Electric vehicles (EVs) offer a cleaner mode of personal transportation and a new way to store energy, but also present challenges to the grid due to additional distributed storage and load. With rising numbers of EVs on the streets, problems can include voltage limits violation or line congestion, mainly at the distribution level. All those operating devices in the grid, from network operators/managers to EVs owners, need fast communication with low latency, high security and reliability. The book addresses EVs as a driving source for realizing smart grid operation. It provides chapters from multidisciplinary academic and industry communities related to EVs charging schemes and technologies, and its associated communication, networking and information architectures.

This book offers a broad coverage of the theory and practice of industrial microwave heating. It introduces the physical processes behind dipolar and conductivity loss mechanisms and follows with a thorough presentation of dielectric property data of many industrial materials as a function of the moisture content, temperature and frequency, focussing on the interpretation of such data as regards the suitabiliy for processing these materials with microwave energy. The basic equations which govern the power dissipation, attenuation, phase constant, penetration depth and skin depth are derived from first principles while the transport equations of heat, mass and pressure are qualitatively described, giving particular emphasis to the physical mechanisms behind high frequency drying. The book provides established procedures backed by theoretical formulations for the design of industrial travelling wave and multimode applicators. It also provides extensive coverage of single mode fundamental or higher order resonant cavities and outlines a number of atypical applicator structures. It describes the essential features of processing with microwaves under vacuum and presents a brief introduction to the mechanisms which lead to gas breakdown. It stresses the need for a degree of hybridisation with other electrical or conventional heating systems and discusses a few such schemes. The book outlines a number of systems for limiting leakage from on-line industrial microwave systems and concludes with an extensive discussion of successful industrial applications.

Energy for today's complex electrical power systems is increasingly being generated and distributed locally using small-scale, renewable energy sources. The addition of renewables to the grid requires new tools and operation methods, both for suppliers and industrial consumers. This book describes the supporting technologies that can turn conventional passive electricity delivery networks into the active networks of the future, with a focus on electricity utilization in the industrial environment. It examines the integration of the new, dispersed sources with the legacy systems of centralised generation, as well as how the new technologies can operate effectively in isolated systems. Industrial power distribution, lighting, motor control and protection are discussed in detail.

This book is a guide to the whole field of high voltage insulators as used in electrical power networks, traction and production. It covers the historical development of the shapes - sometimes strange ones - of modern types, decribes the principal materials - both ceramic and polymeric - and their fabrication, explains the physical principles of contamination and flashover, and reviews the mass of data on research and testing.

To optimise the efficiency of electric drives it is necessary to consider the components; the power electronic converter, the electric machine and the gearbox, together. Integrated systems can be smaller and have better flexibility and thermal management. Integrated motor drives (IMDs) specifically offer advantages including lower cost of installation and higher power density. This integration concept has been adopted in various electrical machine drive systems as well as electric vehicles.

The growing share of renewable energies, as well as the rising demand for electricity for transport and heating, are increasing the importance of power converters and the requirements for reliability and control. Intelligent control can increase converter efficiency, reducing size and weight. The application of intelligent control techniques to power converters has therefore recently become a focus of research.

In recent years it has become increasingly apparent that conventional electrical networks cannot meet the requirements of the 21st century. These include reliability, efficiency, liberalisation of electricity markets, as well as effective and seamless integration of various types of renewable energy sources, electric vehicles, and customers as players. The emergence of new technologies such as distributed control, monitoring devices, and tremendous advances in information and communication technology have paved the way to realize the Smart Grid concept.