Innovative-Technological and Structural-Organizational Transformations of Electric Power Systems: Changes in the Main Properties, and Research Lines

Abstract

This paper discusses one of the most significant areas of systems research in energy that covers the study of the main properties of large-scale energy systems. An emphasis is on the electric power systems, which are currently undergoing organizational-structural and innovative-technological transformations. The evolution of classifications and structures of the main properties of energy systems is analyzed, and interpretation of these properties and the extent to which they manifest themselves in electric power systems in the period before the transformation processes and during the transformation period are given. Findings suggest that the properties had a rather capacious interpretation, which enabled the description of significantly different energy systems, including traditional vertically integrated and emerging new centrally distributed ones. For this reason, there was no need to introduce any new properties, although they can appear in the future. This study examines various transformation processes in the electric power industry and analyzes their influence on the levels of manifestation of properties. The transformation of energy systems and their features requires that the methodology and research tools be refined. Specific directions for such a refinement are proposed in this paper.