Electricity supply¿problems and possibilities

The problem of balancing the supply of electrical energy with demand is one constantly facing power system engineers. In the industrialised countries, the growth of demand has slowed in recent years, but there are still electricity shortages in the developing countries. Electricity is expected to increase its world-wide share of the delivered energy market, and plans to meet future demands with electric power supply from economic and environmentally acceptable sources are important in the development of every country. The paper reviews the present position of electricity supply and some of the ways in which its problems are being solved by demand management, the exploitation of conventional and nuclear generation systems, and renewable sources such as wind, wave, solar and hydro power. Developments in combined heat and power/district heating, storage and transmission are considered. The need for an adequate supply of good engineers in the field of electrical energy is seen to be essential to the future wellbeing of all society.