The course starts by reviewing current practices to establish a sound understanding of the underlying principles of power system transmission, distribution, operation, and control. Next are considered the developments that are taking place as a result of new forms of generation, load interconnection, fault level limitation, and numerous advances in system innovation. The manner in which the new technologies are implemented is related to geographical location, sites requiring additional power, government strategy, and technical motivation for change. Not all power systems will advance at the same rate, but all will take advantage of the benefits of technology to a greater or lesser extent, thus improving the overall electrical efficiency.
The course aims to make candidates aware of improvements that technological advances make possible and to consider implementing these on their system, whether it be a utility, a large end-user, or an industrial islanded system. Asset management, DSM, nonlinear loads, harmonics, and online diagnostics of plant are also considered, as are ways of improving the utilization and efficiency of system plants.