Automating electric utility distribution systems

The culmination of the Athens Automation and Control Experiment is not only a technical success but also a demonstration of what is truly right with this great country of ours. The project demonstrates what cooperation of the federal government, private enterprise, universities, local government, and---most important---the people of grass-roots mid-America can accomplish. During the energy crisis of the mid to late 1970s, doomsayers projected that many of our natural energy resources would be in short to zero supply by the early 1990s. It was determined that if local control of load dispatch could become a reality at a reasonable cost, then the electric utility industry could begin to contain several of the most costly aspects of providing the vital electric needs of the ultimate customer. Although the crisis of short supply has subsided, the issue of economics has not.