Fundamentals of Distributed Generation Systems

This textbook addresses the fundamentals of employing distributed generation systems. The content is based on the development, changes, and needs of electric utility companies in restructuring the prevailing electrical grids. The material, the order of the chapters, and the practice problems are based on years of teaching experience, including students’ reactions and their knowledge acquisition.

It is divided into three main parts:

• Principles of operation of commonly used distributed generators: Fuel Cells, Solar Cells, Gas Turbines, Microturbines, Reciprocate Internal Combustion Engines, and Wind Turbines
• Detailed analysis of three major components: the induction generator (including its doubly-fed configuration), the synchronous generator (including dynamic volt-ampere reactive control), and the power static converters (including DC/DC and self- and line-commutated units)
• Interaction with electric utility lines, including the effects of harmonic distortion, voltage stability, volt-ampere reactive control, and fault conditions

The book also includes many practice and drill problems and is an ideal text for graduate students and an invaluable handbook for engineers working in electrical power systems.