ABSTRACT

Power interruptions of the scale of the North American Blackout of 2003 are rare, but they still loom as a possibility. Will the aging infrastructure fail because deregulated monopolies have no financial incentives to upgrade? Is centralized planning becoming subordinate to market forces? Understanding Electric Utilities and De-Regulation, Second Edition provides an updated, non-technical description that sheds light on the nature of the industry and the issues involved in its transition away from a regulated environment.

The book begins by broadly surveying the industry, from a regulated utility structure to the major concepts of de-regulation to the history of electricity, the technical aspects, and the business of power. Then, the authors delve into the technologies and functions on which the industry operates; the many ways that power is used; and the various means of power generation, including central generating stations, renewable energy, and single-household size generators. The authors then devote considerable attention to the details of regulation and de-regulation. To conclude, one new chapter examines aging infrastructures and reliability of service, while another explores the causes of blackouts and how they can be prevented.

Based on the authors' extensive experience, Understanding Electric Utilities and De-Regulation, Second Edition offers an up-to-date perspective on the major issues impacting the daily operations as well as the long-term future of the electric utilities industry.

chapter 3|32 pages

A History of the Electric Power Industry

chapter 4|16 pages

Electric Power

chapter 5|32 pages

Using Electric Energy

chapter 6|22 pages

Creating Electricity: Power Generation

chapter 7|30 pages

Renewable Power Generation

chapter 8|28 pages

Distributed Generation and Storage

chapter 9|30 pages

Electric Utility Power Systems

chapter 10|42 pages

Regulation and De-Regulation

chapter 11|16 pages

De-Regulation At The Wholesale Power Level

chapter 12|46 pages

The Power Grid in the De-Regulated Industry

chapter 16|30 pages

System Blackouts and Operational Complexity