The Electric Power Research Institute has updated its reference book for power system operators, EPRI Power System Dynamics Tutorial, and is now making the electronic version of this tutorial available.

This tutorial reference book is now being used as one of the official reference books for power system operator training and certification at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC).

“Several generations of transmission control room operators in the power system community have benefited from earlier editions of this reference source,” said Arshad Mansoor, vice president for Power Delivery and Utilization at EPRI. “For more than 20 years, this tutorial has provided a comprehensive overview of the expertise that operators need in understanding power system dynamics. By offering this book, EPRI's goal is to give even more system operators the chance to acquire the necessary knowledge to use critical judgment in emergency situations that fall outside the scope of step-by-step utility procedures.”

In the updated book, a new section has been added to introduce the basic concepts of Wide Area Measurement System (WAMS) and Wide Area Control System (WACS). This edition has been expanded to explain the causes of wide area power outages and puts the emphasis on power system restoration, methods used and lessons learned for restoring power on the North American power systems. Use of the tutorial increases operator proficiency, while supporting economic and reliable power system operation.

“NERC uses the EPRI tutorial reference book for our certification examinations,” said John Theotonio, manager of personnel certification at NERC. “It is used to validate and create exam questions. Our subject matter experts rely on several books and each book is listed in a reference document for system operators to study in preparation of sitting for one of four different exams.”

The EPRI Light Blue Book is one of a series of industry reference books developed and published by EPRI. These compre­hensive reference books — each with a distinctive colored cover— document and distill the knowledge and experience of the world’s top power delivery experts. As utilities cope with issues related to aging workforces and the loss of expertise, these industry-standard references preserve institutional knowledge while presenting the latest advances in technology, tools, and practices.