Prospective on computer applications in power

he so-called " deregulation " and restructuring of the industry have made it very difficult to keep up with industry changes and have made it much more difficult to envision the future. In this article, current key issues and major developments of the past few years are reviewed to provide perspective, and prospects for future computer applications in power are suggested. Technology changes are occurring at an exponential rate. The interconnected bulk electric systems are becoming integrated with vast networked information systems. This article discusses the skills that will be needed by future power engineers to keep pace with these developments and trends. The computer applications used in the electric power industry have undergone profound changes since the first issue of IEEE Computer Applications in Power in January 1988. During that period of time, those of us who have had the privilege of working for electric utilities, electric utility organizations, and organizations providing services and products for the electric power industry have seen: I Development of new techniques for improving the increasingly vast quantities of real-time data being acquired I Availability of lower cost faster computers as well as great reductions in the cost of memory I Enormous increases in engineering productivity and increasing requirements for engineers to function in more complex roles I Shift in energy technology preferences concomitant with concerns about resource reserves, public safety, and environmental protection I Globalization of equipment markets and the recognition of the need for international standards I Advent and widespread acceptance of computer networking applications using the Web I Development of methods to accommodate real-time competitive power markets associated with industry deregulation/ restructuring. I Development of flexible ac transmission system (FACTS) technologies and new procedural methods for coping with transmission system congestion I Upgrades to relaying systems,