Nitika Mago is a Senior Manager for Balancing Operations Planning at Electric Reliability Council Of Texas (ERCOT). She received her M.S. in electrical and computer engineering from Texas ECE in 2007. We sat down with Nitika to talk about what she is doing now, and her time in Texas ECE.

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING NOW.

My current title is Senior Manager for Balancing Operations Planning at Electric Reliability Council Of Texas (ERCOT), the independent system operator for 90 percent of the state’s electric load. My team is involved in developing policy, procedures and approaches that help ERCOT to operate reliably as newer resource classes such as wind and solar generation, commercial and residential battery energy storage, demand response resources integrate and operate in ERCOT grid. We utilize advanced data analytics methods including machine learning techniques to (1) compute volumes of the operational reserves ERCOT procures to mitigate operational risks, (2) qualify resources that provide these reserves, (3) evaluate resource performance during events, (4) monitor ERCOT’s frequency control to ensure it meets compliance criteria established by the North American Reliability Council (NERC) and (5) incorporate operational behavior of resources in ERCOT’s capacity and energy adequacy assessments.

HOW DID YOU END UP AT UT AND WHAT PATH LED YOU THERE?

I grew up in a family of a scientist (my dad), 4 engineers (my sister, my uncle and 2 cousin brothers), an economics major (my mom) and a science major (my aunt). So, in a way, it is not surprising that I chose an engineering undergraduate program. During the junior year of my undergraduate studies in India, I had the opportunity to read about the 2003 North East electric grid blackout event in USA, an event that had wide socio-economic impact. I found as much material as I could on the event to understand the triggering events, challenges system operators and utilities faced during the event and the lessons learned. I made nearly an hour-long presentation on the event to my junior year class! After completing the project, I found myself wanting to continue studying in the field of power systems. I read up about the UT Austin’s Energy Systems major in Electrical Engineering. I was impressed by the wind/solar energy and PSCAD modeling course, power quality and the advanced power systems engineering courses that Dr. Surya Santoso offered and market economics and optimization courses that Dr. Ross Baldick offered. I applied to the graduate program in Electrical Engineering at UT Austin and (to my absolute delight) UT accepted my application. 

My time at UT has been invaluable in shaping my career in the power system industry.  

WHO HAS BEEN A MAJOR INFLUENCE ON YOUR LIFE?

My parents have certainly played a big role in influencing who I have become. As a child they ensured that I would do my best in things that I signed up for and more importantly finish what I started. Back then I considered that approach to be harsh, but as an adult I have been using that “never give up” training every time I encounter a tougher challenge be it at work or outside.

During the first 8 years of my employment at ERCOT I worked very closely with three colleagues, who I consider my mentors and influencers as well. While working with them, I learned the importance of patience, perseverance, and resilience. Through their actions they taught me not just how I could succeed at the tasks I was given but also how I could make a positive impact on others around me.

IF YOU COULD PROVIDE ONE POSITIVE MEMORY OF YOUR TIME AT UT THAT STANDS OUT WHAT WOULD THAT BE?

In my first semester of graduate studies at UT Austin, I was a Teaching Assistant at the 2nd floor Electrical Engineering laboratory. I worked full shift on Saturdays, so I would open the lab at 8am and close it 5pm. Saturday shifts were usually quite but every so often I had the opportunity to help out on students with some very interesting problems/experiments. I vividly remember a particular day when a group of students were struggling with getting their project to work, I was able to guide them to use an oscilloscope to debug their circuit and spot a missing connection. I recollect helping another group with debugging issues in software code that they had written. It was most rewarding feeling to see the relived smiling faces of students that I was able to help. 

ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO ADD FOR OUR ALUMNI?

As I left UT to start working at ERCOT, while I knew I wanted to work in power systems, I quickly realized while I knew the technical aspects of power systems, I really did not know a lot about this industry that I was joining and my understanding of ERCOT was a small speck in the grand scheme of things. 

I reached out to peers in the industry and many of whom were UT Alumni to get a better understanding. Till date I am deeply grateful for those conversations. 

Since then, I have participated in a few Women in ECE events and spent time talking about the energy industry and the opportunities it has to offer for young engineers. UT’s Alumni network is a tremendous asset for both young and experienced engineers to gain deep insights and diverse perspectives into any field of choice and I encourage UT’s Alumni to find ways to stay connected as they can.