OS power control utility written in C

Question

I am interested in making a simple command line utility ( in C ) to interact with the power management features of a linux OS ( using ACPI ).

I have a background in C programming and I hope with a little sweat and tears I can create this utility.

However! I am finding it very hard to start. I am finding it hard to find example code or anything other than technical documents on ACPI/its history.

If anyone has experience in this area I would greatly appreciate your advice! I am looking for sample code, how to's or really just any information for how to develop applications that interact with modern linux kernals and their power management features.

Thanks!