Power generation

The major work of this committee during the past year devolved upon its subcommittee on interconnection, composed of F. C. Hanker, Chairman, and affiliates, several of whom were selected outside of committee personnel to secure broad contact with current problems in the subject and to serve as liaison members on associated engineering committees handling related subjects. Recognition of the technical import of interconnection was initially made by the Power Generation Committee in a symposium of papers presented at the midwinter convention in 1928, when the subject was treated chiefly from a regional aspect. Experience throughout 1928 and 1929 focused attention upon several problems of the mechanics of operating interconnections, and the subcommittee appointed in 1929 was enabled to obtain for a symposium at the January, 1930, Convention papers on two operating topics which have been investigated with definite results. The other three papers sponsored for the Winter Convention by the subcommittee were just as pertinent, but covered rather the principles of successful service to separate and contiguous load areas in typical metropolitan districts by relating the fundamental plans upon which the electric systems in Chicago, Detroit, and Philadelphia have been developed. These three papers, together with companion papers describing the method of power supply recently adopted in New York City which had been presented under the auspices of the Power Transmission and Distribution Committee at the 1929 Summer Convention, form an excellent compilation of the status of interconnection of power generation sources in large city electric systems. The papers included in the 1930 Interconnection Symposium were: