The Grid - Biography of an American Technology (Paperback)

The history of the grid, the world's largest interconnected power machine that is North America's electricity infrastructure. The North American power grid has been called the world's largest machine. The grid connects nearly every living soul on the continent; Americans rely utterly on the miracle of electrification. In this book, Julie Cohn tells the history of the grid, from early linkages in the 1890s through the grid's maturity as a networked infrastructure in the 1980s. She focuses on the strategies and technologies used to control power on the grid-in fact made up of four major networks of interconnected power systems-paying particular attention to the work of engineers and system operators who handled the everyday operations. To do so, she consulted sources that range from the pages of historical trade journals to corporate archives to the papers of her father, Nathan Cohn, who worked in the industry from 1927 to 1989-roughly the period of key power control innovations across North America. Cohn investigates major challenges and major breakthroughs but also the hidden aspects of our electricity infrastructure, both technical and human. She describes the origins of the grid and the growth of interconnection; emerging control issues, including difficulties in matching generation and demand on linked systems; collaboration and competition against the backdrop of economic depression and government infrastructure investment; the effects of World War II on electrification; postwar plans for a coast-to-coast grid; the northeast blackout of 1965 and the East-West closure of 1967; and renewed efforts at achieving stability and reliability after those two events.

General

Imprint:	MIT Press
Country of origin:	United States
Series:	The MIT Press
Release date:	December 2017
First published:	2017
Authors:	Julie A. Cohn
Dimensions:	229 x 152 x 14mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - Trade
Pages:	336
ISBN-13:	978-0-262-53740-7
Categories:	Books > Science & Mathematics > Science: general issues > History of science Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Management of land & natural resources Books > Professional & Technical > Technology: general issues > History of engineering & technology Books > Professional & Technical > Energy technology & engineering > Electrical engineering > Power networks, systems, stations & plants Promotions
LSN:	0-262-53740-0
Barcode:	9780262537407

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!