Visualization aids for power system computations

Many electrical engineering programs are caught up in the struggle over what to include as core requirements of the program especially at the senior level. Often, specialty areas compete to have their favorite courses designated as a core requirement. The status, long enjoyed by power engineering courses is however currently being threatened, as more programs no longer see the need to require a power system or energy conversion course. In order to include what the student needs to know about energy systems in the undergraduate curriculum, electric power engineering educators must creatively consolidate course topics that traditionally span two or more courses into one. Traditional pedagogical approach becomes grossly inadequate for addressing the challenges. This paper presents three interactive MATLAB® simulation programs for aiding students in learning three core power system analysis algorithms - power flow, economic dispatch and unit commitment.