ECE200: Power System Analysis [KAUST] 

Course Information

• Division: CEMSE

• Course number: ECE 200 

• Academic Semester: Fall 2025-2026

• Location: Building 9 - Classroom 3120

• Meeting days/time: Wed 14:30-17:30

• Instructor: Charalambos Konstantinou (aka Harrys)

• Email: first.last at kaust.edu.sa

• TA: Aoun Abbas (aoun.abbas at kaust dot edu dot sa )

Course Description

The Power System Analysis course provides a detailed exploration of the fundamental concepts and modern challenges facing power systems today. The course begins by introducing students to the basic structure and components of electrical power systems, including generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption of electrical energy. With a special focus on sustainability, it delves into the transition from traditional energy sources to renewable energy, including wind and solar power. Students will learn how to model, analyze, and operate power systems, with topics covering load characteristics, energy conversion processes, and network components. The course emphasizes the importance of power flow studies, fault analysis, and stability assessments, which are critical for ensuring reliable operation of power grids under both normal and contingency conditions. As the course progresses, students will explore the challenges posed by renewable energy integration and variable generation, studying how modern electronic power converters and control systems play a pivotal role in maintaining balance between load and generation. Key aspects of power system protection, including balanced and unbalanced faults, will be thoroughly examined, equipping students with the ability to perform fault studies and understand the behavior of the system under abnormal conditions. Additionally, the course covers power system stability, including both steady-state and transient stability, and provides practical tools for analyzing and mitigating the effects of disturbances in power grids. Students will gain an understanding of how modern grids respond to various contingencies, from faults to renewable intermittency, and will explore the techniques used to maintain system stability and reliability. The course also introduces students to electricity markets, addressing the economic and regulatory aspects of power systems in a deregulated environment. It explores how power is traded, the role of load-serving entities and generators, and the impact of market structures on power system operation. By integrating theoretical knowledge with real-world applications, including sustainability and the transition to a low-carbon future, the course prepares students for careers in power systems engineering and research. A key component of the course is the focus on emerging trends in the field, including smart grids, energy storage, and cybersecurity, all of which are becoming increasingly important in the context of renewable energy integration and the modernization of power systems.

Goals & Objectives

By the end of the course, students will:

• Understand the basic components of power systems and how they interact.

• Be able to perform power flow and fault analysis.

• Understand the impact of renewable energy on power system stability.

• Have a basic understanding of electricity markets and their role in modern power systems.

Reference Texts

• Power Systems: Fundamental Concepts and the Transition to Sustainability (Daniel Kirschen, Wiley, 2024)

• Power System Analysis by John J. Grainger and William D. Stevenson, McGraw-Hill Education.

• The lectures may not be compatible with the textbooks. Reading literatures coupling with the course content will be posted online, as well as the slides.

Method of Evaluation

• 40.00% - Homework/Assignments

• 15.00% - Midterm Exam

• 45.00% - Final Exam

Nature of Assignments

• Assignments: There will be eight (8) in total: assigned every other week and due one week after. Each homework assignment requires students to solve several problems relevant to the topics discussed in class. They can be paper and pen questions and/or simulation exercises. Students will need to program in MATLAB or use other simulation tools. 

• For the assignments students are expected to work independently. Offering and accepting solutions from others is an act of plagiarism, which will be penalized.

Course Policies

• All methods of evaluations are required. Students who do not show up for an exam or do not provide any assignment should expect a grade of zero on that item.

• Students will not receive extensions. Late assignments (not exams) will be accepted. Students will be penalized 20% for every late day (day determined per the deadline of the submission time).

• Attendance is strongly encouraged but is not compulsory.

• Attending students are expected to be on time.