Reform of Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Teaching and the Curriculum System in the Context of the Energy Internet

Abstract

After the concept of the Energy Internet was proposed in the last century, it has become a topic of great interest in recent years with the development of related technologies and the growing environmental problems. At the same time, the new technology brought by it also poses new challenges for the electrical engineering specialty, which is inseparable from power plants, power grids and other power facilities. How to reform the electrical engineering specialty to better meet the challenges it brings has become a problem that cannot be ignored. This paper comprehensively analyzes the current development status of the Energy Internet, key technologies involved in the concept of the Energy Internet, and problems in current talent training. This paper proposes to carry out curriculum reform through two main lines and to further optimize the curriculum structure, thus forming a more reasonable training program.

1. Introduction

The Energy Internet is a new energy utilization system predicted by American scholar Jeremy Rifkin in his “The Third Industrial Revolution” in 2011. The Energy Internet follows the trend of the development of the Internet of Things, and through the introduction of advanced power electronics technology, it enables the operation of power systems to achieve multi-energy interoperability on a stable basis. Through information technology and intelligent equipment technology, it guarantees the utilization of energy through distributed energy collection and storage devices when there are multiple energy sources and connects each new energy node so that the flow of energy is no longer a one-way flow but can reach reciprocal exchange and energy sharing through a two-way flow, thus ensuring the stable operation of the power system when the demand relationship fluctuates. The Energy Internet introduces renewable energy, responds to the trend of energy restructuring, ensures the stability of each node of the large-scale Energy Internet through distributed and intelligent management, and enables multiple energy nodes to collect and use renewable energy with maximum efficiency through the bidirectional interconnection of energy between each node. The current international research on the Energy Internet is also very popular, and extensive research has been conducted on the architecture design of the Energy Internet and its big data, advanced power electronics technology, management algorithm optimization, etc. With the development of new energy technologies, the Energy Internet system has become a new development trend for power grids, and increasingly more related technologies are emerging, making it necessary for more talents to adapt to the development momentum, master technologies related to the Energy Internet, and have Internet thinking, so that they can cope with the multimodule and multitechnology future smart grid. The emergence of the Energy Internet technologies means a huge change in the traditional power system. Therefore, China, as a leader in the use and development of renewable energy in the world today, proposed an Energy Internet development strategy with the power system as the core in 2014. In March 2016, the State Grid initiated the establishment of the Global Energy Internet Development Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO). Accordingly, it can be foreseen that in the future, the Energy Internet will become an important driving force for the development of China’s power system and will also become the main development direction of the power system.

Despite the widespread interest in scientific research, it is also important to ensure a steady flow of talent to work on this aspect of the Energy Internet. In a global study of universities, it was found that the current electrical engineering program has not made enough changes to match this trend [1]. The electrical engineering majors in most universities still maintain their previous composition and are severely lacking in the introduction of algorithmic knowledge, smart grid, or even advanced electronic equipment. In researching the training programs of different schools, it was noted that in the top universities, students are encouraged to explore their research interests after undertaking basic studies. Only basic courses are taught in the first or even second semester, and after students have gained a basic understanding of the subject, they can choose courses which are differentiated by orientation. Once a student has chosen an area of interest, he or she can simply take enough credits for the corresponding orientation. This approach eliminates optional courses and provides each course with the same resources as a compulsory course, ensuring that students can learn the cutting-edge technologies that interest them after a solid foundation course in the same time. However, this approach, which requires a high level of quality and academic excellence, cannot be adopted by every school, because most students will only choose subjects that are easier to pass. Moreover, students from these top schools are often not the main source of employees for power companies. In addition, most midstream and even upper-middle schools, as the main exporters of talent for power companies, have not done enough to teach new technologies. Instead, in order to face renewable energy grid connection, integrated energy hub construction, and advanced power plant operation and maintenance management knowledge brought by the Energy Internet, more of them are accepted and absorbed by opening new majors or even new colleges. However, the main talent training for grid companies worldwide still comes from electrical engineering majors, ensuring that electrical engineering students are not blinded by their knowledge when they are employed and are able to keep up with the industry once they are employed, which is an important objective that cannot be ignored. This issue has attracted more widespread attention [2].

This causes electrical engineering graduates to need to invest more experience in learning new knowledge after graduation, and it can even affect their employment, which is also detrimental to the implementation of advanced technologies in the grid. Some universities have undertaken reform measures for electrical engineering majors; these measures include the addition of new courses and the revision of teaching guidelines. For example, by accepting new definitions and changing the cognition of existing teaching concepts, this approach is highly operational, because students can easily understand new concepts on the basis of old learning. For example, the “Internet+” competition, which is jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Education, aims to closely integrate the new generation of information technology, such as mobile internet, cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, next-generation communication technology, blockchain, and other fields of economy and society, is used to encourage students to associate traditional resistance sensors, capacitance sensors, inductance sensors or new thermoelectric sensors, biosensors, and integrated smart sensors, with the junction of a wireless sensor network, which is easy to contact with typical industrial applications of the Internet of Things sensors [3]. However, this optimization of a single concept has not risen to the system level, and it only ensures the promotion of a certain concept, which makes it difficult to cultivate students’ broad interest, not to mention the method of the whole professional reform. The same type of measures also include the introduction of new teaching methods, such as “the CDIO teaching mode”, which optimizes the acceptance of courses through new teaching methods, transforms the subject into students, and improves students’ exploration enthusiasm [4]. Huangshan University chose to use “the method of problem-based learning (PBL)” in order to solve the problems existing in the teaching of power electronics technology, such as valuing theory over practice, neglecting the cultivation of independent learning ability, and lacking the cultivation of practical ability and innovation ability. By strengthening the proportion of experimentation in the curriculum, the integration of multicourse knowledge can be realized. The focus of teaching will be shifted to how students learn and how to learn well [5]. Similar models include the “the concept–design–implement–operate (CDIO) teaching module” adopted by Tongji University [6]. However, this reform mode still requires students to passively accept new knowledge, which will naturally lag behind industrial reform and development, and the scales is too small. Compared with the teaching mode, more schools choose to change the focus of teaching, such as the greater use of engineering practice ideas. This approach is reflected in the opening of new majors. For example, the Tianjin University of Technology has made a series of reforms in energy and power engineering in the face of “emerging engineering”. This two-year teaching practice has improved students’ autonomous learning ability, engineering practice ability, and innovation ability [7]. However, due to the lack of clear guidance, when faced with difficult problems, students rely more on experienced teachers and cannot solve them independently. In the final analysis, the corresponding course transaction is missing. In addition to this large-scale teaching practice, there are also initiatives to reform a specific subject for “emerging engineering” [8,9]. According to the universities, these reforms have achieved good results. However, the results of these reforms are difficult to popularize.

The primary reason is that these reforms only focus on one aspect of the development trend while ignoring other factors, which lead to incomplete reform and can only achieve limited results. Secondly, there is no clear guides, but blindly fill the gaps, which requires not only separate reform for each discipline but also high learning costs. Therefore, a more suitable method is to disassemble and analyze the concept of the Energy Internet to grasp the overall requirements and sort them out, carrying out drastic reform on the premise of reducing the difficulty. As for emerging technologies, compared with the reform of old courses, we should give full consideration to the characteristics of the electrical engineering specialty with strong inclusiveness and a more interdisciplinary approach, use an outline sorted according to characteristics, and select mature new disciplines to supplement.

After studying the training programs and curriculum systems of these universities, we refined two main lines of curriculum that are recognized by all according to the requirements and characteristics of the Energy Internet. We selected a group of relevant courses already offered by most universities and mature teaching materials already developed to be added to the curriculum to establish a training program that is more suitable for the development of the Energy Internet and to transform the formulation of training objectives. This training program is intended to fill a gap in the current discussion on the overall reform of teaching and learning and to provide a new training program that can be adopted directly by the electrical engineering profession.

2. Key Technologies and Developments in the Energy Internet

Energy Internet technology is a new generation of power system that focuses more on the power network as an energy transmission platform than the traditional power system and converts, transmits, and stores different kinds of energy distributed in various energy nodes. Therefore, if we want to carry out the energy innovation of this technology using the framework of the traditional power system, we need to upgrade the corresponding software and hardware to ensure the construction of an Energy Internet operational platform.

2.1. Development Status

The conventional power grid consists of a large number of loosely connected synchronous AC grids, with the functions of generation, transmission, and distribution of electrical energy. Its operation is unidirectional, with the direction of electrical energy flowing only from the supplier to the consumer. The transmission process only includes a one-way flow from the power plant to the load center at a certain distance through a high-voltage transmission line, and then depressurization treatment is carried out at the load center for users. Energy-use monitoring is mainly calculated by the power plant, so the whole energy transportation chain is controlled by the power plant, and the consumer plays the role of a simple consumer in the whole process. However, since the 1970s, the increase in the number of electronic devices in the grid load has resulted in an unpredictable energy demand, causing problems in the operation of the grid, so the concept of a world electrical energy network emerged in the 1980s, marking the emergence of the prototype of the Energy Internet [10]. With the emergence of advanced loads, such as smart homes and electric cars, the low intelligence of the grid has caused much energy waste. In addition, as more renewable energy sources were discovered and put to use, the location of energy suppliers changed from the previous status quo of being concentrated in a particular power plant to the supply points becoming more diffuse due to the demand for renewable energy in different geographic locations [11]. The emergence of new demands, their inherent limitations, and the aging of the infrastructure make it urgent for the traditional grid to change to accommodate newer energy supply requirements. With the joint development of internet technology and new energy technology, the concept of the deep integration of energy systems with internet thinking and technology is becoming increasingly clearer. As a new open system of information energy integration, the Energy Internet has advantages that traditional power systems and energy systems cannot. The Energy Internet will be built with a focus on global electricity interconnection and multiple energy coupling that is integrated with information technology, accommodating existing concepts while making market and green reforms to the industry and promoting secondary innovation in the energy industry. The demand for energy supply and the need for external environmental protection have led to an increasingly number of countries to put the construction of the Energy Internet on the agenda [12].

With the increasing maturity of information technology, the functions and concepts of smart grids, such as bidirectional energy flow between service providers and users, complemented by the connectivity, automation, and equipment tracking-related technologies provided by IoT technology, have reached the required technical requirements for the establishment of the Energy Internet [13]. The Energy Internet consists of three main components, namely, a multistream integrated energy network, an information technology-driven energy control system, and an energy operation innovation model, with the main features shown in Figure 1 [14]. With the development of the smart grid concept, these features and needs have been gradually met, and the trend represented by the Energy Internet has become the main direction of grid development [15].

The current multi-energy flow integrated energy network has gone through many years of construction and development, and the related technology tends to be mature, as shown in Figure 2. There have been many developments in the Energy Internet globally, and the project technology has gone through many iterations. The concept is now refined and deepened with mature procedures to support its construction.

The Nordic region has been building integrated energy sources for many years, and by introducing wind and solar energy into the energy system, the country has been able to reduce its dependence on other countries for energy, overcome its natural resource advantages, and avoid problems of power supply stability in the face of oil crises, such as in 1973. As early as 1991, Norway has introduced policies to better accommodate the country’s electricity distribution by establishing a free electricity market to accommodate changing trends, a market with a large number of small- and medium-sized suppliers, and the first international electricity exchange with Sweden, called “Nord Pool” [16]. This reform of Norway’s market mechanism has allowed it to make better use of its abundant hydropower resources and to put the development and management of renewable energy in the hands of market players, self-regulating through market mechanisms rather than other means. The success of this thinking has exposed the shortcomings of the current centralized system for renewable energy and has successfully led to policy adjustments and reforms in other countries. The development of renewable energy has previously been considered more for green and environmental reasons than for development, but as the technology matures and efficiency improves, the potential of renewable energy to become an energy pillar in some countries is seen [17]. For example, the fourth generation of the smart thermal grid is proposed to integrate smart energy systems by incorporating renewable energy sources, such as geothermal energy and solar energy, thus improving the efficiency of energy use and meeting the requirements of green development [18]. However, the decentralized nature of renewable energy sources makes previous mechanisms need to be adjusted to accommodate them and, therefore, the technology of the Energy Internet needs to be introduced for better control and adjustment of their development [19]. European countries have been active in the development of renewable energy sources because the distribution of their energy resources and the stability of their energy supply has been vulnerable to shocks. This problem was particularly evident when the epidemic hit the global industrial chain. When the epidemic swept across the globe, causing most of the world to declare a state of emergency, the energy sector came under tremendous pressure. During this period, the potential of renewable energy was better represented. The introduction of a hydrogen economy could ensure that countries function better in the event of shocks to the traditional energy sector, and much of the recent research has shifted towards a transition to a low carbon economy and sustainable energy systems [20]. It is expected that hydrogen energy will be further developed in 2040; for example, 401 hydrogen fuel stations are expected to be built worldwide, of which 46 will be built in the United States. The rise of many renewable energy industries indicates that the existing energy system will undergo a major innovation to adapt to the requirements of more energy access, and more research has been conducted internationally in the field of multi-energy flow, such as the concept of “source–storage–load interaction”. By combining with IoT technology, it results in the ability of distributed state sensing to the energy transmission process, so that the source network, load, and storage can be dispatched in cooperation [21]. For this new system of renewable energy sources, batteries, and loads, newer management methods have been proposed both nationally and internationally, refining sensing and scheduling to achieve the lowest possible operating costs and break through the technical limitations of power exchange between systems and networks, thus furthering the construction and management of energy systems [22]. With the further improvement of the concept of “energy routers”, the construction and management technologies of “electricity–heat–gas” integrated energy hubs have been developed rapidly, and the constraints between power generation and heating networks have been comprehensively constrained and reconfigured to establish integrated energy systems. By reconfiguring the constraints between the power and heat networks, an integrated energy system hub is established, which can be operated in parallel with other hubs to achieve bidirectional energy mobilization between multiple energy sites and to forecast load changes, optimize energy use, and improve efficiency [23].

In summary, in terms of a multi-energy source grid connection, as shown in Figure 3, a perfect technical process has gradually formed so that the foundation of the Energy Internet is established at the bottom, and the technology for the construction and daily operation and maintenance of the integrated energy system is developed and matured.

2.2. Key Technologies

As the technologies associated with integrated energy systems continue to mature, the construction of their supporting IT operating systems and operational models is gradually coming to the fore. This situation requires technologies from several areas to work together to support the development of the Energy Internet.

2.2.1. Information Technology Controls

The biggest difference between the Energy Internet and the traditional power system is its ability to incorporate internet thinking, changing the one-way thinking of the traditional power system by learning to replicate the development of the Internet, thus forming an architecture similar to that of the Internet, from which a more advanced and intelligent network is further realized [24]. In the Energy Internet, multiple devices need to run in parallel and synchronize with each other and achieve power sharing among multiple nodes to enable rapid adjustment when the load changes [25]. Its distributed nodes make the Energy Internet considered to be unadaptable to traditional high-bandwidth communication systems and, therefore, requires internet technologies, such as sag control, to improve the control structure and meet the requirements of a stable control system [26].

The Internet had the same concept as the grid in the early stages of construction. At that time, the Internet linked many clients through a few large servers, the same as the grid linked users through a large power supply [27]. However, as internet technology evolved, an increasing number of data ports became available, making the existing internet architecture unable to meet the growing demand, thus driving the development of internet technology [28]. Instead of relying on a single large server, the Internet has entered the web 2.0 era by building a distributed network of interconnections [29]. With this technological innovation for the achievement of two-way interaction, the Internet has now achieved real-time information sharing, not only to reach a distributed network but to achieve a variety of equipment interconnections with more inclusiveness. Therefore, with the help of internet thinking, the power grid needs to get rid of the existing development status [30]. The traditional power system, while also showing some trends toward intelligence, still seems overwhelmed by the increasingly complex composition of the network.

The difference between the Energy Internet and the smart grid is that it has the same plug-and-play feature as the Internet, so it is especially important to learn from the experience of internet development in the construction and development of the Energy Internet [31]. When a power system is developed to a certain level, multiple renewable energy sources will be connected to the grid to achieve “plug and play”, just as the Internet can be made compatible with the original equipment by upgrading the protocols of terminal devices [32]. Therefore, it is inevitable to learn about algorithms to manage and build advanced grid systems, and the similarities between the two developments are shown in Figure 4 [33].

In summary, it is necessary to strengthen the education of students in internet thinking in the current education system and to build a basic architecture of the Energy Internet with the Internet in combination with the general trend of deep integration with the Internet [34]. For example, when the Energy Internet is built, a massive amount of information needs to be faced through the study of big data processing technology, the load demand data of the distributed energy nodes can be processed, and it can be remotely controlled through several large servers [35]. Therefore, in addition to the traditional knowledge of power system, the knowledge of server construction needs to be popularized in university education so that students can develop internet thinking in university and find corresponding angles to overcome the problems in dealing with the Energy Internet [36].

The biggest innovation of the Internet is the widespread interconnection that allows every household and individual to participate in the construction of the energy-sharing network compared to the traditional grid or smart grid [37]. Therefore, we must learn about the Internet and algorithms. Through the construction of large servers, a large network of interconnected energy nodes has been created worldwide, and they can share data and information with each other [38]. Only by uploading information to the cloud, where it can be processed and transformed in a unified way by big data technology, can we ensure that the flow of information moves with the energy. As shown in Figure 5, this approach allows for the efficient storage, transmission, and high utilization rate of renewable energy generation. This also shows us the importance of smart industrial-related technologies in the Energy internet [39].

(a)

Smart grid technology and equipment

The smart grid was developed at very high speed in the 21st century. From concept to the actual industrial implementation and development of supporting technologies, it has become a key concept in power systems in several countries. A smart grid achieves self-coordination, self-awareness, self-healing, and self-configuration, thus further facilitating the deployment of renewable energy and improving the efficiency of power generation, transmission, and usage [40]. With the adjustment of the power system to the development of renewable energy technologies and the expansion of the free energy market size, the smart grid has become one of the main directions for grid adjustment. As a component and important foundation of the Energy Internet, the smart grid has the characteristics shown in Figure 6 [41].

(b)

Energy Internet Management Platform

The composition of the Energy Internet determines that it has more links in its structure, and unlike traditional power grids, the Energy Internet requires flexible resource allocation and the bidirectional transmission of energy from its various components, thus improving allocation efficiency and energy utilization [42]. In order to achieve the uniform control of the different segments, the different control modes cannot be crudely integrated but reformed by combining internet technology, using smart contracts and blockchain technology, and building an integrated management platform combined with big data processing to ensure the smooth operation of the Energy Internet [43]. Through advanced internet technologies, such as an AI grid dispatching decision support system and multistream integrated energy management technology, the data center’s ability to process information and make decisions in the face of hot and cold changes is improved in all aspects, thus achieving the reliable and safe autonomous operation of the Energy Internet [44]. As shown in Figure 7, the Energy Internet management platform will become the processing and decision center of energy nodes, thus realizing the high-speed processing of information.

As mentioned above, the internet technology used in the Energy Internet is also innovative compared with the smart grid, and the knowledge contained in the current training program can no longer meet the requirements brought by the new technology [45]. Therefore, future electrical engineering and automation majors should cultivate talent that can promote the innovation and development of the Energy Internet through learning internet knowledge, which is still lacking in the current curriculum.

2.2.2. Intelligent Electrical Terminals

The different energy nodes of the Energy Internet have a distributed character, and different nodes need to obtain data related to the corresponding energy and compliance, so they need to collect data through advanced sensors. The load data of each node are also an important part of the concept of the Energy Internet. The data of each node need to be accurately collected by sensors and uploaded through advanced sensors, while different nodes often have complex load profiles [46]. The current power sensor development still has certain shortcomings, and if the information cannot be quickly transferred to the cloud server due to the existence of sensor faults, it will ultimately lead to the adjustment of the Energy Internet, which will result in serious consequences [47]. For example, when a small error occurs in a sensor in a nuclear power plant, a series of complex chain reactions can lead to completely uncontrollable results. After the construction of the Energy Internet, the city will form a new method for information flow within the city; in this city, through tens of thousands of intelligent devices, the collection and processing of its electricity consumption and other information need advanced technology, which requires more advanced power electronic sensors for distributed processing, measurement, and detection. These sensors should have the capability of remote cloud communication for fast data collection and processing, thus reducing the workload of data hubs and facilitating data analysis, storage, and sharing by servers [48].

As more new energy sources are integrated into the grid, the conditions in which some of them work become more complex while having a greater abundance of energy [49]. For example, solar power generation requires strict control of geographical distribution, seasonal changes, and day and night alternations [50]. This means that more types of sensors, such as temperature and optical sensors, are needed to accurately monitor the environment to ensure good operating conditions for photovoltaic power [51]. The deployment of physical and chemical sensors in the environment to collect information about the operation of the power supply and how this large number of sensors is integrated into the data network also requires a great deal of work [52]. Therefore, sensors need to be self-sustaining and to have flexible data transmission channels [53]. For example, photovoltaic power generation requires a more accurate detection of solar panel cleanliness, tilt angle, power generation, etc., in order to clearly control supply and demand [54]. The biggest drawback of new energy compared to traditional means of power generation is its uncertainty, so more advanced detection means are needed to facilitate its accurate regulation and control [55]. The advanced nature of sensors ensures accurate and timely data collection which, in turn, ensures that the cloud server can obtain the latest data in a timely manner [56]. Sensors play a vital role in the transmission of information throughout the network, and it is an important aspect of information flow [57].

Energy nodes are distributed for the transmission of energy to ensure that the transmission of both the starting point and the end point can obtain a stable transmission situation for the balance of supply and demand at the starting and end points [58]. When climatic disasters, leakage, and other problems occur between the nodes, the tilt, ice cover, arc sag, dielectric loss, wind deflection, and other sensors on the tower position can provide loss data in time to ensure the status of the main electrical equipment and its operating environment and to guarantee that the measures taken by the intelligent terminals can acheive better operation [59].

When the load is connected to the Energy Internet, it has two-way information transmission to the Energy Internet as the “internet” terminal, as shown in Figure 8. thus, it is very important to accurately grasp the changes in the load to the Energy Internet [60]. The current smart network has already seen measurement devices such as smart meters that can detect and predict load changes and operation patterns in more detail [61]. However, with more advanced power electronics, there will be more smart terminals with metering capabilities and, therefore, the amount of data generated will far exceed what was originally to be processed [62]. This requires that these measurement devices themselves have greater processing and transmission capabilities and can share the workload for the data processing centers [63]. For example, when there are smart terminals, such as electric vehicle setups, more detailed information such as load detection can be obtained using sensors. Thus, detailed data are provided for calculation and processing by the server to avoid problems such as supply and demand imbalance, which can be balanced and predicted for each node in the case of distributed energy nodes, thus making the delivery of energy in line with the supply and demand, improving energy utilization. The current introduction of power electronics in electrical engineering and its automation profession is only in the basic application, and it cannot meet further requirements. This limitation is manifested in the inadequacy of the introduction of today’s sensors [64]. The current training program for students in electrical engineering and its automation is inadequate in the introduction of various functions and types of sensors, which will lead to the inability to carry out maintenance and other work on the sensors in the application [65].

2.2.3. Iot Technology

The Internet of Things is the main technology by which power electronics and the Internet are interconnected [66]. Through advanced power electronics, the data of loads and energy nodes incorporated into the Energy Internet are collected and combined with the Internet to form a huge network [67]. This enables the “Internet of Everything” to be realized between things and things and people and things in the Energy Internet. This enables the remote high-speed regulation and control of the Energy Internet, which can identify, manage, and control each terminal of the network, thus ensuring its stable operation [68]. At present, IOT-related technologies have been deeply integrated into the development of the Energy Internet, playing an important role in promoting it [69]. A large number of smart terminals, smart sensors, objects, actuators, etc., need to be introduced into the Energy Internet [70]. While data are collected and processed more comprehensively and quickly through these devices, the organization and analysis of the data are also put to a greater test [71]. With the introduction of blockchain technology, the data collected at each terminal is verified by it in the first step, and blocks of data are securely created, reducing communication and computing costs, which fits in well with the concept of the Energy Internet [72]. The Energy Internet, as a new type of grid, needs to break the current status quo of concentrating grid equipment and processing centers at one point, thus having the ability to provide more efficient services [73]. The innovation of the Internet of Things is reflected in many ways, and its two-way interconnection is a good fit with the Energy Internet [74].

In the current construction of the Energy Internet, IoT technology is an important part, as shown in Figure 9 [75]. A considerable number of IoT-related technologies have been used in the current construction of China’s Energy Internet [76]. For example, smart substations based on IoT technology are networked with sensors throughout to achieve the intelligent sensing and comprehensive online monitoring of substations, ensuring that the operation of equipment can be verified remotely [77]. In addition, fault identification and substation IoT convergence, security access, and other technologies provide more kinds of power equipment that is compatible with the stability of operation, leading to reliable support [78]. A large amount of terminal equipment used at the same time as network information transmission brings a greater challenge; if the transmission process cannot guarantee the security of the data and personal privacy, this will lead to serious trust issues. Therefore, IoT technology is needed to ensure data security by establishing decentralized entities for data analysis and real-time verification of whether their data have been modified, thus making each system highly resilient in the face of network attacks and system failures [79]. Security also guarantees the construction of the concept of the “free energy market” in the Energy Internet, by which the possibility of two-way energy exchange is ensured.

The current introduction of IoT technology in university education has a large deficiency, such as the lack of the most basic introduction to fundamental chip application and the technical principles of the IoT [80]. Various automated devices in the Energy Internet, such as robots and wearable detection devices, are built based on these technologies; thus, students are not educated to address and deal with the technical means of IoT applications in the Energy Internet, such as home energy management, smart street light management, and coordination of source networks and loads, which will greatly reduce the efficiency of the Energy Internet [81].

3. Current Status and Problems with the Development of Electrical Engineering Majors

The power system, as an important basis for the country’s production and life, is in the midst of rapid changes in its system links, both in terms of the development of the industry and the delivery of talent. With the development of technology, each link will be more or less impacted [82]. The trend in intelligent electrical systems makes it necessary to include information technology in the education of colleges and universities. The increasing complexity of power systems engineering incorporates more advanced technologies and, therefore, requires an expansion of the course content. After years of development and precipitation, the electrical engineering discipline has a well-established system for training students who are well versed in the theoretical foundations of the electrical discipline [83]. Over time, the discipline of electrical engineering has delivered a large amount of academic research and engineering construction talents to the electric power industry, which mainly undertakes most of the daily work in an electric power system. In China, for example, the electrical discipline was first introduced by Nanyang University Hall in 1908 as a specialization in electrical engineering, and it has been expanded and developed over the years [84]. With the development of science and technology, the construction of power grid equipment and the expansion of the power grid scale, the current electrical engineering discipline has gradually formed different classifications around the two main lines of “strong and weak electricity”. The current electrical engineering education can take into account both strong and weak electricity, and in addition to the introduction of high-voltage and power system principles and calculations, there is also a good introduction to analog electronics and power electronics technology. This ensures that the students trained have a certain foundation in information technology and are able to adapt to work in the power system. The current electrical engineering discipline has crossovers with the energy discipline and information discipline, and through internship and experimental courses, theory is combined with practice, which has more comprehensive requirements for students.

With the rapid development of power electronic devices, the electrical engineering discipline of “strong and weak electricity” has been further developed, and “electrical control”, “power electronics”, and other courses are incorporated into the curriculum. With the advancement in the curriculum, a number of lectures have been developed to ensure that students have an understanding of cutting-edge technology. These reforms have greatly promoted the overall progress of the electric power industry and ensured a continuous flow of talents to meet the development requirements of the industry [85].

Since its inception, electrical engineering has absorbed advanced technologies from the energy and information disciplines to promote the development of the industry with the development of technology and industry. However, with the introduction and development of the concept of the Energy Internet, the current electrical discipline still needs to change to adapt to the industry’s feedback. With a good foundation in information technology, it will become the soil for the new industry to land and promote the cross-fertilization of information discipline and electrical discipline to avoid problems including the decline in the quality of talent training caused by major changes such as the Energy Internet.

In synergy with the power grid, the electrical discipline has met the daily requirements of the power grid, both in terms of subject content and teaching methods, and current students have been trained to carry out the planning and construction, daily operation and maintenance, and emergency repair of the power grid, which are fully adapted to the current development of the power grid. However, with the development of the smart grid, the arrival of the Energy Internet is unstoppable [86]. Therefore, the current electrical engineering discipline needs to introduce more course content through a series of reform measures so that students can be trained to better adapt to development trends of the grid and promote the discipline’s construction and the grid’s development [87].

3.1. Current Training Program

Globally, majors in new energy-related directions have been offered earlier. In 2005, the Oregon Institute of Technology offered a renewable energy engineering program, and many schools have since offered renewable energy-related majors, such as alternative energy, renewable energy management, and energy engineering management. With the further development of renewable energy technology, more colleges and universities have opened new energy majors and related minors. For example, the Colorado School of Mines launched renewable energy courses for students. These majors also have the characteristics of a “broad caliber” and cover a wide range of topics, from solar energy to biomass, and offer majors that are in line with the university’s original strengths and that cover the latest energy technologies.

Table 1. Universities offering related majors and teaching content.

University Name	Major Name	Relevant Course Content
John Brown University	Renewable Energy	● Introduction to renewable energy ● Introduction to energy science ● Renewable energy internship ● Engineering economics ● Biofuels/biomass energy ● Wind energy ● Solar energy ● Renewable energy peak experience class
Everglades University	Alternative and Renewable Energy Management	● General biology ● Accounting principles I–II ● Management principle ● Macroeconomics ● Business principles ● Energy: energy and environment, energy storage, hydrogen economy, and energy policy ● Alternative energy relevant ● Alternative energy project management ● Renewable energy: nuclear energy, wind energy, propane and natural gas, hydropower generation, geothermal energy, biomass solar, and photovoltaic ● Peak experience course of alternative energy and renewable energy management
University of Sheffield	Energy Engineering with Industrial Management	● Introduction to fuel and energy ● Applied energy engineering ● Innovation and reform of engineering environmental management ● Engineering business ● Strategic engineering management and business practice ● Energy system and management ● Research project ● Low carbon energy science and technology ● Petroleum engineering ● Nuclear reactor engineering ● Electrochemical engineering

shows the universities offering related majors and teaching content.

As shown in Table 1, for the universities offering related majors and teaching content, when it comes to integrated energy systems, not only does the curriculum involve a wider range of knowledge but also a greater proportion of economics and sociology within the curriculum, thus reflecting the need to develop a sense of the big picture and to develop the habit of using market mechanisms and economic principles to regulate the system [88]. By including courses related to management principles and project management as mandatory courses, students will have a more comprehensive perspective. The opening of these courses reflects the development trend of the Energy Internet and also provides experience for follow-up reform. Many schools choose a group of excellent students in electrical engineering to form separate classes and introduce these courses into these classes. This measure reflects a positive reform trend, as well as the current difficulty in promoting cutting-edge technology for electrical engineering. Schools are not confident that every student can adapt to this reform.

(1)

Training Objectives

The overall graduation requirements for students in most current university training programs are still only focused on training in the field of electrical engineering. Students are required to master the basic theory of electrical engineering and to be competent in design, operation, maintenance, and production management related work in electrical engineering, as well as for the further conduction of scientific research [89]. For the specific graduation requirements, although certain requirements are made for computer and information technology, they are still focused on data acquisition and analysis and do not conform to current major trends in data processing, such as big data and cloud processing. On the one hand, these graduation requirements reflect that the electrical engineering discipline already has a certain foundation in information technology that it has integrated; on the other hand, it also reflects the current requirements of mainstream society for electrical engineering students [90]. The current mainstream requirements are still at the stage of transition from a traditional power grid to a smart grid, which reflects a certain lag in the face of the development of the Energy Internet. Therefore, with the proposal of the concept of the Energy Internet, in addition to new technology and industry development, it is difficult to ensure that the current training programs and requirements comply with and even promote the development of technology [91], as shown, for example, in the employment survey opinions of electrical engineering graduates, conducted by Guangxi University (Figure 10).

As shown in Figure 10, these students graduated from Guangxi University in 2021 with a degree in electrical engineering, and the training program and curriculum composition of their major has not been modified for nearly a decade. The survey covered three classes with approximately 300 students. Due to the relatively old curriculum and the distance between the taught knowledge and the frontier of the industry, most students do not choose to work in innovative jobs that require more current expertise after graduation but rather undertake further studies or choose other types of jobs that require less innovative ability and mastery of new technologies.

Here, we have collected the majority of courses currently offered by the top-ranked universities in the field and present the focus of each course, in this way showing the overall emphasis of the current training in electrical engineering. This approach also provides a more visual representation of the current shortcomings of the curriculum and, thus, facilitates subsequent additions. The courses collected here are divided by reference to the course profile. All compulsory and optional courses are listed in

Table 2. Statistics on courses in electrical engineering.

	Compulsory Courses	Optional Courses
General Basic Course	Structure and Compile Computer Program	Management
	Signal and System	Technology and Economics
	The Differential Equation	Environment and Development
	Modern Physics
	Electromagnetism
Communication, Control, and Signal Processing	Feedback System	Digital Signal Processing (DSP)
	Communication Systems Engineering
	Digital Signal Processing (DSP)
Power Electronic Devices and Circuits	Semiconductor Devices Subject Experiment	Electromechanical Integration Profile
	Microelectronic Processing Technology	Very Large-Scale Integrated Circuit System
	Circuit	Energy and Electronic Semiconductor Devices
	Digital System Design	Integrated Circuit Manufacturing Process
	Analog Electronic	Digital MOS Integrated Circuit
	Digital Electronic	Advanced Analog Integrated Circuit Design
	Electrical and Electronic Equipment Laboratory	The Principle and Model of Semiconductor Devices
		Electronic Materials Engineering
		The Microprocessor
		Micro and Special Motors
		Energy Storage Technology of the Smart Grid
		The New Type of Power Electronic Topology Power Electronic Technology Engineering
		Energy Storage Polymer Dielectric Theory
Power Systems	An Introduction To The Power System	Sustainable Energy System
	Power System Relay Protection	Energy Process Based
	Modern Electrical Measurement	Power: Renewable Energy and Efficiency
		Energy Science and Technology
		Low Carbon Electricity Technology Base
		New Energy Power Generation and Interconnection
		Digital Substation
		An Introduction to the Smart Grid
		Power Plant Project
		An Introduction to the Power Market
		High-Voltage Engineering and Numerical Calculation
		Electrical Insulation Structure Design Principle
		Solar Photovoltaic Power Generation and Its Application
		The Future Power Technology
Mathematical Tools	Linear Algebra
	Probability Theory
Algorithm Design	Data Structures and Algorithms	Embedded Network System
		Introduction of Computer Network
		The Operating System and System Programming
		Computer and Network Security
		Information Theory and Power System

. Among them, some schools distinguish optional courses from compulsory courses by direction, and students must choose courses in certain directions as compulsory courses and courses in other directions as optional courses. Only the courses that require direction in electrical engineering are selected here as compulsory courses.

Through extensive research and reading of course profiles, a number of courses with highly similar content have been combined, and the main courses currently offered are shown in Table 2. Although different schools have different course selection schemes and credit planning, it is also clear from the distribution of the course content that the current electrical-engineering-related courses still need further processing to follow industry changes through the addition of new courses.

(2)

Theoretical Teaching System

The current teaching system of the electrical engineering discipline has gradually precipitated and matured through development, and the composition of the curriculum of most schools has homogeneous characteristics. The course credit set, graduation requirements, and training programs have become fixed. The curriculum of most schools consists of “general education, professional foundation, professional compulsory, professional optional courses”, and this curriculum allows for the course to be taken from the shallow to the deep, with solid theory and coverage of all areas of current grid systems [92]. The current curriculum, both in terms of subdivision and content, already meets the requirements of the power grid and provides students with a solid foundation in the subject. In addition, most schools choose to help students make a decision and emphasize courses by setting different credits for courses. The setting of credits can not only restrict students’ learning but also guide students’ all-round development through higher credits so that students can gain experience in different directions of their majors.

However, the current curriculum has problems in terms of comprehensive training due to the lack of systematic structure and failure to keep up to date with grid technology. For example, the current trends in smart grids are not reflected to a great degree in training programs, and the integration of some interdisciplinary subjects, such as energy and information technology, does not go far enough. This can be reflected in the lack of education on renewable energy and the digitalization of the grid in most schools, which does not provide students with systematic knowledge [93].

In summary, the current curriculum content in the electrical engineering discipline has formed a system, the course lectures are relatively complete, and a basic knowledge is introduced comprehensively, which can meet the requirements of cultivating talent in the electrical engineering discipline at a basic stage [94]. However, the current teaching system has not been supplemented and expanded in a timely manner due to the emergence of new technologies and trends, which has led to an outdated curriculum that hardly reflects the current development situation and trends. The difficulty in understanding the problems of new technologies makes it difficult to train students to work in a smart grid technology system.

(3)

Practical Teaching System

The current discipline of electrical engineering provides comprehensive training and the shaping of students’ abilities in this area by combining theory and practice and through corresponding courses in the form of laboratory classes. In addition, there are also engineering internships, course designs, and other related activities [95]. For example, the power electronics technology course design conducted by students at Guangxi University requires students to develop physical objects through algorithmic technology. However, practical activities also have the same problems as the course content, weak timeliness, and a lack of the comprehensive cultivation of students’ ability; therefore, it is difficult to stimulate students’ interest.

In summary, the current training system for students in the electrical engineering discipline is as shown in Figure 11, with course study as the main line, supplemented by practical activities to cultivate students who can adapt to the current requirements of the power grid. In general, college education has achieved the advantages of a clear main line, complete system, and solid foundation, but there are some shortcomings in introducing new technology and new courses.

3.2. Disciplinary Characteristics of the Energy Internet

Just like the curriculum system formed by the current electrical engineering discipline, the Energy Internet, as a discipline developed based on the structure of the traditional power system, can also form a complete knowledge structure. From the above discussion on key technologies of the Energy Internet, we can see that the most important feature of the Energy Internet is the deep combination of information technology, energy technology, and electrical engineering. The evolution of this new industry is that research drives industry and then the established industry trains students [96]. This kind of development history determines that when cultivating the Energy Internet, we can start from this point to figure out the development pulse and gradually establish the core curriculum of the Energy Internet direction.

Compared with the traditional grid, the new objects to be dealt with in the Energy Internet are more new energy sources and energy storage technologies incorporated into the network, advanced power electronics, and new means to optimize resource allocation using market mechanisms and big data using information technology. Therefore, from these new needs, the current curriculum needs to adapt to achieve this goal [97]. In other words, the students cultivated through a university education should have the ability to adapt to the whole cycle and process required by the Energy Internet and the corresponding technical means, from design and planning to equipment manufacturing and the management of operations and maintenance. In order to meet this requirement, more upstream and downstream links need to be added to the curriculum content as follows:

• Ability to plan and design intelligent power systems, fully understand advanced power systems, analyze the complete system framework from scratch, manufacture and use advanced power electronics devices, and understand basic operating mechanisms, thus enabling the construction and daily operation and maintenance of the hardware.
• Capability to analyze and process data after the Energy Internet is put into use, which can collect information from each point of the distributed energy nodes and process, and to forecast and optimize resource allocation by means of information technology such as big data.
• Ability to use market mechanisms and other means to optimize resource allocation while maintaining daily operation and improving energy use efficiency.

By understanding the training objectives and setting expectations for the students, we can extrapolate the expectations to the students’ basic competencies. Energy Internet technology is not only highly interdisciplinary but also requires a high threshold of electrical engineering for students. Therefore a significant number of schools choose to train graduate students first, as they have a better foundation in electrical engineering and can undertake new knowledge. The feedback received during the research training can be fed back to the undergraduate discipline. For example, Shanghai Jiaotong University has opened the National Institute of Smart Energy Innovation, which has been slowly implementing the construction of the Energy Internet discipline and the training of students from the postgraduate level. From the experience of these universities we can summarize the foundations that students of the Energy Internet should have as follows:

• Basic science: in addition to electromagnetism, the field of integrated energy systems and energy storage requires a certain foundation in thermodynamics, algorithms technology, chemistry, and even algorithms technology materials science;
• Basic technology: cross-fertilization with information disciplines, such as the Internet of Things, big data, artificial intelligence, and other technical means, so that the talent can meet the full life-cycle operation of the Energy Internet system;
• Administration foundation: the ability to make judgments about the development of macro industry foundations and the ability to use market mechanisms.

After the above information is analyzed and integrated, we can obtain the following, as shown in Figure 12, for the Energy Internet discipline’s infrastructure, which can be introduced on the basis of the electrical discipline to build up a complete knowledge structure and teaching system, thus rapidly developing talent.

4. Adjustment of the Overall Training Program

As discussed in the previous section, after having a preliminary understanding of the current development status of electrical engineering and the requirements of the Energy Internet, the direction and methods of reform can be more clearly determined. The current training program for electrical engineering and automation has not changed in time with the introduction of new concepts, such as “smart grid” or “the Energy Internet”, but it is largely the same as before, mainly focusing on the overall analysis and calculation of the power system, and smart grid courses are mostly optional courses, so students will pay less attention to smart grids. Currently, most universities do not focus on the Energy Internet or smart grid but rather as a minor or optional course interspersed into the curriculum and as a future development direction for students to choose rather than a training focus [98].

For example, as shown in

Table 3. Undergraduate Training Program in Electrical Engineering and Automation of Sichuan University.

Professional Basic Courses	● College physics ● Circuit principle ● Circuit experiment ● Fundamentals of analog electronics technology ● Fundamentals of digital electronic technology electromagnetic field
Professional Theory Courses	Compulsory	● Electrical machinery ● Power electronic technology ● Power system analysis theory ● Automatic control principle of electrical parts of a power plant ● Computer-aided analysis of modern power systems ● Principle of relay protection ● High-voltage technology ● Electricity market theory ● Dispatching automation and information management systems ● Optional ● Electrical and electronic measurement technology
	Experiment	● Fundamentals of computer software technology and database engineering training ● Computer network and communication signals and systems ● Voltage stability and frequency control in power system ● HVDC and flexible AC transmission

, in Sichuan University’s 2017 undergraduate training program in electrical engineering and automation, the training objectives for students in this program require that they master the field of electrical engineering in terms of professional theory and technology. However, in the optional courses, with the trends in the Energy Internet development, there are quite a few smart grid subjects added, and students can learn more advanced grid technology by taking these subjects. However, compared to the compulsory courses, the optional courses are more uncertain, not only are the students less enthusiastic to learn, but the results are also less effective compared to the compulsory courses due to the smaller proportion of the training.

Such problems exist in current university education. Now that the development of the Energy Internet has become a mainstream trend, it has become urgent to further promote and encourage the learning of Energy-Internet-related technologies. These issues have been widely discussed, and a considerable number of schools have implemented reforms, such as the reform and practice of the undergraduate teaching system carried out by Tsinghua University [99], which has constructed the training plan and curriculum system in three dimensions. But this reform has been detached from the electrical engineering major and more like the construction of a new major. This is obviously not conducive to the subsequent promotion and reform. What is needed is to analyze and decompose the Energy Internet so that it can be better integrated into the curriculum in order to achieve gradual advancement. Therefore, it is especially important to propose a training program that is applicable to electrical engineering majors so that students in this major can study with minimal additional learning difficulties, and this gap needs to be filled.

4.1. Changes That Need to Be Made for the Energy Internet

(1)

Curriculum reform

The current curriculum content of university education is slightly outdated for the rapidly developing Energy Internet. None of the key technologies of the Energy Internet are well reflected. The advanced technologies required by the Energy Internet are not further integrated with the original knowledge in the curriculum. For example, the technical principles of photovoltaic power generation are not well reflected in college education, and most students do not understand this new technology at all, which creates the need for training before they can enter the workforce. In addition to new energy technologies, the requirements of distributed energy nodes for energy storage are also not reflected in the curriculum [100]. Some advanced battery technologies and principles are not well introduced, and students are also unable to learn about their storage topologies and deal with them quickly when faced with such problems in practice. Currently, due to the decentralized and unstable nature of renewable energy generation, most renewable energy sources need to rely on advanced energy storage technologies to avoid waste. If students lack knowledge of new energy storage technologies, they will encounter inconvenience in their work. The solution to this problem requires further categorization of these disciplines and the systematic integration into the content of lectures. Students of electrical engineering have an advantage when it comes to learning about the Energy Internet, which is driven by a combination of factors such as its interdisciplinary nature. Therefore, it becomes better for the teachers of electrical engineering and automation to convert this natural advantage and systematize the analysis and introduction around the key technologies involved in the Energy Internet. The details are shown in Figure 13.

By introducing more information courses to meet the knowledge structure requirements of Energy Internet professionals while still focusing on lectures, the theoretical system of the curriculum is changed to be more adapted to the development of Energy Internet technologies. Compared to traditional power grids, the development of the Energy Internet requires not only relevant technologies but also the introduction of market mechanisms for learning.

The Energy Internet requires further resource allocation through market mechanisms in order to achieve higher energy use. Therefore, it would be beneficial for students to take the necessary general education courses, such as “Principles of Economics”, and to include more market regulation courses, such as “Introduction to Electricity Markets”, in their major courses to integrate into the Energy Internet.

In summary, the current crosscutting areas of the Energy Internet in the curriculum of universities have not been better utilized, and the cultivation of Energy Internet-related talent has not been better promoted; thus, it can be improved in several ways, as follows:

• Integrate courses with a strong correlation between the Energy Internet and electrical engineering knowledge in the compulsory courses, such as “Dispatching Automation and Information Management System” and “Power System Safety Control and Automatic Device”, which are more beneficial for the direction of change, etc., through the learning of automation device algorithms and laying the foundation for further information technology learning for students. In addition, these courses are more relevant to the traditional power grid, easier for students to accept, and convenient for the transition from electrical engineering to the Energy Internet. Most of the current power system-related courses focus on model-related technologies, testing students’ model building for the power system as a whole. However, there is less of an introduction to the smaller technical fundamentals, so there is a need to introduce some current content as electives based on power systems;
• Currently, most of the courses related to the power system focus on model-related technology, testing students’ modeling of the power system as a whole, but there is less introduction to the smaller technical details; therefore, the required courses need to introduce current content as optional courses on the basis and practical operation of power systems, such as “electrical equipment fault diagnosis and information technology”, which are practical so that their acceptance is higher. As a professional foundation, except for “electromagnetic equipment troubleshooting and information technology”, there is no need to introduce other optional courses;
• As a professional foundation, in addition to the important scientific foundation of “electromagnetic fields”, we need to face the increasing relevance between electrical engineering and energy technologies, such as the currently popular energy storage technologies and new energy technologies, which require students to have a certain understanding of thermodynamics. Therefore, we need to choose basic courses to help students learn the theoretical foundation of other disciplines, which will help to adapt to the changes of the grid and improve students’ comprehensive practical skills. Information technology courses can also be gradually added to the curriculum learning system;
• Optional courses can be further expanded, such as adding courses on energy management and renewable energy. This will facilitate students’ understanding of new energy technologies, thus producing students who have a foundation and understanding of electricity, heat, cold, gas, and other sciences that are now seen as more physical in nature. As an optional course to broaden students’ knowledge, it is necessary to follow the current trends in grid development, and by adding these aspects to the curriculum, students’ acceptance of Energy Internet-related technologies can be significantly improved. This makes better use of the nature of the optional courses, helping students to choose the direction they are interested in and increasing their motivation while also feeding into the study of the required courses.

(2)

Practice and experiments worth improving

Most universities currently have credit requirements for experiment courses and practice in their training programs to urge students to learn beyond theory. Most schools require electrical engineering and automation students’ internship to include electronic systems design, which still focuses on learning for traditional electrical systems. This kind of learning can no longer meet the needs of development trends of the Energy Internet, because there are large limitations in operation that do not involve algorithms and calculations. If the requirements for experimentation remain at the current stage, it will be difficult for students to master how to work with modern computers and information technology through such exercises. Students should master the ability to link grid technology and information technology in real engineering through practical learning, so the existing practical courses need to be adjusted and improved.

The test benches currently used in universities have a range of functions but do not include algorithm design, control module design, etc. They can only perform basic power electronics calculations and experiments, which makes it difficult to train students to deal with complex and practical problems involving algorithms. Therefore, in addition to the existing practical courses, such as metalworking practice and electronic system design, it is more necessary for students to conduct comprehensive experiments on systems design, chip usage, software programming, and electronics technology. Therefore, new practical courses need to be added to students’ curriculum training. For example, Tsinghua University has established an Energy Internet cloud simulation system with CloudPSS and CloudIEPS as the platform, where students can perform actual Energy Internet operations and support students to perform simulations and experiments on integrated energy systems, energy storage systems, and microgrid technologies. This will help students to adapt to the changing trends of the Energy Internet as soon as possible. Heilongjiang University of Science and Technology also introduced smart microgrid experimental facilities, which can build new energy generation and energy storage network controls. In addition, through the use of the PSCAD/EMTDC simulation platform, Guangxi University has also carried out the construction of integrated energy by designing an experimental platform for simulation.

In summary, it is quite important to combine Energy Internet-related technologies in internships to conduct relevant technology experiments by introducing more relevant experimental projects, as shown Figure 14.

4.2. The Energy Internet Discipline Training Program

As the knowledge structure explained above, the reform of electrical engineering is supported by two clear main lines on which the curriculum of the Energy Internet is built. The combination of electrical engineering and information technology has proved to be inclusive in the past, and good teaching of the fundamentals of electrical systems has enabled it to cross-develop with a number of disciplines and, thus, avoid risks. These two main lines are required, which means that the students’ training objectives should change. Take Xi’an Jiaotong University and Tsinghua University as examples: they both mention that students should have a “wide caliber” and “thick foundation”, which is also determined by the characteristics of the Energy Internet knowledge structure. The composition and characteristics of the Energy Internet determine that students should have a broad knowledge and deep foundation, so the cultivation plan of the Energy Internet discipline should have the following characteristics:

• Committed to the overall development of students; a comprehensive understanding of electricity, heat, cold, gas, and other energy systems; familiarity with their basic principles; and understanding of the mechanism of their interconversion;
• A broad vision and a comprehensive and synergistic view of the big picture, with a clear understanding of international market mechanisms and spending mechanisms and the ability to address, interpret, and formulate energy policy and energy economics;
• They should be able to integrate information technology and energy technology in depth, be proficient in using related skills, and be familiar with related knowledge so that they can grow into composite talents with innovative ability in the Energy Internet and related fields.

These features reflect a shift in the goals of the training program and should be reflected in all aspects of the subsequent reform. For example, the curriculum system, as the most important part of the training of students, its construction should be carried out with the above characteristics in mind, and the existing curriculum system for electrical engineering should be collated and integrated with the curriculum for energy and power engineering to better grasp the training requirements.

4.3. Curriculum for the Energy Internet Discipline

As the discussion above mentioned, as determined by the requirements of the training system and the knowledge structure of the Energy Internet, its curriculum system should closely follow two main lines. The professional foundation courses of the discipline need to ensure that students can acquire the necessary basic technology after study, so they need to learn circuits, modern electronic technology, electromagnetic fields, data structures and algorithms, signals and systems, and automatic control theory. Higher requirements for the mastery of information technology should be put forward under the premise of a solid electrical engineering foundation. The professional core courses should meet the requirements of a “thick foundation” and cultivate students’ required abilities in all aspects.

Take Tsinghua University as an example: with “Introduction to the Energy Internet” as a general education course, this introduces basic knowledge on the physical layers, information layer, and business layer and breaks the disciplinary boundary so that students have a general understanding of the structure of the discipline. The core courses of the colleges that offer the Energy Internet include knowledge of the other forms of energy, as well as thermal, chemical, and new energy sources. Take Xi’an Jiaotong University as an example: courses on energy interconnection and system analysis, energy conversion principles and technologies, and electromechanical energy conversion are introduced to integrate the knowledge system of energy forms into the knowledge of electrical engineering disciplines so that students have an initial and comprehensive understanding.

In terms of information technology, the inclusion of courses, such as intelligent sensor technology, Energy Internet information and communication technology, computer network principles, and power electronics, allows students to acquire problem solving methods. Students’ processing of data should be emphasized in the Energy Internet discipline, so big data analysis and processing should also be taken as core classes. The core courses consist of two main lines of study and electrical engineering expertise to support the comprehensive nature of the Energy Internet project and meet the training objectives. The optional courses can be more cutting-edge, introducing students to the concepts of market mechanisms and business models, mastering a comprehensive knowledge. Why these courses were chosen was discussed in the previous section, and they are intended to fill the gaps in the current mature curriculum and to help students broaden their horizons and better develop big picture ideas.

4.4. Practice System

As a key energy link in the power system, the practical sessions provided by universities should help students exercise their abilities in this area. Take Tsinghua University as an example: Because the Energy Internet requires more professional courses with more depth, the practical sessions are designed by the research team of the institute, including “Energy Chip Reliability Research”, “Intelligent Energy Management And Optimization”, and “Energy Micro-Grid Simulation Platform Design And Application”. The topics include system construction, the use of power electronics, and the study of market mechanisms. Although these projects are also closely aligned with the training objectives mentioned above, they are still lacking in terms of practical integration and do not have a strong intuitive connection to the electrical engineering profession.

The practice of the Energy Internet should focus on the overall construction of the learning of algorithms and systems, combined with the foundation of the curriculum, and can reflect the deep integration of energy and information. With this idea, the experimental platform in Figure 15 can be designed in which students can build up a variety of new energy sources into the integrated energy system with energy storage system by themselves, and practice through actual modeling and processing of data in it so that they can better understand the course content. This platform is already in use in Guangxi University.

After the implementation of this experimental system and the experimental course system, it is statistically evident that the students’ understanding of the course and the search for innovative points have been significantly improved. According to the following statistics in Figure 16, after one year of implementation, “Nanjing Taidai Intelligent Equipment Research Institute Co.”, a high-tech enterprise that has continuous industry–academia collaboration with Guangxi University has received positive evaluations for the technical ability of the electrical engineering graduates. This company’s business scope includes the development, production, and manufacture of motor electric controls and complete machine equipment, new energy hybrid microgrid control, storage and dispatch development, and many others. The data in the chart below are conducted based on statistics of whether the company needs to conduct long-term or short-term training internally once the new graduates join the position. Long-term training refers to students who need to perform some basic research teaching and internship in the company from the knowledge level, while short-term training is for students who already have a relevant knowledge background and only need to learn how to operate the software. These data therefore provide an objective indication of the level of knowledge produced. Among them, the percentage of students who can directly enter the enterprise high-tech is greatly improved. This conclusion can also be reflected in the experimental reform carried out by Shenyang University. By introducing a greater proportion of the experimental part in the course teaching content, teaching methods, and assessment methods, students’ engineering practice ability has been improved, and both employment and competition results have been improved [101].

5. Formed Training Programs

5.1. Formed Training Standards

The current training objectives for electrical engineering have a long-term vision and requirements. In addition to being able to study independently and master learning skills during their school years, students are required to have the awareness to track the development of new theories and technologies for a long period of time and increase their knowledge and competence through continuing education or other lifelong learning avenues. This reflects the strong underpinnings of the electrical engineering profession, which was established with strong inclusiveness and interdisciplinary learning capabilities. In the course of researching electrical engineering training programs in Chinese universities, it was clearly noted that top universities have taken note of the huge impact that energy changes will have on the electrical engineering profession. While it is true that the energy sector is being reformed from the top down, it is also imperative to develop a cadre of key personnel. Therefore, it is important not to be too ambitious when adjusting the training objectives but to keep in mind the practical skills required for current engineering while maintaining a cutting-edge and international approach. Sichuan University, for example, has proposed an “engineer excellence” training program, that focuses on developing “comprehensive engineering practical skills”. World-class universities such as MIT also have very advanced training program, with its “Electrical Engineering and Computer Science” training program showing a different composition than others, offering students a wide choice of subjects, such as bioelectrical engineering and artificial intelligence, based on a deep knowledge of algorithmic science.

In short, the optimization of training objectives should take into account the three requirements of new direction, engineering practice, and being interdisciplinary. After considering the objectives set by several universities, it is suggested to optimize the training plan as follows:

• Have a good sense of innovation and self-renewal ability and have the ability to read and understand the frontier direction;
• Have a solid knowledge of basic disciplines and a good foundation of humanities;
• Systematically master the basic theoretical knowledge necessary for the discipline, have the professional knowledge and skills in the discipline and understand the frontier and development trend of the discipline;
• Obtain good engineering practice training in system analysis, system design, and system development; have certain scientific research, scientific and technological development, and organizational management capabilities in this professional field; have strong work adaptability.

5.2. Formed Curriculum

Taking the training program of electrical engineering in Chinese universities as an example, with reference to the original curriculum system, it consists of general courses, professional foundation courses, professional theory courses, and practical courses. The curriculum is divided into two parts: compulsory courses, which are more traditional, and optional courses, which are more cutting edge and introduce more novel technologies. The original curriculum has been modified to take into account the new technological features of the optional courses and to replace the older courses in the compulsory courses to seamlessly connect with the technologies related to the Energy Internet and to meet the development trend of the Energy Internet. The new general education curriculum is shown in

Table 4. General education classes.

Courses	Courses Hours	Credit Points
Introduction to Renewable Energy	32	1
Applied Energy Engineering	32	1
Algorithm Basics	32	2
Computer Application Basics	32	2

.

With the two main lines mentioned in the previous section, energy-related courses and algorithm-related courses have been added to make the credits for these two main lines relatively balanced. The two courses introduced are two of the more basic and core courses in the current energy-related majors, which pave the way for the subsequent professional courses (

Table 5. Professional foundation courses.

Courses	Courses Hours	Credit Points
Calculus	96	5
Linear Algebra	64	3
University Physics	32	2
Probability Statistics	64	3
Principles of Circuits	32	2
Fundamentals of Analog Electronics	16	1
Fundamentals of Digital Electronics	64	4
Electromagnetic Field	24	1

). Compared to Computer Fundamentals and C Programming, which has been offered for many years in the electrical program, the expertise in these courses is relatively new.

Table 6. Modified professional foundation courses.

Courses	Courses Hours	Credit Points
Calculus	72	4
Linear Algebra	60	3
University Physics	28	2
Probability Statistics	60	2
Principles of Circuits	32	2
Fundamentals of Analog Electronics	16	1
Fundamentals of Digital Electronics	64	4
Electromagnetic Field	24	1
Energy System and Management	12	1
Intelligent Energy System Engineering	24	1

shows the part of professional foundation in the existing training program for electrical engineering majors from which we can see that the current majors focus on mathematics and traditional electrical knowledge, even though there are analog electronics and digital electronics, but with the current status of highly digitalized and intelligent electrical systems, it has become relatively obsolete. Therefore, according to the main line of energy and information technology mentioned above, some courses that can take over the knowledge from the general education courses and incorporate some newer technologies are added with reference to smart energy and other majors. Here, the hours and credits of the different courses are adjusted somewhat; this is to ensure that the burden faced by students is not raised too high by the inclusion of new courses. By making a moderate reduction in the time taken up by instrumental mathematics subjects, new knowledge was added as much as possible while ensuring a smooth transition. The modified curriculum is shown below.

The joined course covers a wide range of knowledge, introducing knowledge about integrated energy systems and introducing energy sources that are new to the power system. Among them, Energy System and Management focuses more on the introduction of energy sources and the scheduling and management of multi-energy systems. In Intelligent Energy System Engineering, more emphasis is placed on algorithms to meet the training requirements of various aspects.

The main focus of this curriculum adjustment is to reduce the proportion of some old courses in the training program, so as to provide space for new courses. The optional courses of the current general courses already have more knowledge about new energy systems, such as computer-aided analysis of modern power systems. Therefore, it can be assumed that the current curriculum already has enough content to support students in the operation and maintenance of the fundamentals of modern single-energy hub power systems, the training plan of a Chinese university has been chosen here as an example, as shown in the following

Table 7. Professional general courses.

	Courses	Courses Hours	Credit Points
Compulsory Courses	Electrical Engineering	48	3
	Power Electronics Technology	48	3
	Power System Analysis Theory	64	4
	Electrical Part of Power Plant	48	3
	Automatic Control Principle	48	3
	Computer-Aided Analysis of Modern Power Systems	48	3
	Power System Relay Protection Principle	64	4
	High Voltage Technology	32	2
	High Voltage Technology Experiment	16	1
	Electricity Market Theory	32	2
Optional Courses	Engineering Drawing	48	3
	Electrical And Electronic Measurement Techniques and Experiments	48	3
	Computer Network and Communication	48	3
	Signal and System	64	4
	Power System Voltage Stability and Frequency Control	48	3
	High Voltage DC and Flexible AC Power Transmission	48	3
	Grid Planning Theory and Technology	48	3
	Power System Remote Control Principle	32	2
	Electrical Equipment Fault Diagnosis and Information Technology	32	2
	Power Quality and Control Technology	32	2
	Distribution Network Automation and Management Information System	32	2

. Therefore, subsequent courses should be created to be more focused and supplemented from the current missing aspects. This change is therefore equally focused on two main lines, namely, for multi-energy hubs, multi-energy operations, and new information fundamentals. In addition to the compulsory courses, the courses that have been offered for a long time in the relevant disciplines should be included in the optional courses, and some newer and more mature technologies should be introduced in the optional courses to ensure that the courses meet the requirements of a “broad curriculum”.

By referring to the specialist curriculums now offered by different schools, as shown in

Table 8. Modified professional general courses.

	Courses	Courses Hours	Credit Points
Compulsory Courses	Electrical Part of Power Plant	32	3
	Power Electronics Technology	32	3
	Power System Analysis Theory	64	4
	Electrical Part of Power Plant	48	3
	Automatic Control Principle	48	3
	Case Study of Intelligent Energy Engineering	32	4
	Computer-Aided Analysis of Modern Power Systems	32	3
	Power System Relay Protection Principle	48	4
	High Voltage Technology	32	2
	High Voltage Technology Experiment	16	1
	Electricity Market Theory	32	2
	Integrated Energy System Optimization	32	2
	Scheduling Automation and Information Management System	48	3
Optional Courses	Engineering Drawing	48	3
	New Energy Materials and Technologies	48	3
	Computer Network and Communication	48	3
	Signals and Systems	64	4
	Distributed Energy Systems	48	3
	High Voltage DC and Flexible AC Transmission	48	3
	Grid Planning Theory and Technology	48	3
	Power System Remote Control Principles	32	2
	Electrical Equipment Fault Diagnosis and Information Technology	32	2
	Power Quality and Control Technology	32	2
	New Energy Generation and Variable Current Technology	32	2
	Low Carbon Energy System Theory and Design	32	2
	Energy Management and Energy Conservation	32	2
	Introduction to The Energy Internet	32	2
	IoT applications	32	2
	Network security	32	2
	Embedded system	32	2

, some of the established courses were introduced in addition to the existing curriculum. The hours and credits of some of the original courses have also been adjusted. These courses complement knowledge in two ways, thus achieving a comprehensive development. In the compulsory courses, the courses added to ensure a smooth transition are closely related to the original courses in electrical engineering, such as “case study of intelligent energy engineering”, where a lot of knowledge has more correlation points with subjects, such as relay protection, and some algorithms are introduced to ensure the addition of new knowledge. These added courses are all subjects that have been taught in universities for a long time and have more mature teaching materials and systems. As for the optional courses, major changes have been made. Some courses with crossover with other subjects were deleted, and by adding more knowledge of new energy, such as renewable energy generation and variable current technologies, new energy materials and technologies, the difficulty was controlled while ensuring the optional courses do not cross over with the compulsory courses, and the optional courses have newer contents. These optional courses are referenced from the cutting edge of the first institutions worldwide to offer courses related to smart grid and renewable energy. In this way, it is ensured that the courses are as cutting edge as possible while ensuring that they have sufficient teaching experience.

In terms of the practical curriculum system, the current curriculum system of electrical engineering majors has gradually matured after precipitation, and the practical curriculum system of most schools tends to be consistent. Most of the schools have the same practical curriculum for electrical engineering, which consists of subjects like “Electronic System Design”, which is inclined to algorithm design, and contact with some actual engineering equipment through subjects like “Metalworking Practice”, and some schools will make students have a deeper understanding of the power grid through activities like visiting substations. Some schools offer visits to substations to give students a deeper understanding of the grid.

If the system of practical courses is changed, there is a need for more in-depth subjects on the application of algorithms in addition to “Electronic System Design”, so that students can be better exposed to the algorithms used in actual electrical production. As the platform used in Guangxi University mentioned above, the school should make students more exposed to the actual integrated energy system through simulation platform and so on. Nowadays, many secondary equipment dispatching and multiple energy access can be seen in the electric power system, and the practical course system should be better complemented with more operation-oriented knowledge outside the curriculum, so the practical system needs to be adjusted and expanded. The system of practical courses thus constructed is shown in the following

Table 9. Practical Courses.

Courses	Courses Hours	Credit Points
Electronic System Design and Practice	32	3
Course Design	32	3
Production Internship	64	4
Integrated Energy System Optimization	48	3
Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education	48	3
Electronic System Design and Practice	32	4

.

In summary, the curriculum system incorporates new courses while appropriately reducing some of the hours and credits of the original courses to ensure that there is no significant increase in class time. And by adjusting the focus of the assessment, the direction of the curriculum system has been changed to ensure that the lectures can be adjusted in a gradual direction, in line with the frontier of industrial development. By constructing a complete training program, carefully setting credits for different courses, and modifying the importance of more outdated knowledge, a smoother transition was achieved.

6. Summary

In this paper, the training program for electrical engineering is modified and integrated into a more reasonable training program by introducing cutting-edge technologies through two main curriculum lines, starting from the current development of the Energy Internet.

1.

The Energy Internet will enter a high-speed development stage

This paper introduces the current development status of the Energy Internet, and further elaborates the development status of the Energy Internet through the deconstruction of the Energy Internet pillar technologies and the introduction of related technology frontier development. The current the Energy Internet technology has been developed and matured, and there are already cases of integration with traditional technologies in many countries. Some countries have already launched their own smart cities or smart energy-related projects, and the reform of power systems is imminent. With the changes in the world energy situation and the current changes occurring in the electric power system, this educational reform will provide for the future development of humanity and will continue to improve the quality of human resources output from universities in the future, which is of great importance for the future development of the energy system [102].

2.

The current degree of reform in electrical engineering is relatively insufficient

This paper investigates the new energy and smart grid-related majors in several schools and shows the development of the concept of the Energy Internet and the current deficiencies in the construction of the discipline by taking the reform class training program offered by one university as an example. Building the Energy Internet is the general trend of power system development, and universities should follow the development trend and carry out education reform within their capacity to cultivate talents to meet the demand.

3.

The training program proposed according to the actual demand has certain realistic significance

In conjunction with existing training planning, two main lines of study, energy and information, are summed up through the introduction of discipline development in schools in different regions, and the practical implications of these two lines of study for student training are further elaborated. A complete training planning for the energy internet discipline is proposed, which is further enhanced by the introduction of courses and supporting practical courses.

This paper provides courses that can be incorporated into the construction of the Energy Internet-related disciplines in schools and lists in detail how the electrical engineering discipline can be upgraded and integrated through the introduction of the main line of energy and information technology to achieve efficient education in line with the development trend of the Energy Internet, providing some reference for the construction and reform of the discipline in schools. After proposing further cultivation of programs, reforms will be gradually carried out in this direction in subsequent teaching, and the effectiveness of this training program will be verified by conducting questionnaire survey on graduates. However, educational reform is not something that can be achieved on paper, and while this paper presents a complete training planning, the results need to be tested in practice. The training program proposed in this paper also needs to be modified in the subsequent teaching practice, and to keep close contact with enterprises to make experiments and curriculum additions according to the reality to ensure the comprehensiveness of training.