Trading In My Hard Hat And Steel-Toed Boots For A Vr Headset

Jenny Taylor has over 16 years of industry experience and currently leads digital transformation initiatives at Duke Energy, including immersive training and qualification and mixed reality (MR) experiences. In her current role, Jenny supports the strategy and marketing for Virtual Crew, Duke Energy’s brand of virtual reality (VR) training services for energy companies and contractors nationwide. She spent her first decade working in the nuclear industry and has a passion for leveraging innovative technologies to transform user experiences and drive operational efficiencies.

Skeptical at First

When I first joined Duke Energy’s Extended Reality Lab team in September 2022, I didn’t know what to expect. I was surprised that the team included former video game studio artists and software engineers lured to Duke Energy by the chance to use their technical and creative skills to influence the future of energy. To say I knew very little about the world of VR is an understatement. Unlike my fellow teammates, I’m not much of a gamer and had never put on a headset before. Operating the technology is a skill in and of itself, so I was even more skeptical about then learning real, tactical skills in VR, like how to repair a gas leak.

Training for the First Time in VR

Coming from the nuclear side of the company as a technician, I was used to donning a hard hat and steel-toed boots before heading out into the field, not a VR headset. But I kept an open mind as I began trying out our applications – and learned three things:

1. I was immediately shocked at how life-like the virtual environments were – they were digital twins of real sites our employees work at. This gave me a level of comfort I wasn’t expecting.

2. Using the headset was also much easier than I imagined thanks to the tutorials throughout the simulation on how to use the controls.

3. I surprised myself by how quickly I picked up the basics, like what personal protective equipment (PPE) to wear and tools are needed when performing certain tasks.

VR Makes Training More Engaging, Increases User Confidence and Reduces Costs

Like me, there were plenty of employees who were hesitant about training in VR. But most were enticed by the idea of not sitting through computer-based trainings (CBT) and PowerPoint presentations or traveling for weeks of one-on-one training with an instructor in a field.

  ​Training in VR is not only more engaging, but more effective   

Training in VR is not only more engaging, but more effective. You can practice and learn from virtually anywhere and without any inherent risk. Instructors and trainees can be in different states but meet in VR to train in a simulation and discuss mistakes in real time. This, in turn, improves their ability to retain information and perform in the real world.

We worked with industry-qualifying agencies for both gas and renewables organizations to ensure our simulations met certification criteria. With VR, Duke Energy employees can now safely and effectively learn new skills like inspecting rights of way for hazards and get certified for them with the ability to renew their certifications or refresh their skills before completing real-world tasks anytime.

Since its inception in 2018, the XR Lab has created over 36 trainings, qualifications and simulations throughout the nuclear, natural gas, renewables, substations and operations business units – and we are seeing an increase in both adoption and requests.

Another bonus: We saw reduced operational costs through more efficient training time. Our natural gas technicians saved approximately three hours in training time per technician per course, lowering travel and instructor expenses.

An internal study of our technicians that tried the natural gas VR training found:

• 96% of users were not familiar with VR; 92% provided positive feedback after their first VR qualification experience; 78% of users would recommend it to their peers

• Users trained 3.6 times faster than in the classroom and 4 times faster than through CBTs

• Projected savings of over $126,500 per user

Preparing for the Future

Climate change and the future of the energy industry are front and center, and Duke Energy is executing the largest energy transition in the nation. This highly technical and complex challenge will require an agile, highly skilled and diverse workforce. With VR, we can enable more employees to gain the skills and qualifications needed to maintain existing forms of generation, like nuclear and natural gas, as well as fulfill emerging positions, like operating solar, wind and other renewables.

We’re also using virtual reality to attract top talent into our pipeline. We developed a workforce development simulation that immerses students at career and college fairs into a virtual game in which they are tasked with restoring power to the city. With a look inside power restoration and Duke Energy’s innovative culture, we’re planting seeds of interest that could grow the next generation of lineworkers.

My confidence in VR has grown tenfold – as has my understanding of the advantages that VR brings to the table. We are excited to see what new and exciting trainings, qualifications and simulations are going to be in our road map next and how they will spur even more progress on Duke Energy’s path to net zero.