Charles Concordia, 1908 - 2003

Perhaps the world's best-known power systems engineer, Charles Concordia has enhanced nearly every aspect of Power Systems Dynamics, especially the planning, operation and security of extended power systems.

Dr. Concordia made significant advances in several fields of engineering while at General Electric from 1926 until 1973. Now in the eighth decade of his professional life, he remains active as a private consultant. He is renowned for his accomplishments regarding the theory of electric machines. Equally profound is his effect on the dynamic analysis of interconnected electric power systems, electrical machinery, and automatic control systems.

In the 1940s, Dr. Concordia pioneered the idea that synchronous machines' voltage-regulator characteristics affect their stability, which is now widely accepted. His 1951 book Synchronous Machines -Theory and Performance is still frequently cited. Dr. Concordia served on the Advisory Panel to the Federal Power Commission as it dealt with the after -effects of two blackouts and he has served internationally as a blackout consultant.

Born on 20 June 1908, in Schenectady, New York, Charles Concordia graduated from General Electric's Advanced Engineering Program, and holds six patents. In 1971, he earned a D.Sc. from Union College, and he later received an honorary D.Sc. from the Iowa State University. He has published over 130 papers.

A Fellow of the IEEE, ASME, and AAAS, Dr. Concordia is a member of the NAE and NSPE. He was Chairman of the IEEE Research and Transfers Committee, as well as a member of the IEEE Publications and Spectrum Editorial Boards, and the Power System Engineering Committee. He helped start and then chaired the first committee on computing devices at the AlEE. He was Chairman of the International Study Committee on Power System Planning and Operation of the International Conference on Large Electric Power Systems (CIGRE) for nine years, and was a founder and National Treasurer of the Association for Computing Machinery.

Among the many awards bestowed upon him by the IEEE and the AlEE are the Lamme Medal, the Centennial Medal, and the Power-Life Award. He also won the Philip Sporn Award from CIGRE and both the Coffin Award and the Steinmetz Award from the General Electric Company. He is the recipient of the 1999 IEEE Medal of Honor "For outstanding contributions in the area of Power Systems Dynamics which resulted in substantial improvements in planning, operation, and security of extended power systems". (Editor's Note: Dr. Concordia passed away on 25 December 2003, in Venice, FL.)

From the 1999 IEEE Honors Ceremony Program

Click here to read the IEEE History Center's Oral History with Dr. Concordia