Power engineering, also called
power systems engineering, is a subfield of
energy engineering and electrical engineering that deals with the
generation,
transmission,
distribution and
utilization of
electric power and the electrical devices connected to such systems including
generators,
motors and
transformers. Although much of the field is concerned with the problems of
three-phase AC power – the standard for large-scale power transmission and distribution across the modern world – a significant fraction of the field is concerned with the conversion between
AC and DC power and the development of specialized power systems such as those used in aircraft or for electric railway networks. Power Engineering draws the majority of its theoretical base from
electrical engineering and while some power engineers could be considered energy engineers, energy engineers often do not have the theoretical electrical engineering background to understand power engineering.