Electric Energy : An Introduction

This book provides an introduction to electric energy in all of its various forms and applications using examples, theory, and current events. Its scope is primarily technical but complementary topics are included to enhance the breadth and depth of coverage. Using a problem‑oriented, student‑centric approach with engaging discussion and occasional sidebars, the text combines the basic elements of traditional energy conversion with contemporary issues, giving students the background and expertise they need to meet future challenges.

New features in this edition:

• Provides a general perspective on global energy and electricity consumption, world power markets, and country portfolios
• Provides an overview of North American interconnections and European mains frequency standards, system inertia, transmission networks, and an outline of transmission theory
• Covers the main features of grid governance in the U.S., N-1 contingency planning, frequency control, forecasting, and ancillary services
• Reviews K-rated, phase-shifting, solid-state and high frequency transformers, empirical loss relations, transformer markets, and cost of operation
• Includes case studies on system disturbance events and blackouts, as well as Ukraine’s grid response to relentless drone attacks and shelling from Russia
• Reviews airborne wind energy systems, electric vehicles, utility-grade battery storage, offshore wind, reactor designs, and space stations
• Includes household appliance loads and generator options, data centers and AI, and transmission cost estimation
• Examines challenges of future power operations and systems, including cyber attacks, distribution grid congestion, harmonic distortion, inertia and grid-forming inverters, protection and fault detection, and ramping requirements
• Special focus on China, the world’s largest electrostate, and its dominant position in electrification technologies

This text is aimed at undergraduates and beginning graduate students in electrical and mechanical engineering, as well as professionals needing to refresh their skill set.

Mohamed A. El-Sharkawi received his PhD in electrical engineering from the University of British Columbia in 1980 and joined the University of Washington as a faculty member the same year. He authored more than 250 technical papers and research monographs during his career, including four textbooks in electric energy, electric drives, electric safety, and wind energy, and held multiple licensed patents in the areas of wind energy, dynamic VAR management, and minimum arc sequential circuit breaker.

Professor El-Sharkawi founded and chaired the IEEE Power and Energy Society’s subcommittee on renewable energy machines and systems. He is the founder and cofounder of several international conferences and the founding chairman of numerous IEEE task forces, working groups, and subcommittees. He received several educational, service, and research awards, among them are the Outstanding Educator Award for IEEE Western Region in 2014 and the International Fellow Award 2015–2017. Dr. El-Sharkawi was a Fellow of IEEE, a professor of Electrical Engineering, and held a professorship in the Clean Energy Institute.

Dr. El-Sharkawi was emeritus professor at the time he passed away on October 24, 2018.

Mark J. Kaiser is a research professor at the Center for Energy Studies at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, where he has worked since 2001. His research interests cover all aspects of the energy industry, notably the oil, gas, electricity, and refining sectors, offshore development, cost estimation, economic valuation, and infrastructure modeling. He has authored over 300 academic publications along with numerous reports and trade articles, has secured grants of several million dollars over his career, and currently serves on the editorial boards of several energy journals. He was named Marathon Professor of Energy Policy in 2017.

In 1991, Dr. Kaiser obtained his PhD from Purdue University, acquired a wife, and started a new job, trying to make a living and doing the best he can. In the first decade of his career, he worked on various applied power projects such as energy efficiency verification, load forecasting and tariff design, electrohydrodynamic simulations,
transformer and power cable design, and small‑scale renewable energy developments (solar PV, solar thermal, and wind). He also spent a lot of time during this period solving problems in convex geometry, geometric optimization, and computational metrology.

Professor Kaiser is the author of five research monographs on the offshore oil and gas, wind, drilling, decommissioning and service industries published by Springer and Elsevier, the 6th edition of Petroleum Refining: Technology, Economics and Markets with A. de Klerk (CRC Press, 2020), and the 9th edition of Pipeline Rules of Thumb Handbook with E.W. McAlister (Elsevier, 2023). He occasionally consults and serves as a technical expert for government agencies and companies.agencies and companies. He earned his doctoral degree from Purdue University in 1991.