Electric Power System - The Computer Connection

Many people believe that the only connection between power systems and computers is that computers must be plugged into an electrical outlet to operate. True, electricity does indeed power computers, either directly for desktop units or indirectly through uninterruptible power supplies (batteries charged by the power system) for large computers. There is far more, however, to the connection between computers and power systems. The power industry is the third largest user of computers in the United States, after the federal government and financial institutions. Computers are used heavily by electric utilities for customer billing, employee payrolls, and record keeping. Computers are also used to plan, monitor, and in some cases control the power system and its components. In an effort to control costs, therefore, the electric utilities use computers at all levels of the system.from power plants to load distribution centers. The system is too complex and the stakes too high to plan and operate a utility system without computers.