Transitions from Analog to Digital Computing in Electric Power Systems

Before World War II electric utilities adopted analog computing apparatus for various power system calculations and controls, but many made a slow transition to digital computing for particular problems after the war. During a period of heightened interest in the high-tech, real-time data management and application challenges of increasingly complex power networks, users looked for both explicit and inherent capabilities in computing machines. This article examines why power companies embraced the "old"' for many years before turning to the "new"' for economy loading, a persistent and increasingly important concern.