Q. Illustrate AC Power Systems?

Electric power is indispensable for any modern society. Our use and demand for electric power grows annually at the rate of 2 to 3%; our need nearly doubles about every 25 to 35 years.We, in the United States, have become so accustomed to reliable and accessible electric power that we virtually take it for granted.

Even though energy appears inmany different forms, the vastmajority of all energy delivered from one point to another across the country is handled by ac power systems. Transporting electric energy most efficiently from place to place becomes extremely important. Electric power generation, transmission, distribution, and utilization are the features of any practical power system.

In the United States power is generated by many generating stations interconnected in an overall network, known as the power grid, which spans the entire country. The bulk of the system is privately owned, whereas a part of the network is owned federally and a partmunicipally. Some utility companies in a given geographical area operate as power pools for reasons of economy and reliability.