This is the first in a series of four articles detailing the results of a Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory study comparing the use of small coal-fired power plants with the use of large power plants for expanding electrical generating capacity. Part I, presented here, provides an overview of the study and discusses economic and planning considerations. Part II will discuss environmental effects; Part III deals with public health and safety issues; Part IV focuses on the boom-town problem and the attitudes of local residents. The findings reported in this special series resulted from research funded by the Office of Energy Research at the Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of Technology Impacts at the Department of Energy.