EET&D: When you assumed your current position as president of the newly renamed IEEE-Power & Energy Society, change was already emerging as the order of the day. I know that as a seasoned veteran of the power engineering business you saw many of the rapidly evolving changes coming, but did you experience any major surprises when your term as PES president began?

Reder: When I became IEEE-PES President in January 2008, it was clear that the power and energy field was entering an era bursting with excitement and opportunity. While IEEE-PES was ideally suited to provide technical leadership for a global economy interested in becoming “greener” – our contribution, involvement and capabilities in related emerging technical areas needed to become more visible. As a result, we began a journey of re-branding and image building, which started with a new name for the Society.

EET&D: You provided an interesting and insightful presentation of how and why this name change from “Power Engineering Society” to ”Power & Energy Society” came about at the 2008 IEEE-PES T&D Conference in Chicago last spring. However, I think it would be helpful to recap some of the salient points you outlined there for the benefit of readers who may not already be PES members.

Reder: Sure. I think most people would agree that it’s not usually a good idea to make a major change like this as a kneejerk reaction. So, after considering trends in the industry, survey findings, and membership feedback, the process began in June of 2007 and concluded with an overwhelming positive membership vote in March of 2008. In this case, the name change was well thought out and – we believe – both necessary and appropriate, especially given the changes in the industry.

EET&D: I think a bit more background on the IEEE-PES organization itself may be useful to put this into proper context. Perhaps you could explain where PES ranks within the broader IEEE organization and also how the PES membership is distributed geographically for readers that may have only limited knowledge of IEEE and PES...

Reder: First, IEEE is the world’s largest non-profit, technical professional association offering standards, publications, educational venues and conferences with more than 375,000 members around the world. PES is the third largest of the 39 technical societies within IEEE. About 70% of the PES membership is in the U.S. and Canada, but that has been changing as we’ve grown. In 1995 it was 80%; since then we’ve seen most of the growth coming from other regions, with the Asia-Pacific region having the greatest membership expansion between 1995 and 2007 – a pattern we expect to continue going forward. Another key demographic involves our aging workforce. Like the industry we serve, in recent years, the number of members who are under age 50 has been declining.

EET&D: We’ve all heard and read a lot about the aging workforce issue lately. Just how critical is that for your organization and in the broader industry perspective?

Reder: This is quite a significant issue for PES as well as the entire power engineering field. A recent survey produced by the Center for Energy Workforce Development, forecasts 46% of the power engineering jobs in the US could be vacated by 2012. And academic power engineering programs have also weakened as a result of minimal faculty hiring to replace those who are retiring. Because of these trends, we are working to attract and retain young professionals, be relevant worldwide and rebuild the power and energy educational infrastructure.

EET&D: You seem to have a very well calibrated picture of your organization that a lot of other associations would probably envy. How did you come to have such a detailed assessment of the IEEE-PES demographics?

Reder: We knew that our demographic footprint was changing, so we conducted a survey in 2007 to determine what we were dealing with before launching into a change strategy. That survey proved to be very revealing, providing a tangible set of issues we needed to address. Some of the results were exactly what we expected, but there were also a few surprises.

EET&D: What were some of the more noteworthy or unexpected findings?

Reder: Probably the most enlightening for me were responses from students, who found the career possibilities in Energy and Power Engineering exciting, critical and relevant to the society at large – a positive image that we need to build upon to shift our demographic position. Additionally, 48% of survey respondents indicated that they were “more” interested in participating in the society as “Power & Energy Society” as compared to “Power Engineering Society”. This finding was a significant factor in building the case to pursue our new name.

EET&D: What are some of the measures PES has undertaken to offset what seems like the virtual certainty that there will be severe labor shortages in the power industry?

Reder: To ensure an adequate workforce, PES has started the Power and Energy Engineering Workforce Collaborative, in partnership with the Center for Energy Workforce Development, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the National Science Foundation and the university-based Power Systems Engineering Research Center.

The Collaborative1 aims to expand the number of students in the pipeline who are interested in engineering careers in power and energy by ensuring pre-university students are prepared for a post-high school education. It will also address how to build, enhance and sustain university power engineering programs. PES also offers a complimentary career website2 that connects engineering students looking for jobs in power and energy with prospective employers.

EET&D: What’s the current status of the PES-Careers website, and what other kinds of job assistance are being made available through IEEE/PES?

Reder: PES-Careers began in September 2007. Today, there are some 473 student subscribers and approximately 135 employers using the site. The service has been so successful, that we are now expanding it to all other regions throughout the world. The society also plans to expand its continuing education programs by partnering with employers to offer stand-alone courses, increasing the number of IEEE Expert Now online courses, developing more tutorials targeting working engineers and boosting the number of Distinguished Lecturers, who travel to 180 IEEE-PES chapters around the world to share the latest in technical advances.

EET&D: With so many new programs already in place with more on the horizon, 2009 is going to be a very important year for the PES, isn’t it?

Reder: Yes, it certainly is! Throughout 2009 we will be celebrating our 125th year of serving our members and the power and energy field. This is a very exciting time for us, and with so many challenges ahead – an aging workforce and a declining infrastructure in particular – the industry is clearly in need of a steady hand, fresh ideas and sound engineering practice. These are all things that IEEE-PES is focused on as part of our mission and that we are well equipped to address as an organization dedicated to advancing power and energy initiatives.

EET&D: Can PES take on such a tall order with all of the changes taking place – and that will take place – in the next few years?

Reder: While PES is strong, there is little doubt that our industry is at a critical point, facing numerous challenges that include an increasing world population, growing demands for higher living standards and a pressing need to reduce pollution. Resource limitations are a reality, of course. But we must be ready to take bold steps to move forward rapidly with grid transformation and related energy efficiency, conservation and environmental initiatives.

EET&D: How would you characterize the role of PES during this ongoing transformation?

Reder: Navigating the power and energy industry through this complex maze will require new technologies that incorporate renewables, energy efficiency, clean coal technologies, carbon capture and storage techniques, nuclear power, smart grids, plug-in hybrids and more to meet future demand. There is no silver bullet; we will need all of these approaches and more. Clearly, the industry needs are changing, and PES will definitely be an important resource that is constantly adapting to better meet those needs.

EET&D: One would suspect that key among those is the rapidly growing emphasis on grid transformation, commonly referred to as the Smart Grid Initiative. While SGI is a pervasive topic that we can’t comprehensively address in this interview, could you perhaps give us a few examples of how PES fits into that equation?

Reder: Well, you’re definitely right about the SGI scope being pervasive – and it’s growing daily. That’s is one of the main reasons why an organization like PES is needed. With all of the challenges we are facing and all of the great ideas for addressing those problem areas flowing in, there needs to be an independent, centralized clearinghouse for sorting out the best ways to deliver viable solutions in both the short term and over the longer term. Our efforts related to the definition, drafting, development and publishing of standards stand out as being among the most important aspects of our work.

EET&D: During this period of unprecedented change, why is it important to be a member of the Power and Energy Society?

Reder: PES offers opportunities for creative involvement in the industry through participation in technical committees and conferences held throughout the world where members create standards, influence technical developments, and share best practices. As the power and energy world evolves, it is vitally important for participants to stay connected in order to develop professionally, and PES provides an ideal vehicle to accomplish that.

EET&D: What are some of the specific benefits and advantages of being a PES member?

Reder: PES offers distinguished lecturers, tutorials, on-line courses and stand-alone educational venues to facilitate professional development. Through publications in our digital library the most up-to-date concepts are exchanged, and we offer an award winning bi-monthly magazine and a monthly on-line newsletter  to keep members abreast of emerging issues. Moreover, through PES participation, members can tackle broad reaching challenges, become recognized industry  “thought leaders”, develop an expansive network and become part of a community – all of which are so important, especially during a period of dynamic change.

EET&D: Have you seen any specific evidence yet that the changes you’ve made are resonating with the PES membership?

Reder: Yes, absolutely. For example, during the last year alone, we had nearly one million downloads of on-line documents, which consist of full text documents, conference proceedings and peer reviewed technical papers. We also had record attendance at our General Meeting and the T&D Conference & Exposition, which are two of our most prominent events. Furthermore, as most of the other IEEE societies have lost membership, PES now has nearly 24,000 members and continues to grow. It will take a while for members to digest all of the changes and assess their acceptance of them, but the early indicators are quite positive.

EET&D: Your term as president of the society certainly comes at a most exciting and challenging time. What do you see as your personal mission as president of PES, and what would you like your legacy to be when your service is concluded?

Reder: As the power and energy industry faces unprecedented challenges, our top priority is to remain responsive and to change with the industry we serve. Moving into the future with a new name, together with the entire organization, I am personally committed to maintaining our mission and core values while leveraging 125 years of heritage to address the challenges before us.
 
Under our new name, we will accommodate emerging technologies, collaborate to involve the other disciplines required to address the complex challenges before us, and appeal to the societal interests of potential members. We certainly welcome inquiries from your readers and the opportunity to serve them during this exciting period in the power and energy field.

In addition to her duties as IEEE-PES President, Wanda Reder is Vice President of the Power Systems Services Division at S&C Electric (Chicago, IL). She can be reached via email at w.reder@ieee.org.