The electric power generation and distribution industry has its structurethecompletecastofplayers necessary to mount evolved during almost exactly one century into its present suchaproduction. Equallyimportanttoits success, Black & form. Thisdevelopmenthasbeendrivenbyeconomics, tech- Veatchmanagementhad the vision toencouragetheproject. nologicaladvancements, andgovernmentregulations.These Thehighleveloftalentandtheeffortexpendedonthetaskof diverse forces have produced generation and distribution producingthebookareevidentinthequalityoftheresulting systems that are reliable, safe, and environmentally accept- product. able, suitable for service throughout the world. Thetechnol- The bookwiselyconcentrates onstate-of-the-arttechnol- ogies which make up the systems have brought a highly ogy. Itemphasizesthe whyand the whatofcurrentpractice. convenient and economic form of energy to both densely However, it does not neglect some of the underutilized en- populatedcities and remote geographic areas. Electrical en- ergy sources and systems or the more promising of the ergy has become a fundamental requirement for the exis- developingtechnologies.Thereaderwillgainafirm founda- tence of modern society. Likewise, it is essential for eco- tion in the technology and a good understanding of com- nomic progress in lesser developed regions. monlyencountered systemconfigurations. Additionally, the Because the need for electricity is pervasive in our soci- ground work is adequately laidfor the reader to beprepared ety, thereisacontinuinginterestinthetechnologyofelectric for developments in the future.