Research Needs in Civil Engineering Aspects of Power

The Report of the Research Committee, Power Division, ASCE, which has as its purpose investigation, initiation, sponsorship and coordination of research related to structures and apparatus required for generation, transmission and distribution of power. It is envisaged that seven additional power systems the size of the 1965 system will be required by the year 2000 for the use of electric power, in particular in the fields of communications, transportation and climate control. A listing is given of the board areas of research, including metallurgy, fuels for power production, environmental problems of the power industry, structural improvements at power plants, peaking capacity in modern power systems, electrified transportation equipment, and transmission. The research budget, taken as 1% of the total annual generation cost should increase from $100,000,000 in 1968 to $170,000,000 in 1980. More facilities are necessary for pilot plant studies of new concepts in thermal plants, particularly for utilizing low quality coal and shale oil.