Electrical power systems are, in general, amongst the most reliable
systems worldwide. These large interconnected systems, however, often
operate under stressed conditions because of the increasing demand for
electricity and the challenges associated with improving the
infrastructure due to both economical and environmental issues. Some of
the major challenges facing the electricity industry today include
balancing between resource adequacy, reliability, economics,
environmental and other public purpose objectives to optimize
transmission and distribution resources to meet the growing demand. The
capability of a power system depends on network constraints, generated
power, line currents, nodal voltage amplitudes, and stability margins.
If modern or enhanced facilities are not affordable, a renewed effort in
assessing and rationalizing the exploitation of the system capability is
highly recommended.
Solutions to these complex issues are offered through the integration of
modern information and communication technologies with reliable
methodologies for power systems analysis. The goal of this book is to
provide a vision for a comprehensive and systematic approach to meet the
grid management challenges through new information services.