Power Grid Operations Paperback – September 20, 2012

I have mixed feelings about this book.First off, it's a book about the power system written by Eli The Iceman! I can think of no better authority on the subject. (Do some googling if you don't get the joke.)I knew this book was intended to be a non-technical introduction to the power grid, but I underestimated just how watered down it would be. Great, I thought: no phasers and trigonometric equations...just a high level description of how this stuff works. Unfortunately, the man whose pen name is a memory aid for remembering leading and lagging phasers doesn't mention the topic at all.Interested in power factor correction? Power quality? How about even a mention that there is something called a power factor, never mind trying to correct it? My good friend Eli The Iceman fails to mention these things even exist. While, admittedly, these are not simple concepts, they are fundamental to understanding power engineering. Without even a mention, the foundation upon which the reset of the knowledge is built is weak.The text is peppered with hubris and non-sequiturs. Perhaps the non-sequiturs are intended to give the book a more conversational tone, but they give the book an unorganized meandering feel at times. The hubris stems from occasional comments that heavily imply the power industry is run by white lab coat wearing experts who take care of things far too complicated for you or government regulators to understand or criticize. If everyone would just leave the experts be, we would have a perfectly engineered and reliable grid. The fact that utilities might be profit-seeking enterprises incented to mortgage the future or manipulate the rules for short-term profits isn't discussed. (Anybody remember Enron and the rolling blackouts created by invented capacity shortages?)Nevertheless, I did learn some interesting bits. There was a cogent explanation for why North America has four independent grids instead of one. There was also a pretty good explanation of the economics of the system with operators shopping for cheaper power in remote areas and trying to deliver it to dense urban areas while being mindful of the capacity constraints of the infrastructure in between. I have a better appreciation for why wind power isn't a silver bullet, but actually creates its own operational challenges early each morning.Overall, it was a quick and easy read, but be forewarned that when Mr. Iceman says this is a non-technical introduction, he isn't kidding. This is a book written by a technician for a non-technical audience. If you are an engineer looking for a light technical introduction to expand your knowledge in a new area, keep looking.

“Power Grid Operations” by Eli T Iceman is an excellent somewhat in-depth explanation of how of our Electrical Grid actually functions. (It’s a good follow-up companion to the top-level grid coverage found in William Thompson’s “Living On The Grid”.“Power Grid Operations”, goes to the next level of detail and explains some of the automating software that Thompson’s book introduces.)Iceman’s, explanation of Load Forecasting, Area Control Errors (ACE), Automatic Generation Control (AGC), Location Market Price (LMP), Security Constrained Economic Dispatch (SCED) software, renewables, grid frequency and Day Ahead Market (DAM) energy markets all tie together the incredible electrical (supply & demand) balancing act that our electrical grid performs on a minute-by-minute basis.My one criticism of “Power Grid Operations” is:1) the book would benefit from a solid index to help referring and refreshing to all the mnemonics, terms and organizations introduced during the read.

This is a fun read about a brief overview and historical events of a power grid.This book is for you if:- you come from a non engineering background and want to learn about a very high level explanation of how a power grid works.- you want a fun read from a easy to follow writerThis book is NOT for you if:- you come from an engineering background and are actually interested in any specific workings of any part of the power grid.- you don't want a fun read and want to learn about a few major events related to power grids.Regardless of your background, I highly recommend all people read this book to truly appreciate the extremely complex and intricate power grid.

This is a useful book, not for the energy expert, but for policy folks/activists who may work on renewable energy and who could benefit on a "how the grid works" primer. It's breezy and what math is presented is very clearly explained.

Good basic book on how the power grid operates. The author throws in some comic relief and makes the content accessible to anyone.

A good overview of the power grid system, however, the writer is too silly at times to take seriously.

Perhaps a wee bit too folksy, but a lot of good information well explained for a general audience. Well recommended.

If your new to the electric utility industry, or simply would like to know more about how the grid is operated, this is the book for you.Jack ColemanTechnical Training ConsultantOES-NA, LLC

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