National Research University “Moscow Power Engineering Institute” (MPEI) is one of the leading polytechnic universities in Russia and the largest scientific center whose scientists participated in solving many problems relating to the development of energy sector in the USSR and the Russian Federation. On the eve of the 90th anniversary of the University, its Rector Professor Nikolay Rogalev told to Editorial director of “ELECTRIC POWER. Transmission and Distribution” Journal Ekaterina Guseva in an interview about the main milestones of MPEI history, innovative projects, cooperation with major energy and industrial companies and about new educational programs for training of specialists for electrical power engineering.

— During all 90 years of its work, MPEI has always been on the frontline of domestic power engineering. What stages of the development of power engineering, large energy projects in the USSR and Russia are inseparably linked with your university?

— This year, in addition to the anniversary of our university, it also marks 100 years the GOELRO Plan, a key document that determined the direction of development of domestic power engineering and economy. In 1917, electricity production in the Russian Empire amounted to only 2.2 billion kWh, and the length of all electricity networks above the generator voltage did not exceed 1000 km. It was the construction of a network of interconnected power plants that was supposed to become the kernel of the first large comprehensive program for the modernization of the national economy. MPEI, in fact, was established to implement the GOELRO Plan, which implied a multiple increase in the total installed capacity of power plants and electricity generation. Therefore, it is logical that among the organizers of MPEI were the founders of the GOELRO plan: professors Karl Krug, Leonid Sirotinsky, Boris Ugrimov.

Participants of the GOELRO Plan development commission (from left to right): K.A. Krug, G.M. Krzhizhanovsky, B.I. Ugrimov, R.A. Fermanagh, N.N. Vashkov, M.A. Mirnov
Participants of the GOELRO Plan development commission (from left to right): K.A. Krug, G.M. Krzhizhanovsky, B.I. Ugrimov, R.A. Fermanagh, N.N. Vashkov, M.A. Mirnov

By 1935, The Plan was exceeded and the first cycle of Soviet industrialization was carried out on an energy base, which by 1940 provided production in the RSFSR up to 30.8 billion kWh of electric energy. MPEI in a short time became one of the largest and advanced technical universities in USSR, and in the same 1940 “for success in the training of highly qualified engineering, technical and scientific personnel” was awarded the Order of Lenin.

MPEI in the 1950s
MPEI in the 1950s

Then the Second World War began. Most power engineering universities (in Leningrad, Kiev, Kharkov, Lviv) were in German occupation or in the zone of military operations and could not provide the country with the necessary number of specialists for the industry. Therefore, MPEI assumed the main role in training personnel for power engineering in the war and post-war years. During the war, MPEI trained more than 1,300 engineers who were sent to defense industrial facilities, to build and restore power plants, transmission lines and other electric power facilities, and to military and civilian research institutions.

To restore the destroyed industry, it was first necessary to recreate the power engineering system and facilities. Due to the abundance of water energy in the USSR, high hopes were placed on hydropower construction. But the country needed hydromechanical engineers, hydromachine builders and hydropower engineers. For these purposes, in 1945, the Faculty of Hydropower (GEF) was established at MPEI. The era of Great Construction Projects of Communism began. Our graduates and employees took a primary part in the design, construction, launch and operation of key hydropower facilities in the country: the cascade of Volga hydroelectric power stations; the world’s largest Siberian hydroelectric power plants in Bratsk, Krasnoyarsk, Sayanogorsk, Ust-Ilimsk. Hydroelectric power plants were built in the republics of Central Asia and foreign friendly countries.

By 1960, the level of electricity production in the USSR was raised to 197 billion kWh, after which it continued to grow rapidly and continuously. At the same time, the industry lacked of highly qualified engineering personnel, especially in the regions. A new step in the development of the university was the establishment the branches of MPEI. In 1961, were established two branches of MPEI in Smolensk and Cheboksary, which later became the Chuvash State University. In 1968 the MPEI branch was opened in Kazan, which later became the Kazan Energy Institute.

Member of MPEI student construction brigades (SSO) at electrification works
Member of MPEI student construction brigades (SSO) at electrification works

1961 is the year of birth of Student construction brigades (SSO) of the MPEI, which we revived in 2010 with Federal Grid Company of Unified Energy System JSC (FGC UES). Our SSO members worked at the big construction sites of the Tselinograd and Kustanay regions, electrified Tatarstan, Smolensk, Ulyanovsk and Tambov regions, built KamAZ automobile plant, Krasnoyarsk, Sayano-Shushenskaya and Vilyuyskaya hydroelectric power stations, built other facilities of electric power and other important facilities throughout the country.

Being one of the leading polytechnic universities in the country, MPEI was also the largest scientific center whose scientists participated in solving many problems related to the development of power engineering in the USSR. Scientific research at the institute was carried out both on state budget topics and on contracts concluded with industry. The MPEI included laboratories that successfully solved complex scientific and technical problems of a comprehensive nature in the following main areas: heat-and-power engineering and thermophysics, power engineering, electromechanics, electrical engineering, electronics, radio engineering, automation and computing.

Our graduates took a direct part in the unification of energy systems first of the European part of the country, and later created a Unified Power System (UPS) of the USSR.

Central Dispatch Office of the Unified Power System (UPS) of the USSR.
Central Dispatch Office of the Unified Power System (UPS) of the USSR.

All this time, MPEI actively trained engineering and scientific personnel not only for domestic power engineering. Our university was one of the first universities of the Soviet Union to train specialists for foreign countries. The contribution of MPEI to the development of power engineering of foreign countries was highly appreciated and awarded numerous foreign awards.

In the 80s and 90s, our university was the first in the country to carry out scientific research and train students in the field of non-traditional and renewable energy sources. Also, MPEI has always paid special attention to energy saving and energy efficiency technologies.

The role and the importance of MPEI in the training of highly qualified personnel and in the development of power engineering industry cannot be overestimated: our graduates and employees took part in all the largest domestic and not only energy projects. Our university has a glorious history, but does not stop there, but continues to develop, opening new institutes, laboratories and training centers to fully respond to the challenges facing Russian power engineering industry today.

— Today, MPEI is actively cooperating with PJSC ROSSETI. How does the university participate in the implementation of the concept of digital transformation of electric grid complex?

Lecture class G-200 renovated by PJSC Rosseti
Lecture class G-200 renovated by PJSC Rosseti

— In 2014, an agreement on cooperation was signed between MPEI and PJSC ROSSETI. The agreement provides for comprehensive cooperation in the educational, personnel and scientific fields.

As you said, throughout its history, MPEI has been “on the front line” of domestic power engineering industry. Our university became one of the first universities in modern Russia, which became involved in the development of innovation, actively interacting with employer companies. We feel and understand new trends in the power engineering, and we are moving ahead. Due to this, the MPEI NI flexibly adapts to the current needs of the industry, continuously improving educational programs.

Andrey Mayorov, Deputy General Director and Chief Engineer of Rosseti welcomes MPEI first-year students on Knowledge Day
Andrey Mayorov, Deputy General Director and Chief Engineer of Rosseti welcomes MPEI first-year students on Knowledge Day

Recently, we have an educational program that is encouraged to provide training for specialists to implement the plan of the Ministry of Energy of Russia for the digital transformation of the electric power industry, the purpose of which is to increase the reliability and efficiency of the unified power system of the Russian Federation by introducing risk-oriented management based on digital technologies.

Our students are undergoing practical training at the PJSC ROSSETI facilities, where they get acquainted directly at industry enterprises with work in a future specialty. Masters and postgraduate students are trained in the specialized divisions of the company, involved in the performance of research and project works.

Training High voltage switchgear 220 kV at the Department of Electric Stations of MPEI, mounted with the support of PJSC Rosseti and Eurocontract
Training High voltage switchgear 220 kV at the Department of Electric Stations of MPEI, mounted with the support of PJSC Rosseti and Eurocontract

MPEI also provides training, professional retraining and advanced training for PJSC ROSSETI personnel.

The company, in turn, helps us in modernizing and equipping the educational base and social infrastructure. In recent years, the university, with the participation of the company, has created and modernized educational rooms and laboratories that meet all modern requirements for the professional training of future specialists for power engineering industry. The leaders of PJSC Rosseti regularly hold lectures and master classes for our students.

We are carrying out joint innovative activities aimed at implementing the concept of digital transformation of the electric grid complex.

Meeting of MPEI Board of Trustees under the chairmanship of the Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation A.V. Novak
Meeting of MPEI Board of Trustees under the chairmanship of the Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation A.V. Novak

In 2018, on the basis of the MPEI was established NTI Center “Technologies for Electricity Transportation and Distributed Smart Grid” to implement the plan of the Ministry of Energy of Russia concerning the digital transformation of electrical power engineering. The center, in fact, is the link between science, technology and business, collects the best practical achievements in the field of power engineering and intelligent energy systems and produces analytical materials for large companies that have a development request. The NTI MPEI Center actively interacts with PJSC Rosseti, creating and developing new technologies within the framework of the concept of digital transformation.

Our scientists participate in the Scientific and Technical Council of PJSC Rosseti and influence the adoption of decisions regarding the company’s technical policy, including those related to the digital transformation of the industry.

Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Yuri Manevich at the opening of Izolyator Plant’s Classroom at MPEI
Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Yuri Manevich at the opening of Izolyator Plant’s Classroom at MPEI

MPEI also participates in the expert evaluation of projects, regulatory documents, in the implementation of joint R&D, in the preparation of scientific and technical measures, in the development of programs and methods for testing energy equipment operated at Rosseti facilities. Currently, MPEI is implementing a number of joint projects with subsidiaries of PJSC Rosseti throughout the country, which are directly related to digital transformation of the electric grid complex.

General Director of RusHydro Nikolai Shulginov and Rector of MPEI Nikolay Rogalev at the grand opening of the Institute of Hydropower and Renewable Energy
General Director of RusHydro Nikolai Shulginov and Rector of MPEI Nikolay Rogalev at the grand opening of the Institute of Hydropower and Renewable Energy

The digital transformation of the electric power industry requires the presence of qualified personnel. To educate these personnel ― there is the main task of the MPEI. It is in this key component that we contribute to PJSC Rosseti and the whole power engineering industry to implement the concept of digital transformation of the electric grid complex.

— Tell us about the new opportunities, projects and educational programs that have developed at the university recently.

— Over the past three years, we have launched together with PJSC RusHydro the Institute of Hydropower and Renewable Energy, new master’s programs, established the Institute for Sambo development named after Anatoly Kharlampiev, opened the Military Engineering Institute and, the career guidance school “Young Energy” Scholl, etc. Last few years, educational classrooms and laboratories have been modernized at or university with the participation of leading energy companies. This process is ongoing. We are establishing new competence centers in MPEI, equipped with modern equipment for the training of highly qualified personnel for high tech industries and research activities. We plan to continue moving along this path. On the agenda is hydrogen energy.

Military equipment park at the military training center of the MPEI
Military equipment park at the military training center of the MPEI

— This year, due the pandemic of COVID-19, all educational organizations have a unique opportunity to test distance education technologies. What new opportunities and prospects have MPEI discovered in this field?

— In the first days of self-isolation, the main load fell on our specialists of the information and computing center. As soon as possible, they were able to ensure an uninterrupted educational process of the necessary level of quality for all students and employees of our university. So, in terms of providing operational communication with students, including for their urgent information, all available technical tools were used. We have introduced an effective electronic mailing list; created a section on the MPEI portal (mpei.ru) to support distance education for both teachers and students; involved instant messengers, social networks, distance conferencing applications; organized a 24-hour hotline; made the necessary changes to the system of documentary support for the educational process.

The faculty and our teachers radically reformatted the approaches and education materials necessary to continue the high-quality learning process in a distance format. It should be noted that in recent years, all teachers of the MPEI have undergone advanced training in the use of the electronic educational environment and in the use of distance education systems.

Student practice at the MPEI thermal power plant
Student practice at the MPEI thermal power plant

Our university has considerable experience in developing distance lecture courses and conducting distance education in various engineering specializations, as well as a developed information infrastructure, which made it possible to painlessly transition to mass distance training. Various systems are used to implement practical exercises, allowing to organize contact work in small groups, virtualize lab classes and replace the physical experiment with simulations. Our faculty and teachers record video lectures to form high quality educational content and so on.

The scientific and technical library of MPEI contributes to successful implementation of educational programs in a distance format. Our library provided each student at the beginning of the year with a kit of educational (printed) literature, consisting of 20-35 books. In addition, there is an Electronic Library, which includes about 5,000 full-text documents, including in-university educational and methodological publications, periodicals, and conference materials.

The MPEI team coped with the task of ensuring an uninterrupted educational process of the necessary quality level for all its students in the conditions of a forced frontal transition to distance education. From our experience, we have proven that online tools can support the traditional education system. However, even the most progressive online school will not ever replace a teacher’s lively communication with a student, a physical experiment in a laboratory, practical work at a real power plant.

— You said that for successful vocational training it is not enough to keep up with the times it is necessary to go ahead of it, and significantly. What technologies of the future MPEI relies on in the educational process?

— Recently, MPEI, together with Rosseti Centre, created an innovative technology for training students and operational grid personnel based on VR technologies. In April, for the first time in Russia, the Department of Electric Power Systems of MPEI held a lecture about electrical power engineering in the VR environment. The uniqueness of the technology is that students are in a virtual lecture hall, have the opportunity to see the lecturer and others in the virtual space. The lecturer moves and gestures freely in space, and can supply the lecture with various media materials: 3D models, sound and video, as well as, during the lecture, interactive surveys can be conducted, the results are instantly processed and displayed. In modern conditions, this technology will help educational institutions conduct classes as efficiently and technologically as possible. Such a VR lecture hall is able to unite listeners from all over the world on one site.

Lecture about electrical power engineering in the VR environment
Lecture about electrical power engineering in the VR environment

Currently, our university is very actively working on the creation of laboratories under the Fourth Industrial Revolution “Industry 4.0.” As part of this work, we have already opened two high-tech laboratories together with Siemens. The essence of Industry 4.0 is the accelerated integration of cyber physical systems into production processes, as a result of which a significant part of production will take place without human participation. The world is on the threshold of a new industrial revolution, unlike all previous ones. Inevitably, the way we work, learn, relax, communicate and go shopping will change. These changes are already taking place beneath our eyes, and the current situation with COVID-19 has brought the world much closer to these changes.

Opening of digital power engineering laboratory «Siemens — MPEI»
Opening of digital power engineering laboratory «Siemens — MPEI»

— MPEI actively cooperates with many international organizations and educational institutions in the field of power engineering. How does this cooperation affect the university process? What experience of MPEI is demanded by foreign colleagues?

— MPEI entered the international arena more than 70 years ago, during that time the number of university partners exceeded two hundred. Students and teachers take an active part in various international events. There are currently more than 60 academic mobility programs at our university, including dual diplomas programs that allow students to receive an MPEI diploma and a diploma of a foreign university. Such high-class specialists are especially in demand in the labor market. At MPEI, leading scientists whom we invite from around the world give students lectures. Several foreign teachers work with us all the time. All these measures contribute to the improvement of the quality of education, the formation of a multicultural environment, the development of communication and language skills of both our students and scientists.

Russian language lesson for international students
Russian language lesson for international students

MPEI is the coordinator of many of international projects. Sharing best practices with world energy industry leaders plays a huge role in the development of our university. By the decision of the Council of Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), MPEI was approved by the basic organization of the CIS for training personnel for power engineering industry. MPEI heads the Energy direction at the BRICS network university and the SCO University. In 2019, as part of a consortium of Russian universities, MPEI took part in the opening of five resource centers for Russian education in Mongolia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Bulgaria and Turkey. Our university is a member of the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO). In 2013, MPEI became one of the founders of the ADEPT International Educational Forum for the Development of Electric Power Technologies, uniting universities of five continents. The educational experience of MPEI is now actively used for the implementation of a large-scale program of training of power engineering specialists for Cuba and other countries. Our university conducts active research in the field of artificial intelligence, hydrogen energy, smart grids, renewable energy, digital economy, big data and many others. All these activities are in demand throughout the world, which allows MPEI to increase cooperation and improve the quality of joint developments in Russia and and all over the world.

International diploma delivery of Ilmenau University of Technology (Germany)
International diploma delivery of Ilmenau University of Technology (Germany)

— There are many goals have been set in domestic and world energy industry by 2030. This is a digital transformation of the electric grid complex, and a multiple reduction in carbon emissions with a simultaneous increase in the influence of renewable energy, the mass spread of electric vehicles and so on. In 2030, MPEI will be 100 years old. How do you see the university and its system of study by this year? What innovative solutions will be introduced and what traditions will be preserved?

— I will not take to predict the future, and even in such a dynamics. Our mission is “a fundamental multidisciplinary education for power engineering and an innovative economy.” We follow this mission, and concrete decisions will appear based on the changes that are taking place. The changes will contribute to answering challenges. Today and tomorrow!

Lecture by GEIDCO Chairman Liu Zhenya in MPE, October 2018
Lecture by GEIDCO Chairman Liu Zhenya in MPE, October 2018

 
Nikolay Rogalev
Photos provided by MPEI press service