Looking for beginner book/website on power engineering

[mjpetrag]

Hi,

I am looking for a book or website (preferably website) that covers the electrical engineering side of power engineering. I just want to find something that is beginner level, as I am a new mechanical engineer trying to learn the basic concepts and current designs of electrical power systems.

Thanks,



-Mike

 

[davidbeach]

faq238-1287

 

[magoo2]

David Beach's FAQ gives a fairly comprehensive list of books that are available which deal with electrical engineering or power engineering. I don't remember if it gives any guidance as to which works better for beginners or not, but it is a very good place to start.

For initial exposure or beginner level, I'd suggest an old (1983 or so) GE-authored book titled Electric Utility Systems and Practices. It had chapters on generation, transmission, distribution, substations, relaying and others. It covered what was standard practice by utilities at the time, so it tended to be at a higher level than a detailed engineering reference, yet it provided discussions of the various equipment and terminology which you need to learn and better understand at the beginning. You can probably find some used copies on the web.

At the other end of the spectrum, you'll find the McGraw-Hill Standard Handbook for Electrical Engineers. This is quite detailed with an abundance of equations and methodologies for the analytical side of electrical engineering. I think this reference would be overkill for initial exposure.