Smart Grid Fundamentals: Energy Generation, Transmission, and Distribution

This textbook provides a comprehensive overview of smart grids, their role in the development of new electricity systems, as well as issues and problems related to smart grid evolution, operation, management, control, protection, entities and components.

The book consists of eleven chapters, covering core topics such as energy, environmental issues, basic of power systems, introduction to renewable energy, distributed generation and energy storage, smart grid challenges, benefits and drivers, smart power transmission and distribution. It includes chapters focusing on smart grid communication, power flow analysis, smart grid design tools, energy management and microgrids. Each chapter ends with several practical and advanced problems that instilling critical thinking and applies to industrial applications.

The book can be used as an introductory and basic textbook, reference and training resource by engineers, students, faculty and interested readers to gain the essential knowledge of the power and energy systems, smart grid fundamentals, concepts and features, as well as the main energy technologies, including how they work and operate, characteristics and how they are evaluated and selected for specific applications.

Radian Belu is an Associate Professor in the Electrical Engineering Department at Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Before joining Southern University, Dr. Belu held faculty and research positions at universities and research institutes in Romania, Canada, and United States. His research focuses on energy conversion, renewable energy, microgrids, power electronics, climate, and extreme event impacts on power systems.