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OPAL-RT is sponsoring the French Ecole Centrale de Lille to address the recruiting shortage of engineers in the field of electrical power grids

A ceremony was organized for students interested in the Chaire and its partners. The Chaire's four partners – RTE (réseau de transport d’électricité), OPAL-RT (leader in real-time simulation for electrical power grids), Maïa Eolis (major windfarm operator in France) and EDF – gave a presentation on their activities, why they partnered with the Ecole Centrale de Lille and, especially, their expectations.

La Chaire was created in 2011 to address the recruiting shortage of engineers in the field of electrical power grids and to palliate the lack of training in France’s schools and universities, despite the significant economic and technological changes in the field. The Ecole Centrale de Lille created training for final year whose program focuses on the study of electrical power grids (frequency, voltage and protection settings) and on the evolution and integrations of renewable energy. The program relies on the “Energies Réparties” platform from L2EP laboratories in the Arts et Métiers Paris Tech-Lille, where students can put theory into practice, thanks to expriments using OPAL-RT real-time simulators. « It is a winning investment for partners and students alike. This collaboration is already a success: OPAL-RT hired the first engineer to gradute from te Chaire’s progam in October 2013″, explains Cédric Jacquault, CEO of OPAL-RT EUROPE.