Preface

The generation, delivery, and utilization of electric power and energy remain one of the most challenging and exciting fields of electrical engineering. The astounding technological developments of our age are highly dependent upon a safe, reliable, and economic supply of electric power. The objective of the Electric Power Engineering Handbook is to provide a contemporary overview of this far-reaching field as well as a useful guide and educational resource for its study. It is intended to define electric power engineering by bringing together the core of knowledge from all of the many topics encompassed by the field. The chapters are written primarily for the electric power engineering professional who seeks factual information, and secondarily for the professional from other engineering disciplines who wants an overview of the entire field or specific information on one aspect of it.

The first and second editions of this handbook were well received by readers worldwide. Based upon this reception and the many recent advances in electric power engineering technology and applications, it was decided that the time was right to produce a third edition. Because of the efforts of many individuals, the result is a major revision. There are completely new chapters covering such topics as FACTS, smart grid, energy harvesting, distribution system protection, electricity pricing, linear machines. In addition, the majority of the existing chapters have been revised and updated. Many of these are major revisions.

The handbook consists of a set of five books. Each is organized into topical parts and chapters in an attempt to provide comprehensive coverage of the generation, transformation, transmission, distribution, and utilization of electric power and energy as well as the modeling, analysis, planning, design, monitoring, and control of electric power systems. The individual chapters are different from most technical publications. They are not journal-type articles nor are they textbooks in nature. They are intended to be tutorials or overviews providing ready access to needed information while at the same time providing sufficient references for more in-depth coverage of the topic.

This book is devoted to the subjects of power system protection, power system dynamics and stability, and power system operation and control. If your particular topic of interest is not included in this list, please refer to the list of companion books referred to at the beginning.

In reading the individual chapters of this handbook, I have been most favorably impressed by how well the authors have accomplished the goals that were set. Their contributions are, of course, key to the success of the book. I gratefully acknowledge their outstanding efforts. Likewise, the expertise and dedication of the editorial board and section editors have been critical in making this handbook possible. To all of them I express my profound thanks.

They are as follows:

I wish to say a special thank-you to Nora Konopka, engineering publisher for CRC Press/Taylor & Francis, whose dedication and diligence literally gave this edition life. I also express my gratitude to the other personnel at Taylor & Francis who have been involved in the production of this book, with a special word of thanks to Jessica Vakili. Their patience and perseverance have made this task most pleasant.

Finally, I thank my longtime friend and colleague—Mel Olken, editor, the Power and Energy Magazine—for graciously providing the picture for the cover of this book.

⋆  Arun Phadke for the first and second editions.

†  Richard Farmer for the first and second editions.