This document discusses the structure and operation of electric power systems. It begins by outlining the key components of a power system, including power stations, transmission lines, distribution substations, and individual consumers. It then explains how the load on power stations varies continuously due to changing consumer demand. Load curves and load duration curves are introduced to illustrate how load varies over time. The document also defines several important terms related to system load and operation, such as maximum demand, load factor, and diversity factor. It concludes by discussing how generators are selected and committed to meet the station load curve.