A review of the applications of intelligent control to replace/augment the conventional excitation and/or turbine control of turbogenerators on the electric power grid is presented in the paper. The intelligent controller designs are based on neural networks and adaptive critic designs (ACDs). The feedback variables are completely based on local measurements from the generators. Simulations and some practical laboratory implementations on a single-machine-infinite-bus and a three-machine power system demonstrate that intelligent controllers are much more effective than the conventional PID control for improving dynamic performance and stability of the power grid under small and large disturbances. The safety margins on generators with intelligent controllers can be reduced unlike with conventional controllers, thus, allowing more power generation from existing assets.