
Professional Certificate in Power Systems Design
Designed and delivered in collaboration with ElectroNet, the Professional certificate in Power Systems Design (PSD) was created for graduate engineers, paraprofessionals, and seasoned engineers to expose them to various aspects of power systems design in the Aotearoa New Zealand context.
These courses are designed to fit around full-time work, and are delivered via a mix of self-directed learning, webinars and scenario-based assessments.
Professional certificate structure
The Professional Certificate is made up of the following eight courses:
- PSD-010 Power System Components for Electricity Supply
- PSD-020 Substation Design for Electricity Supply (in development)
- PSD-030 Earthing Systems for Electricity Supply
- PSD-040 Protection Systems for Electricity Supply
- PSD-050 Operating Systems for Electricity Supply (in development)
- PSD-060 High Voltage Plant for Heavy Industry
- PSD-070 Low Voltage Systems for Electricity Supply (in development)
- PSD-080 Power System Optimisation for Electricity Supply (in development)
To be eligible for the Professional certificate participants will need to complete:
- PSD-010 Power System Components (prerequisite)
- Any one of PSD-020, PSD-030, PSD-040, PSD-050; and PSD-080 Power System Optimisation.
PSD-060 and PSD-070 are designed for specific parts of the distribution supply chain (high voltage installations and low voltage reticulation) and are optional only.
Once completed, participants will receive a Certificate of Completion for the course.
How you will learn
Each of the courses has been designed to take approximately 20 hours, allowing you to credit your participation to your Engineering NZ CPD hours. The format includes:
- up to 8 hours online theoretical learning
- 8 hours in case-study based workshops
- a quiz and scenario-based assessment
Who should participate
You are eligible to participate if you are:
- an engineering diploma graduate, and you are employed in the NZ power industry.
- hold an engineering degree
- an experienced vocational worker (e.g., line mechanic) and you have your employer’s support to enter an engineering role within your organisation.
If you aren’t sure, please contact the EEA directly.
Who is involved
The EEA is proud to be partnering with ElectroNet to design, develop and deliver all the courses in the Professional Certificate in PSD. ElectroNet provide market-leading electrical design and consulting services across Aotearoa New Zealand, and have the breadth of industry knowledge and expertise to provide you with:
- high quality learning outcomes
- engaging and interesting case-studies
- confidence that what you are learning is industry best-practice
Registration and Pricing
The modules are run in cohorts, with most cohorts comprising 20 participants.
Pricing for each course is as follows. (Prices shown are exclusive of GST)
Module Number | Member Rate | Non-member Rate |
PSD-010 – Power System Components (pre-requisite) | $1,800.00 | $2,000.00 |
PSD-020 – Substation Design for Electricity Supply | $1,800.00 | $2,000.00 |
PSD-030 – Earthing Systems for Electricity Supply | $1,800.00 | $2,000.00 |
PSD-040 – Protection Systems for Electricity Supply | $1,800.00 | $2,000.00 |
PSD-050 – Operating Systems for Electricity Supply | $1,800.00 | $2,000.00 |
PSD-060 – High Voltage Plant for Heavy Industry* | $1,800.00 | $2,000.00 |
PSD-070 – Low Voltage Systems for Electricity Supply* | $1,800.00 | $2,000.00 |
PSD-080 – Power System Optimisation for Electricity Supply | $2,500.00 | $2,700.00 |
*Note: PSD-060 and PSD-070 are designed for specific parts of the distribution supply chain (high voltage installations and low voltage reticulation) and are optional only.
Professional certificate in Power Systems Design – Individual Courses
PSD-010 Power System Components for Electricity Supply
Describe the functional requirements of a power system, and how technology and demand is changing the way electricity supply assets are configured.
PSD-020 Substation Design for Electricity Supply
Describe the functional requirements for substations, explain how design decisions are made, evaluate and present options to improve the safety and performance of an existing substation.
PSD-030 Earthing Systems for Electricity Supply
Describe the purpose and objectives of earthing, explain how design decisions are made, and resolve earthing system design problems.
PSD-040 Protection Systems for Electricity Supply
Describe the purpose and objectives of protection systems, evaluate a range of protection devices, and design a protection scheme to meet a given set of safety and performance requirements.
PSD-050 Operating Systems for Electricity Supply
Describe the purpose and objectives of operating systems, evaluate a range of software-based communication and control tools, and participate in the design of a control centre.
PSD-060 High Voltage Plant for Heavy Industry
Describe the workings of high voltage equipment used in industrial settings and evaluate and optimise the safety and efficiency of an industrial power system.
PSD-070 Low Voltage Systems for Electricity Supply
Describe the workings of equipment used in low voltage reticulation for a variety of settings and design an interface between a low voltage system and a high voltage system.
PSD-080 Power System Optimisation for Electricity Supply
Describe the security, reliability and safety of a high voltage network configuration and make recommendations for improvement.