Chapter 23. Lessons from the Electric Power Industry

You have reached the final chapter of the book, and you see the world differently than when you began. You can now visualize the stocks, flows and feedbacks in the systems that are important to you and your organization. You can now visualize how the system structure causes its dynamic behavior. And finally, you have learned how to build computer models to test and communicate your new theories of how systems change over time. At this point, you are probably wondering how to make the best use of this new knowledge within your organization.

This chapter tells a story of how system dynamics practitioners put their knowledge to work in the electric power industry. Electric power is a massive industry with major impacts on the environment; it is also a capital intensive industry with a rich tradition of long range planning. System dynamics has been applied extensively in this industry, and there is an impressive record of implementation. This chapter interprets the large body of work to reveal how system dynamics practitioners contributed a unique perspective on the power industry. You will learn that their contribution stems from an ability to "see the feedback" in the system. Their story will help you plan the best use of your new knowledge in your own organization.