Traditionally, power engineering has been a subfield of energy engineering and electrical engineering which deals with the generation, transmission, distribution and utilization of electric power and the electrical devices connected to such systems including generators, motors and transformers. Implicitly this perception is associated with the generation of power in large hydraulic, thermal and nuclear plants and distributed consumption. Faced with the climate change phenomena, humanity has had to now contend with changes in attitudes in respect of environment protection and depletion of classical energy resources. These have had consequences in the power production sector, already faced with negative public opinions on nuclear energy and favorable perception of renewable energy resources and about distributed power generation. The objective of this edited book is to review all these changes and to present solutions for future power generation.
Future energy systems must factor in the changes and developments in technology like improvements of natural gas combined cycles and clean coal technologies, carbon dioxide capture and storage, advancements in nuclear reactors and hydropower, renewable energy engineering, power-to-gas conversion and fuel cells, energy crops, new energy vectors biomass-hydrogen, thermal energy storage, new storage systems diffusion, modern substations, high voltage engineering equipment and compatibility, HVDC transmission with FACTS, advanced optimization in a liberalized market environment, active grids and smart grids, power system resilience, power quality and cost of supply, plug-in electric vehicles, smart metering, control and communication technologies, new key actors as prosumers, smart cities. The emerging research will enhance the security of energy systems, safety in operation, protection of environment, improve energy efficiency, reliability and sustainability.
The book reviews current literature in the advances, innovative options and solutions in power engineering. It has been written for researchers, engineers, technicians and graduate and doctorate students interested in power engineering.
Viorel Badescu is affiliated with Polytechnic University of Bucharest. He obtained a PhD in Thermoenergetics (1993). Practiced as a mechanical Engineer in industry (1977-1982). Researcher and academic positions at Polytechnic University of Bucharest (1982-present). Reviewer for more than 50 scientific journals. Peer-reviewer for national and international research funding institutions (International Scientific Foundation, USA; National Research Foundation in South Africa; American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund; Applied R&D Grants, City University of Hong Kong; Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation; National Research Foundation of Korea; National Centre for Research and Development of Poland). Peer-reviewer for scientific programmes of the European Commisions (Leonardo Da Vincy, Marie Curie). Associate editor of scientific journals (Renewable Energy, Journal of Energy Engineering, Applied Sciences); Ex-associate editor of Energy, Space Power. Member in the editorial team of several international journals. Editorial policy consultant for Elsevier and Kluwer Academic Publishers. Editor of books published by Springer and special issues in international journals. Co-organizer of the World Renewable Energy Congress. Member in various international commissions and committees. Invited lecturer at international congresses and conferences. Member in national and international societies (International Solar Energy Society, European Astronomical Society, European Water Resources Association, International Radiation Physics Society). Recipient of the 1979 Romanian Academy Prize for Physics and other prizes. Cited in many academic dictionaries and who’s who –like publications. Member of the Romanian Academy.
George Cristian Lazaroiu received his Diploma in Power Systems Engineering from University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Romania, in 2002 and his PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, Italy, in 2006. He is Associate Professor at the Department of Power Systems, University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest. He was Chair of 2014 ICHQP and will be the General Chair of 2019 Innovative Smart Grid Technologies Europe (ISGT Europe). He is a Senior Member of IEEE, member of IEEE Flicker Task Force, member and secretary of Energy Committee of Romanian Academy. His research focuses on power quality, distributed energy resources, optimization, electricity markets.
Linda Barelli is an Associate Professor at Department of Engineering, University of Perugia. She received her Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, with merit, in 2000 and was awarded the title of PhD in Industrial Engineering in 2004 from UNIPG. She was appointed as Energy Manager of the University of Perugia in the period 2005-2013. Awarded of the national scientific qualification as Full Professor in 2014. Her teaching activities mainly concern energy conversion systems. Her current research interests are stationary and dynamic modeling of cogenerative and hybrid energy systems; fuel cells-based systems; H2 production with particular attention to Sorption-Enhanced Steam Reforming, also from renewable sources, and dry reforming; energy storage; CCS technologies; control, monitoring and diagnosis of energy systems also by means of Artificial Intelligence techniques. She has authored over 70 publications, 44 papers in international journals and 5 patents (2 extended abroad). Editorial board member for: "Energy – The international journal", Elsevier; the Energy area of "The Scientific Word Journal" - Hindawi Publishing Corporation. Editorial review board member in "Artificial Intelligence Research" - SCIEDU.
