The Industrial University of HCM City's Smart Grid Lab will give students the opportunity to build the skills they need to address the power network challenges of the future. — Photo IUH

HCM CITY — The Industrial University of HCM City (IUH) has launched the first Smart Grid Lab in Việt Nam, giving 350 students a year the opportunity to build the skills they need to address the power network challenges of the future.

“Our students are the next generation of engineers who will drive Việt Nam’s energy transformation forward. They must understand how the smart grids of the future will function and the role they can play in building resilience and keeping the power on 24/7,” said Professor and Dr Lê Văn Tân, Vice Rector of IUH.

“Our collaboration with ABB is a chance to build the skills students need to develop their careers. This is particularly important in Việt Nam, which faces shortages of highly qualified and skilled workers. Collaborations like this can only help to improve the long-term outcomes for our students.”

The smart grid lab at IUH was part of a global partnership between ABB and academic institutions. The company collaborates with more than 100 universities worldwide to develop disruptive technologies and evolve its existing products and services.

At IUH, ABB has been a long-term partner in the technology training programme, supporting students to learn more about IEC standards and how to apply them in power systems, as well as how to build switchboards and develop skills around control circuit breakers.

“The power distribution network is facing new challenges due to accelerating trends such as electric vehicles, the integration of renewables, digitalisation, and urbanisation. This brings many new issues for the next generation of engineers who need to understand this rapidly evolving landscape. The opening of Việt Nam’s first Smart Grid Lab, in cooperation with IUH, will give students hands-on experience of how to build the design and engineering mindset and skills they need for today’s rapidly changing world,” said Đoàn Văn Hiến, Vice President, ABB Vietnam.

In the context of rapid urbanisation and digitalisation and the shift towards renewable energy generation, the next generation of engineers must understand the complexities between power systems, control systems and power protection systems. This will ensure that grids continue to evolve in a way which builds resilience and avoids outages as the energy transition accelerates. — VNS