HAN W@TTS invests in technical education and research

The Sustainable Electrical Energy Centre of Expertise (SEECE) is going to invest more in HAN W@TTS. This is a unique infrastructure for education and research at HAN in Arnhem.

Smart charging stations, lab sets for electrical engineering lessons, a simulation table of a smart grid, and training systems in which all kinds of energy components are linked together. This is real energy technology at HAN. It prepares students for the world of tomorrow. These educational facilities will now become part of HAN W@TTS, launched in December 2019.

Soon all kinds of groups will use the energy technology at HAN, under the banner of HAN W@TTS. Partly thanks to HAN SEECE. From vocational to masters students, from all kinds of educational institutions. Researchers also use the facilities for the projects they work on.

At the moment the technology is mainly used for HAN students and course participants. All degree courses at the Engineering and Automotive Academy have an energy component and offer increasingly more energy-related training, including the course Sustainable Energy Technology and the brand new course Hydrogen.

Training courses at HAN W@TTS will be given by experts of the Research Group for Control Systems Engineering. They teach students which effects different components have on the energy system. The teaching facilities help to clarify difficult subjects, like grid balance. ‘Students remember it better because they work with real energy technology’, according to researcher Ballard Asare Bediako.

The latest addition is an extensive training system by the German company Lucas-Nülle. HAN has the largest installation of this technology in the world and will extend it in collaboration with Avans University of Applied Sciences. Each panel has a specific function. For example, there's a panel that simulates a wind turbine and a panel that represents the effect of households. These panels are linked to a control centre, which allows you to keep the energy grid in balance. Panels can also be added to the system. So it’s possible to have a hydrogen storage play a role in the installation.

"The panels themselves are also modular", says Ballard Asare-Bediako. "You can remove modules from a panel and compile them yourself. The software behind the system, which is delivered with the lesson material, can be adapted. This means the researchers at the research group can gear the training installation to current energy issues." Asare-Bedaiko is senior lecturer and researcher at the HAN Research Group for Control Systems Engineering.

The work field also plays an important role in HAN W@TTS. Network company Alliander, for example, is helping to develop the Smart Grid Demo Table. This table shows how a smart energy grid functions. The table depicts a high-, medium- and low-voltage grid and shows which way the electricity is flowing.

Alliander has a shortage of well-trained energy technicians. That’s why this network company is investing in facilities for the energy professional of tomorrow. A technician who is prepared for the energy transition and all the issues that go with this.

Contact HAN researcher Patricia Boogaard via email: Patricia.Boogaard@han.nl