Dynamic analysis and control system engineering in utility systems

An introspective appreciation of developments in analysis and control in power systems. Unlike many technologies which sprouted only within the last few decades, and which would not have come to being without the computer, the core and structure of the power system is still composed of equipments which, except for size and sophistication, resemble other vintages dating back a whole century. Looking back, it is amazing that complex power systems were successfully designed, built and operated based on rule of thumb and slide rule calculations. Dynamic analysis is not an end in itself but only one of the vital disciplines in the planning, design and operation of reliable electrical systems. It is interesting to contrast the practical from the impractical and try to understand the reasons why impractical analysis approaches have sometimes been advocated and supported much beyond what could be justified from common sense or economic viewpoints