Abstract :
The advent of renewable forms of energy to the electric power system provides a myriad of opportunities, coupled with an extraordinary number of challenges. And perhaps nowhere are these parameters more exposed than in the ability of transmission systems to properly integrate them. The issues encountered are technologically challenging while simultaneously being intricately enmeshed in national geopolitical considerations. This issue, guest edited by Michael Henderson of ISO New England, offers an encompassing view of the issues faced, and especially of the lessons that have been learned. The depth of the subject can only be addressed by a "global" viewing, as the approaches will invariably depend on both technology and governmental policies. As such, the issue offers experiences that emanate from Ireland, South America, and China, as well as from North America. It is our hope that the reader will be able to obtain a further understanding of the unique complexities that are encountered in different parts of our world.