IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2015 - 107

The use of alternating current (ac)
in the new York systems is introduced
along with a comprehensive account of
the evolution of the transformer. With
both ac and direct current (dc) systems
evolving, the development and application of the rotary converter provides
an indication of how complex the new
York power system was going to become. The niagara Falls project is tied
to the implementation of ac in new York
along with other pioneering ac systems.
The beginning of traction power for
railway systems, subways, and trolleys
along with its demand for electric power
stands out as another unique component
of the new York power system.
The reader will recognize early on in
the book that both dc and ac systems would
be needed for the future expansion of the
new York power system and that both systems would need to be interconnected in
various ways, which gradually increased
the complexity of the overall system.
The establishment of the United
electric Light & Power Company and
its relentless determination in promoting the Westinghouse system of ac gives
the reader a good feel for the level of

competition between companies in new
York. United's substations along with the
Sherman Creek station and the hell Gate
generating plant are explained, including the various ac frequencies that were
used. i found the element on the regional
interconnection of the various companies
very interesting given the challenges presented by different frequencies, voltages,
and transformer connections.
The triumph of ac over dc and the
conversion to ac are very thoroughly
covered. i was amazed how long the two
systems essentially supplied new York
on a somewhat equal basis. The postWorld War ii growth was much more
significant than i realized, and a significant amount of system expansion was
required to serve new loads. The nuclear
age and the indian Point plant, with its
large capacity, are hard to imagine when
compared to all the huge pioneering
steam plants that were being phased out.
The book concludes with recent
changes and developments by Consolidated edison, including the addition of
indian Point #2. The official termination
of the last remaining dc system is highlighted, and it amazed me to understand

how long dc had been a key element of
the new York power system.
after i finished the book, i found myself rereading several chapters because it
was so interesting and i wanted to make
sure i did not miss any of the important
details. i now have a much higher level
of amazement of what it took to establish
the electric infrastructure that was needed
to allow the growth of new York City to
reach the point at which it is today. another area that amazed me was the similarity with the operation of the system in
the early days and today. elements such
as peak loads, demand reduction, and
power quality had to be dealt with by engineers then as they do today.
i thoroughly enjoyed the book,
which will now reside in the student
library at northwest Lineman College.
New York Power flows nicely, and it is
easy to comprehend the technical details. i strongly recommend the book
to anyone interested in the evolution of
electrical power systems in general and
anyone with an interest in the growth of
the City of new York.
-Alan Drew

Several years of ambitious initiatives
mean that today denmark has built the
foundation to develop a more mature retail
market, strengthening both competition
and customer-focused innovation. our
strategy is to take an active international
role, where denmark's position is used to
promote scalable danish solutions to european challenges. it is crucial to support
innovation, investment, and competition
by not creating unnecessary risks affecting
prices and frameworks in the energy market. To ensure this development, we will

continuously need new solutions consolidated in our surroundings through r&d
activities and even to a higher degree there
is a need for innovation and deployment.
Maybe r&d is not very visible, but it
is inevitable, although it should be twisted
to a higher focus on innovation and deployment with the substantial involvement of our stakeholders! Let's make
the border of innovation and deployment
together to ensure the right and the most
cost-efficient solutions!

p&e

in my view (continued from p. 112)
from the Joint research Centre, it is
evident that denmark is leading within
r&d in smart grids and that the next
step is the deployment of r&d results.
The deployment is essential to cash in
on the benefits from the r&d efforts
and must be facilitated by demonstrations and secure frames for investment.
it is therefore energinet.dk's ambition
to provide a framework for investment
in innovation and new business models
in a retail market undergoing rapid and
fundamental transition.

january/february 2015

p&e

ieee power & energy magazine

107

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2015