Energy is the driving force of the country's economic development and the basis of ensuring national security. It’s the level of energy development that determines the social and economic situation of the local population, the competitiveness of the products produced in the country (both in the domestic and foreign markets), and in general, the place and role of this country in the world community.
In the field of energy, the foundation for the training of national engineering personnel was laid at the Tbilisi State University at the Polytechnic Faculty in 1922, whose first dean was Professor Aleksandre Didebulidze, the founder of electrotechnical science and education in Georgia. He was named among the first ten Georgian engineers who graduated from Tbilisi State University Polytechnic Faculty in 1928, five among them were awarded the qualification of engineer-electromechanics.
The faculty of Energy at the Georgian Polytechnic Institute continued to exist independently since 1928, and was founded by outstanding scientists, learned engineers, and professors: Alexander Didebulidze, Besarion Chichinadze, Alexander Muskhelishvili, Stefane Khirkesali, Artemi Ter-Khachaturian, Levan Khizanishvili, Evgeni Petkevich, and others.
Based on higher education reforms, as a result of the reorganization of the Georgian Technical University in 2007, the faculties of energy and communication were united, as a result of which the faculty of energy and telecommunications was formed.
During its existence, the faculty has trained more than 25,000 specialists in the fields of energy and telecommunications. A significant contribution to the development and progress of the Faculty of Energy was made by the persons working in the position of dean of the faculty at different times: Prof. A. Ter-Khachaturov, engineer V. Karakhanyan, engineer V. Arshba, Prof. A. Didibulidze, engineer P. Kiknadze, engineer A. Metonidze, Dean M. Kassian, Dean G. Makharadze, Dean G. Kupradze, Prof. A. Kotias, dean O. Asatiani, Prof. N. Ninua. Prof. O. Kervalishvili, Dean N. Tsivtsivadze, Prof. D. Laoshvili, and Prof. G. Arabidze.
Professor Lena Shatakishvili has been the head of the faculty since 2020.
According to the resolution of the Academic Council and the Senate of the Georgian Technical University, in October 2021, the Departments of Telecommunication and Radio Broadcasting were separated from the Faculty of Energy and Telecommunications. Accordingly, the faculty changed its name and currently is represented as the Faculty of Energy.
Teaching at the Faculty of Energy is carried out at three levels of academic programs: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral. Seven scientific research and one educational center „Schneider Electric-Thelasi“ were functioning at the faculty.
The following educational programs, which have received 7-year accreditation, operate at the Faculty of Energy:
Professional
Bachelor's degree
Master's degree
Ph.D
The Bachelor’s program „Electrical and Electronic Engineering“ at the faculty, according to ABET (American Accreditation Council for Engineering and Technology) standards, has started preparing for ABET accreditation.
In 2022, by order of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, four short-term professional training programs were prepared by the faculty. These programs are:
The Faculty educational and scientific laboratory base has been expanded significantly, which contributed to the inclusion of new laboratory disciplines in educational programs and the successful implementation of scientific research works.
„Schneider Electric Telasi“ training center was founded by JSC „Telasi“ and the firm „Schneider Electric“, the purpose of which is to increase the theoretical and practical knowledge of bachelors and masters, prepare specialists, retrain and raise their qualifications. The training center is equipped with the latest French electrical devices and equipment. It allows the investigation of the problems existing in high and low-voltage power supply networks and to determine the ways of their solution, which is carried out based on three training laboratories of "Automatic control systems of electrotechnological equipment and automatic electric drive", "Low voltage power supply" and "Medium voltage power supply" operating in the center, and where is possible, to conduct more than 150 laboratory works for any mode of an electrical system. The center is of regional importance and provides training and qualification improvement for energy workers from Georgia and the neighboring countries of Transcaucasia.
With the joint efforts of the Austrian company HERZ Armaturen, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the International Energy Corporation of Georgia, and a training research laboratory for hydropower installations and energy-efficient heating systems integrated with solar collectors was created within the framework of the unified faculty laboratory complex (center). The laboratory was created for training energy and related profile specialists at the level of international standards. It has been effectively used to train undergraduate and graduate students. The quality of the laboratory equipment provides unique opportunities for doctoral students to conduct scientific research, as well as to train young specialists of various profiles and improve the qualifications of professional energy workers.
An energy audit laboratory-training center was created within the framework of the Modern Energy Efficient Technologies and the US International Development Agency (USAID) Education Initiative (NATELI) project. The laboratory is equipped with modern control and measuring devices. At the base of the center, highly qualified (professional) energy auditors are intensively trained, with the wide involvement of students of various profiles, professors and teachers in the energy, industrial, construction, and housing-utility sectors and personnel employed in energy service companies (engineers, economists, managers, etc.) in the energy audit process. Here, proper knowledge about energy audit tasks, methods, tools, and techniques, the scope of work, the audit organization, expected results, and the importance of energy audit is acquired. Within the framework of the same project, a renewable energy laboratory was launched, which promotes the use of renewable energy sources in Georgia, increases interest in the development of highly efficient household appliances, raises the culture of energy saving, and establishes the experience of using environmentally friendly energy technologies. The laboratory base of the educational-scientific direction of electromechanics and electrotechnologies has been updated and equipped with modern computer equipment.
Considering the current processes in the energy system of Georgia, for managing the hydroelectric and thermal power plants simulators were created for the training students, and conducting training for the personnel of HPSs and TPSs.
At the Faculty of Energy, an important step has been taken to organize virtual laboratories equipped with modern reporting programs. Especially noteworthy are the laboratories set up for the direction of production, transmission, and distribution of electric energy. The faculty introduced the PSS/E (Power System Simulator) program created in the USA, which provides simulations of electrical system modes and various types; current calculations, as well as static and dynamic stability analysis. This program used in the countries of the Black Sea Basin is a modern universal program distinguished by a new graphical interface. Undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students can independently create a graphic part of an electrical system and enter data of generators, transformers, transmission lines, and consumer loads into a database and easily and quickly solve any task related to the operation modes of an electrical system.
The Faculty of Energy is successfully continuing its historical mission to train engineering and scientific personnel who meet international educational standards and are competitive in the free labor market, who will be employed in the direction of establishing a sustainable and effective energy base in Georgia, optimal management and development of energy systems and facilities, developing an energy policy and its gradual implementation, the ongoing engineering-technical, economic, legal, and environmental protection processes in the energy sector, large-scale use of local heating and energy resources, and renewable energy sources, the introduction of energy-efficient technologies and the practical implementation of energy-saving measures, electric, hydro and thermal energy, energy system and heating and energy complex in Georgia in the direction of development, operation of modern energy installations and pipeline systems, management of heating and energy fields, electrical equipment, electromechanics, diagnostics of energy installations, electronics, electrical technologies, and power supply.
It should be noted that the energy system of Georgia and the energy service of the most important industrial enterprises are fully staffed by specialists who have graduated from the faculty. The professors of the Faculty of Energy are actively involved in several international and local grant projects.