A320 FLT CREW RPTS TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE PASSING 15000 FT DURING CLBOUT. ESS FEED PUSHBUTTON IS SELECTED; RESTORING ESS POWER AND ALLOWING A SAFE RETURN.

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DEPARTED 2 HOURS LATE AFTER A MECHANICAL FORCED AN ACFT SWAP. WE PICKED UP ACFT WITH PAX ON BOARD AND DEPARTED NORMALLY. CLBING THROUGH 15000 FT MY (CAPT'S) PFD AND ND WENT BLACK FOR ABOUT 2 SECONDS THEN BACK ON. ECAM SHOWED GEN 1 FAILURE AND LED ME TO RECYCLE THE GEN. THAT FIXED THE PROBLEM FOR ABOUT 4 SECONDS THEN THE ENTIRE COCKPIT WENT BLACK. THE FO WAS PF AND I KEPT HIM IN THAT ROLE WHILE I TRIED TO SOLVE THE SITUATION. I TURNED UP THE MAIN PANEL FLOOD LIGHTS FOR HIM TO SEE THE STBY INSTRUMENTS SINCE IT WAS PITCH BLACK OUTSIDE AND WE COULD SEE NOTHING. HAVING RECENTLY READ THE BULLETIN ABOUT THE ELEC AC BUS 1 FAULT I TRIED PUSHING THE AC ESS FEED PUSHBUTTON. THIS BROUGHT BACK MOST OF OUR ELEC EQUIPMENT. ECAM SHOWED DUAL GEN FAULTS. I STARTED THE APU. I THEN INFORMED CENTER OF THE SITUATION AND ASKED FOR RETURN TO ZZZ. THE FO STARTED A GRADUAL TURN BACK TO ZZZ WHILE I WORKED ON THE QRH AND ECAM ACTIONS. ECAM PAGES INCLUDED AUTOPLT FAULT; GEN FAULT; TR 1 FAULT; FAC 1 FAULT; ELEC AC BUS 1 FAULT; BLOWER AND EXTRACT FANS OVERRIDE AND ENG 1 AND 2 TO N1 MODE. ABOUT THIS TIME THE FIRST FLT ATTENDANT CALLED TO SAY SHE WAS DOWN TO EMER LIGHTING IN THE BACK. I TOLD HER WE WERE AWARE OF THE SITUATION AND I WOULD CALL HER BACK WITH MORE INFO WHEN DONE TROUBLESHOOTING. UPON FINISHING ECAM I BRIEFED THE FLT ATTENDANTS; MADE A PAX ANNOUNCEMENT; REQUESTED A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG WITH EQUIPMENT STANDING BY WITH ATC; AND CALLED OPS TO LET THEM KNOW THE SITUATION. BY THE TIME I FINISHED WITH THE CHKLISTS; CALLS; BRIEFINGS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS THE FO WAS LINING UP ON FINAL APCH AND WE PREPARED FOR AN OVERWT LNDG. HE MADE A VERY SMOOTH LNDG AT ABOUT -300 FT/MIN. WE THEN EXITED THE RWY AND TAXIED TO THE GATE WITHOUT INCIDENT. AFTER CONFERRING WITH MAINT TWO DAYS LATER; I WAS TOLD THAT THE IDG AND GCU'S FAILED. ALSO; ACCORDING TO THE READ FILE; AIRBUS IS HAVING RECURRING ELEC AC BUS 1 FAULTS ON CERTAIN ACFT.CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE ELECTRICAL FAILURE BLANKED ALL COCKPIT DISPLAYS AND IT MAY HAVE BEEN SOME TIME BEFORE THE ESS BUS FAULT LIGHT WAS NOTICED HAD THE RPTR NOT BEEN FAMILIAR WITH A COMPANY BULLETIN CONCERNING THIS VERY PROBLEM. ONCE ESS POWER WAS RESTORED IT WAS FAIRLY SIMPLE TO RETURN TO DEP ARPT.