training needed, and that training is available broadly.
A lot of it for us will be that central point to say, "Okay, you know, in our 36 counties -- we know we're going to need lots of machinists. We know we're going to need lots of industrial maintenance techs, mechatronics techs, building instruction trades folks. We're going to need engineers approximately across where do those programs exist? Where do they not?"
And then, really critically, it's how do we make sure there's pipelines coming in? Because that is a problem. And in most of the jobs I just mentioned, we don't have enough people going into them, and, therefore, we're not graduating enough broadly. And so it's increasing the awareness, attractiveness, the viability of these kinds of careers starting really early.
So now you're talking about summer camps and dual enrollment opportunities and big awareness building, community efforts. You know, there are so many, so many partners on this grant. Imagine SC Works and NC Works. So you're really talking about so displaced workers. We really have to hit all of that.
We can't do it by ourselves, so everybody's already connected in partners. So again, we get to be the central source of, of information, and here's what's happening, and here's ideas, here's what we think programs need to be developed, and then it pushes it out to the whole system.
Scott Morgan: If you look at certain places around South Carolina like Greenville County, York County, these places are growing. And then you look at Allendale County or Marlboro County, and these places are hollowing out. Is there any concentration on some sort of rebuild in some of these areas that are hollowing out in the state?
Stacey Moore: Yes. The first two years in particular, there's a focus on five priority counties. Now, we could have chosen more, but we honed in on, and they're primarily because they're rural in nature and economic development and economic growth is limited or declining. Median family income is lower than most.
So looking at those variables … the idea is to focus there so we can figure out how to extend ourselves into areas where there's less access to education, less access to jobs, less economic development, so therefore, less jobs, and see if we can really infiltrate that way so then we can extrapolate that to the entire ecosystem after the first year-and-a-half or so, two years.
That's our major emphasis right now. In some part of the grant, we have this notion of these centers of excellence that we may put up, whether that's a training center in a community center or a YMCA, whatever, wherever that place might be, so people have access to, training opportunities to go into.
That's on the workforce development side. There's some other efforts on the R&D side and the translation side. … But from the workforce side, we're really looking at where do we connect into these more rural areas so that training opportunities, that people are aware of them, and that we can get them trained where they are.
Scott Morgan: Is it premature to ask how some of these partners are already taking news of this project?
Stacey Moore: Partners have been very easy to engage. I didn't know how that would go when we first started this, because you're getting people connected, with the promise of really good things coming to their community, but without anything behind that other than we really hope that we get this grant.
But … they're, they're excited because they see the potential of this. And to your point, some of the counties you're talking about, they're fully aware and in the everyday of what the impacts of some of these challenges have been in the community.
Scott Morgan: Do you see a physical infrastructure happening on campus? Are there going to be classes or new buildings or anything here?
Stacey Moore: We anticipate that more of the physical infrastructure would be in the priority counties; that we'd put some of those centers or monies for that in those counties that don't have an existing infrastructure.
What you will see here, I think, is more programming. You'll see new programs, different or enhancements to programs. If you take some of our manufacturing programs, for example, we already have machining and all that.
You do have to infuse expertise and education in energy. What does it mean to work in the energy sector, in cybersecurity beyond what we've already done a lot of that because that's not just an energy sector where you need security and manufacturing? But, you might see enhancements.
You'll see shorter term work programs where people can come and bolt on. “I'm already an engineer, and now I want to have some particular areas in energy, so I can be ready to go work for VC Summer or the Catawba Nuclear Plant or Dominion or Duke or any of the other, or one of the manufacturing areas."
Siemens is a good example of a major partner. and they just, they want, they need workforce. They want workforce across the board. They need machinists like no one else. They need mechatronics techs, but they need them to have particular Siemens [certifications]. So we'll bolt on the Siemens. You'll see a lot of that happening.
But the physical infrastructure, you'll probably see more in our, under-resourced communities.
Scott Morgan: Where do you find instructors for a thing like this? This is pretty specialized knowledge.
Stacey Moore: We certainly have an existing set of faculty in K-12, especially in the CTE programs and then our programs that we anticipate.
Many of them may already have much of this. We (at York Tech) are very luckily to have at least one faculty member who's been in the energy industry and has good knowledge. We have a set of programs we've already built that we'll now take.
We have a whole governance structure or really an implementation structure, [and] when you have all these partners, you're going to need to organize and coordinate them effectively so that they feel they have voice, but work is getting done and moving quickly without 100 people having to give a nod to it.
We already have a set of programs that we're putting out there. So we will say to the first leadership structure that'll be heavy on the kind of highest point of the structure for workforce development is your CEOs and presidents and all of this to say.
And their job is just to be like, “Yeah, you're, going in the right direction. We don't want a lot more from that crew.” Then you've got your implementation team and then your workforce development team, the core, which will be at York Tech. That's the folks just making sure we're hitting all the metrics every day.
As we work through that, we will present new programs and we'll present where we want physical infrastructure to go, and those groups will be able to adjust, enhance, maneuver it as needed, and then implement across,
On faculty: One of the cool things we wrote into the grant, and one of the things NSF really grabbed onto, is that we, we have a whole process and set of ideas for how we will take existing faculty, like in the technical colleges, community colleges, and in the universities, because you do need four-year programs.
The bulk of this workforce, about 80% of it, is in this middle skill, but there's still a, a huge need for engineer four-year and beyond. So what we plan to do is take our faculty, and they will actually sit alongside the research and development faculty so that they are taking what's happening kind of in the cutting edge research and development, even in the translation world a little bit, to pull into the curriculum.
Even if it's not yet happening, they know what's coming. Or, as soon as it's being developed, they can build it in.
We have a lot of, industry partners, and we have already said that part of that partnership has to be these unique ways where we're sharing staff and faculty so they'll be teaching programs. And some of that may be us helping them learn how to teach as well as them ensuring that the expertise is coming into the classroom, that they can bring into it.
Scott Morgan: When do you anticipate the first day of class? And once that's up, how do you see this idea at its most ideal over the course of the next, say, 10 years?
Stacey Moore: One of, one of the major promises of the Engine, for example, is that we are going to move new processes and technologies to full commercialization in half the time.
It takes just over 20 years, even at a high TRL level (Translation Readiness Level) for a new technology or a new process or product on the grid or related to the grid to get to commercialization and actually being utilized.
So the, the first major promise of the grid is to cut that in half or more
[Energy companies are] pretty conservative when it comes to taking on new ideas. They're not going to bring a whole bunch of new stuff in, no matter how wonderful it is. So they're slow to innovate, naturally. [But if we can cut development tim], and I completely believe we absolutely will, now you're talking about revitalizing and the entire energy industry.
So now the grid's going to be more effective, more reliable. There's going to be less worry about the grid, whether it's, it's actual functionality or it's security. You’re talking about increased confidence, which means economic development can move faster. Companies can move more effectively. I anticipate a great deal more economic development, onshoring more manufacturing into this region.
Because when there's an ecosystem that involves research, entrepreneurship, workforce, connection and partnerships, it just serves as a magnet. People want to come. They want to, bring new companies. And then those new companies bring whole supply chains. So you're talking about great jobs.
If we go now to the workforce, great jobs that pay great wages in an industry that is reliable and necessary. So you're really talking about major community. It will be a huge vitality in these communities with these kinds of jobs, industries that are good industries.
We have so much automotive manufacturing, for example. And so there was a little bit of like, well, if you move to more hybrid and EV, you're going to have less need for some of the quantity, the amount.
This is a couple years ago, mind you. And so we're like, well, one of the opportunities would be that these companies can create new vertical product lines because it's not a horribly different manufacturing process for parts of the grid.
That has not panned out quite as we thought, but I don't think that's going to slow down. But you still have existing industries who can create new vertical product lines, so now they can diversify their product line.
So it's really good for existing industries. It's all going to mean more jobs.
[Another] opportunity is, we already have a major gap in the energy industry across the board, utilities, manufacturing, where there's not enough people for the jobs. We're now going to create a whole bunch more jobs.
The issue might be not enough people, but it, it is probably more likely as we look at it as people in industries that are less in high demand, less high paying, so we need to re-skill folks, help them, help them see the opportunities there as well as, as, as we come up through, you know, younger kids and K-12.
Also, those can re-skill into higher demand, more recession-resistant occupations. We need some other jobs for them. So now you have families making more money, communities increase vitality, you know. the whole thing should create more opportunity for every person, and then certainly on the, the industry side will be strong.
The grid will be stronger, and now you also have models for how to do that across the nation, so we have less worry about the grid itself. Or grids.
Scott Morgan: You have models of energy now, like nuclear. How are you fixed for pivoting if, say, the political environment changes over time?
Stacey Moore: We really keep the use case as a good model, at about maybe 10% of the effort of the engine is, is focused on that in terms of our thinking. Now, UNC Charlotte and Clemson [University] are the two partners. UNC Charlotte is the lead four-year. Clemson is a partner four-year. We're the lead two-year, and then certainly there's other partners, but they’re both doing a lot of great work in nuclear.
But you think about [nuclear] as maybe 10% a grid. That makes sense for North and South Carolina to have nuclear as a use case. It's a reliable source of energy.
The rest of the way we think about the engine is broadly around energy, so everything. On the research and development side at UNC, they're thinking about energy broadly and all types of inputs because one of your biggest issues with the grid is the capacity to handle multiple inputs from different sources of energy at a high quantity, coming in faster
If you really want to push more energy inputs into it from multiple sources we need a lot more [scale]. Industry needs, increasing amounts of energy, and that energy's going to have to come from multiple input sources.
The whole time with this project, we've been thinking about energy much more broadly than our particular use case, but [nuclear] does give us a good focus point for, models and templates. It already matches some of the work being done at Clemson and UNC Charlotte.
