Book details

Book description

Technological advances and changes in government policy and regulation have altered the electric power industry in recent years and will continue to impact it for quite some time. Fully updated with the latest changes to regulation, structure, and technology, this new edition of Understanding Electric Power Systems offers a real-world view of the industry, explaining how it operates, how it is structured, and how electricity is regulated and priced. It includes extensive references for the reader and will be especially useful to lawyers, government officials, regulators, engineers, and students, as well as the general public. The book explains the physical functioning of electric power systems, the electric power business in today's environment, and the related institutions, including recent changes in the roles of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the North American Reliability Company. Significant changes that are affecting the industry are covered in this new edition, including:

• The expanded role of the federal government in the planning and operation of the nation's electric utilities
• New energy laws and a large number of FERC regulations implementing these laws
• Concerns over global warming and potential impacts on the electric industry
• Pressures for expansion of the electric grid and the implementation of "smart-grid" technologies
• The growing importance of various energy-storage technologies and renewable energy sources
• New nuclear generation technologies
• The 2009 economic stimulus package

JACK CASAZZA is an electrical engineer with wide experience in the electric power profession as an executive, researcher, economist, and consultant. He has served as vice president in a major utility responsible for electric and gas planning and research, as a member of the Board of directors of the Georgia System Operating Co., and as chairman of the U. S. Technical Committee of CIGRE. Casazza is the author of six books on electric power policy and technology and founded the American Education Institute. An IEEE Life Fellow, he received the Halperin Award for his contributions to the development of the national transmission system.

FRANK DELEA is retired from Consolidated Edison Company, where he had a wide range of assignments giving him insight into planning, operational, financial, organizational, and legal issues. He was the company's chief electric planning engineer, its chief forecast engineer, its first project manager for rate cases, and a corporate planning director. He is an IEEE Senior Member. Since his retirement, Delea has conducted many short courses in technical, business, and regulatory issues relating to electric power systems for non-engineers.