Microgrids: The Future of Energy

Microgrids are a critical subfield of modern energy systems, playing a central role in renewable energy, grid resilience, and smart infrastructure. Industry-Aligned. Competency-Based. Future-Focused.

CSU’s new Microcredential in Microgrid Systems begins with a six-week Foundations 1 course, designed to prepare you for the INCOSE ASEP certification exam—a globally recognized credential that strengthens your professional credibility and opens doors in systems engineering and the fast-evolving energy sector.

Developed in partnership with:

• CSU’s Washkewicz College of Engineering
• CSU's Center for Integrated Modeling for Energy, Resilience, and Sustainability (IERS)
• Telepath Systems, Inc.
• The International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE)
• The Cleveland Engineering Society (CES)
• And leading energy and systems engineering professionals

Program Objectives: The Microgrid Systems curriculum provides students with a comprehensive understanding of microgrid systems, integrating technical knowledge of electric power with systems engineering principles and methods. The program will facilitate students' acquisition of the essential knowledge to engage in and effectively contribute to microgrid development projects at multiple levels, including the use of Digital Twin modeling capabilities.

Microgrids Systems Foundation 1 certificate helps participants build critical expertise in sustainable energy systems, supporting knowledge acquisition in two key area blocks: 

BLOCK 1: This section provides a basic understanding of electricity and its application to modern society's needs, including its origins and history of evolution to modern grid architectures and microgrid forms.

BLOCK 2: Introduces systems theory, principles, and methods, with a special focus on their applicability to Microgrids through modeling and simulation capabilities.  

Upon completing this Certificate, students will be eligible to apply for the INCOSE Associate Systems Engineering Professional (ASEP) certification, which provides a dual certification opportunity.

Key Features: 

1. Learning Modeling & Simulation with Digital TWINS for Microgrids
2. Application of Systems Methods for Analysis and Design, with Models

Recommended prerequisites:

• Completion of undergraduate engineering coursework at a Junior level – OR
• Completion of a technical Associate Degree from an accredited community college - OR
• Equivalent experience of 5 years in a technical capacity in the industry, with an energy focus

Cost:
$1540 Standard Registration
Registration closes July 5, 2025

Course Dates:
Synchronous, Online: July 11, 18, 25; August 1 and 8
In-person Lab Day, August 15 from 1-5 PM

Discount for organizations enrolling three or more employees. Contact Nancy Pratt at n.pratt@csuohio.edu.

Expert Instruction
The course is developed and taught by leading faculty and industry experts, blending theoretical foundations with practical skills. 

Jeremy Ross
Jeremy Ross, CSEP, is a Senior Systems Engineer at Ford Motor Company’s Research and Advanced Engineering division, where he leads automated-driving system architecture and functional safety development. He is an adjunct instructor at the University of Detroit Mercy, focusing on model-based systems architecting and coupled architecture-simulation methods using SysML. Jeremy holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering (BSE, MSE) from the University of Michigan and in Product Development (MS) with a Systems Engineering certificate from the University of Detroit Mercy. He is a Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP) through INCOSE, the International Council on Systems Engineering.

Julie Lindstrom 
Julie Lindstrom has worked as a college professor, a film electrician, a commercial electrician, a photovoltaic system installer, and now as an electrical engineer for Karpinski Engineering in Cleveland, Ohio. She holds a BA and MA in Philosophy, a PhD in radio-TV film, and a BEE in Electrical Engineering.

In-Demand Jobs

CSU's stackable Microgrid Microcredential delivers cutting-edge, job-ready training aligned with industry needs and workforce opportunities.

Financial Assistance: Are you a dislocated worker interested in future-forward job opportunities? Retrain to Enter the Energy Industry! The Foundations 1 certificate course is approved on Ohio’s Workforce Inventory of Education and Training (WIET) and is eligible for WIOA funding. If you are a job seeker or dislocated worker, you may qualify to take this course at no cost through your local OhioMeansJobs center. 

Cuyahoga County residents can complete the WIOA Training Request Form HERE