Instructor: Brent Olsen
Brent has 16 years of experience working at Electric Utilities Arizona Public Service (APS), Salt River Project (SRP), and Portland General Electric (PGE).  He has degrees in Electrical Engineering, Energy Policy and Management, Spanish, MBA & PMP.  He has been a Distribution Engineer, Transmission Engineer, and Generation engineer and is currently a Project Manager for Dispatchable Standby Generation.  He teaches basics of electricity courses at Portland General Electric, Clackamas Community College, and a variety of other groups.  Brent lives in Portland with his wife and 3 energetic boys.

Course Description:
The focus of this course is to provide a fundamental foundation in electric power systems, from basic formulas to the planning, operations, and equipment involved in generating, transmitting, and distributing electric power. Basic electrical terminology will be explained in simple-to-understand language about the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of power plants, substations, and transmission and distribution lines. Anyone who is involved in some way with the electric utility industry can benefit from attendance at this course.

Topics covered in the course include an introduction to the fundamentals and basic formulas of electricity as well as the equipment involved in the electric power system. An overview of generation, substations, transmission, distribution, and utilization is provided. Protection, reliable operation, and safety are among the topics covered.

This Plain Talk will be presented live at the 2025 IEEE PES General Meeting in Austin, Texas.