In September 2022, it was 100 years since the foundation of the Department of Electrical Power Systems and Networks (EMS) of the Faculty of Electric Power Engineering and Automatics of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.
Over the years, the department has trained more than 6,500 engineers. Graduates of the department work at key electric power enterprises and concerns of state and private forms of ownership, in particular at the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, the Ukrenergo National Power Company, the State Enterprise "Energorynok", State Enterprise «National Nuclear Energy Generating Company «Energoatom», research institutes "Energomerezhproekt" and "Silenergoproekt", Design Institute DEKS, Metropoliya Group of Companies, joint stock companies "Kyivenergo" and "Kharkivoblenergo", open joint stock companies "Vinnytsiaoblenergo", "Lvivoblenergo", "Donbasenergo", "Dniproenergo", and also at the enterprises of a number of energy systems in the neighboring countries. Foreign graduates successfully work at energy enterprises in Germany, the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, China, Iran, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Peru, Cuba, the Central African Republic, Mauritania, Tunisia, and are engaged in scientific and pedagogical activities in Higher educational institutions of Poland, Bulgaria, Jordan and Mexico. 65 Ph.D. in Engineering Science, 10 Doctors of Engineering Science, and several laureates of state awards are among the graduates.
On the occasion of the anniversary, let us recall the main stages of the department's history.
The first decades
The Department of Electrical Power Systems and Networks was founded in 1922 by professors H.M. Horodetskyi and H.L. Epshtein. The department was headed by Prof. H.M. Horodetskyi, a famous scientist, a talented organizer of the educational process, a man of great scholarship. He paid a lot of attention to scientific and methodical work, as well as research work, published dozens of scientific articles and a number of study guides.
In the first years of the department's work, two areas of educational and research work were formed: electrical networks and electrical power transmission lines (prof. H.M. Horodetskyi, lecturers V.H. Kholmskyi, S.Y. Khodorov, and E.M. Feldshtein) and high voltage (lecturers I.K. Fedchenko, M.M. Morozov).
The technological laboratories of the department were developed, assembled and put into educational operation under the leadership of professors H.M. Horodetskyi and V.H. Kholmskyi, with the participation of a senior assistant B.V. Kolisnichenko and a head of the laboratory V.B. Stohnii in the 50s of the 20th century.
In 1956, prof. V.H. Kholmskyi was elected to the position of the head of the department. V.H. Kholmskyi was a graduate of the department in 1929, a well-known scientist in the field of electrical power transmission. He became the founder of the Kyiv School of Electric Power Engineers in the field of electric power networks and systems.
In 1962, the department began extensive use of electronic digital computers for solving applied engineering problems in power engineering. And since 1965, the department was one of the first at the Faculty of Electric Power Engineering and Automatics to begin the extensive use of computer technology in the educational process.
H.I. Denysenko, Doctor of Engineering Science, professor, rector of Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, an outstanding specialist in the field of electrical power generation and distribution, was the professor at the EMC department in 1972-1987. He was the initiator of works related to the simultaneous transmission of electric energy by direct and alternating currents through common transmission lines, melting of ice coating by pulsory current, creation of renewable energy sources. He published more than 250 scientific works, five monographs, had 14 inventor's certificates, trained 20 Ph.D. in Engineering Science and two Doctors of Engineering Sciences.
In 1971-1972, the composition of the department was replenished with young capable graduates Yu.I. Tugay and V.A. Bazhenov. In 1972, Ph.D. V.Ya. Synelnikov, who initiated research on the technical and economic performance improvement of electrical network operating modes at the department; and V.B. Poliakov, whose main activity was researching the problems of higher education in Ukraine, were elected to positions of associate professors.
A new stage of the department's development
In July 1975, the head of the department, prof. V.H. Kholmskyi passed away, and V.M. Suleimanov, associate professor, was appointed acting head of the department. Under Viktor Mykolayovych’s leadership, the staff of the department carried out scientific research on the traditional for the department science topics, as well as mastered new fields of theoretical and applied research in electric power engineering, created new educational and computing laboratories, significantly upgraded the facilities and resources of the department.
The whole staff supported the head in the matter of structural reorganization and development of the department. The help of Professor V.Ya. Synelnikov, associate professors N.V. Buslova, V.A. Bazhenov, B.V. Kolesnichenko, I.Yu. Gaba, M.O. Malii, V.B. Poliakov, V.P. Melnyk was extremely valuable. The head of the laboratory V.G. Shpundra, associate professors M.O. Malii, V.A. Bazhenov, V.P. Melnyk, assistants V.O. Hyzha and V.H. Horban put a lot of effort into the organization of computer laboratories. A significant contribution to the development of methodological and research work was made by professors Yu.V. Shcherbina, V.Ya. Synelnikov, and V.V. Zorin.
The department recruited numbers by talented graduates and fellows of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine: professors O.F. Butkevych, E.M. Tankevych, V.V. Kyryk, associate professors Yu.I. Tugai, G.O. Shpolianskyi, T.L. Katsadze, V.V. Chyzhevskyi, teaching assistant O.M. Panenko, senior lecturer O.M. Yankovska.
Present day
In 2011, Professor Valerii Valentynovych Kyryk, a graduate of Kyiv Polytechnic Institute in 1978, Doctor of Engineering Sciences, became the head of the EMC department. Previously, he worked at the design institute "Ukrdiproenergo", the Institute of Electrodynamics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Academy of Municipal Management. V.V. Kyryk is a member of the International Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He is engaged in the research of electrical engineering complexes and power systems using intelligent decision-making systems for calculations and management based on the mathematical apparatus of fuzzy logic and fuzzy sets. V.V. Kyryk is the author of more than 240 scientific works.
The current composition of the EMC department includes: Doctor of Engineering Sciences, Professor V.V. Kyryk, Doctor of Engineering Sciences, Professor O.F. Butkevych, Ph.D. in Engineering Science, associate professor N.I. Buslova, Ph.D. in Engineering Science, associate professor V.A. Bazhenov, Ph.D. in Engineering Science, associate professor T.L. Katsadze, senior lecturer O.M. Yankovska, Doctor of Engineering Sciences V.V. Chyzhevskyi, teaching assistant O.M. Panenko, an engineer V.V. Khodymchuk, head of the laboratory V.G. Shpundra, Doctor of Engineering Sciences, senior research fellow V.A. Khalikov, Ph.D. in Engineering Science O.S. Bogomolova, teaching assistant V.I. Mossakovskii, Ph.D. in Engineering Science, senior research fellow E.V. Parus, an engineer K.P. Vyshtak, senior laboratory assistant I.O. Raientova, master of training P.Ya. Konoval.
Associate professors Naina Volodymyrivna Buslova (has worked at the department since 1960), Volodymyr Andriyovych Bazhenov (has worked at the department since 1972), as well as Ph.D., Professor Oleksandr Fedotovych Butkevych (part-time employee since 1995) hold pride of place among the staff.
The staff of the department trains highly qualified specialists and carries out scientific and research work within the state special-purpose programmes.
Training of specialists is carried out according to a two-level program: bachelors and masters (educational-professional or educational-scientific training programs). The department has a postgraduate course, and since 2016, future doctors of philosophy have studied in specialty 141 “Electric power engineering, electrical engineering, and electromechanics”. Students are trained at the department using modern methodological developments, specialized laboratory stands, advanced information and multimedia technologies, and applied software complexes.
The department carries out research on ways and methods of technical and economic performance improvement of electrical networks and systems operating modes based on modern information and computing systems; research on the survivability of energy systems in emergency situations; the development of expert decision support systems with elements of artificial intelligence.
Continuing the work of the predecessors, the department's staff creates their today’s history.