Practical Power Systems Operation [Book Reviews]
The book starts with a foreword piece written by Martin Huang, BC Hydro’s vice president of Grid Operation. He starts by relating to his own engineering education and how other textbooks were not suited to tackle practical problems. He then describes this book as “classical electrical engineering theories meet everyday power system operation.” The book has been adopted by the BC Hydro operator training program as part of the material provided to trainees. The first chapter provides a canvas of the history of power system operation. The author stresses that power system operation is manifested by three actors: operators, operation processes, and the technology. Chapters 2–8 lead the reader on a new journey to power system operation with each chapter focusing on one major NERC operation process. Chapters 9–11 focus on the major decision support systems in control centers and highlight energy management systems (EMSs) and distribution management systems (DMSs). Similar to Chapter 10, Chapter 11 provides a full account of DMSs by detailing the DMS architecture and providing a comprehensive description of a modern DMS. Finally Chapter 12 provides a review of emerging technologies and system operation solutions that have evolved over the last few years. The author has achieved his objective of providing a comprehensive picture for power system operation for industry practitioners and academics. This book stands out by touching many practical aspects of power system operations that appeal to various classes of apprentices. The book can be easily adopted as a power system operation text at the undergraduate or postgraduate level by providing students with a deep understanding of theoretical and algorithmic aspects of enabling technologies.