Power engineering

Engineering – the practical application of scientific knowledge in the design, building and control of machines, roads, electrical apparatus, etc. (Oxford Advanced Learner’s dictionary)

Fig.5. A steam turbine used to provide electric power.

Power engineering, also called power systems engineering, is a subfield of electrical engineering that deals with the generation, transmission and distribution of electric power as well as the electrical devices connected to such systems including generators, motors and transformers. Although much of the field is concerned with the problems of three-phase AC power - the standard for large-scale power transmission and distribution across the modern world - a significant fraction of the field is concerned with the conversion between AC and DC power as well as the development of specialized power systems such as those used in aircraft or for electric railway networks.