How the Electricity Grid Works

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                        The electricity grid is a complex and incredibly important system, and one of the most impressive engineering feats of the modern era. It transmits power generated at a variety of facilities and distributes it to end users, often over long distances. It provides electricity to buildings, industrial facilities, schools, and homes. And it does so every minute of every day, year-round.

What makes up the electricity grid?

Our nation’s electricity grid consists of four major components, each of which is detailed below.

Individual generators

A variety of facilities generate electricity, including coal- and natural gas-burning power plants, hydroelectric dams, nuclear power plants, wind turbines, and solar panels. The location of these electricity generators – and their distance from end users – varies widely.

These technologies are also physically different, and are used and manipulated differently on the power grid as a result. For example, certain types of power plants, such as coal and nuclear power plants, have little short-term flexibility in adjusting their electricity output; it takes a long time to ramp up or down their electricity output [1].

Transmission lines

Transmission lines are necessary to carry high-voltage electricity over long distances and connect electricity generators with electricity consumers.

Transmission lines are either overhead power lines or underground power cables. Overhead cables are not insulated and are vulnerable to the weather, but can be less expensive to install than underground power cables. Overhead and underground transmission lines are made of aluminum alloy and reinforced with steel; underground lines are typically insulated [3].  

Distribution

The distribution network is simply the system of wires that picks up where the transmission lines leave off. These networks start at the transformers and end with homes, schools, and businesses. Distribution is regulated on the state level by PUCs and PSCs, who set the retail rates for electricity in each state.

Consumer use or “load”

The transmission grid comes to an end when electricity finally gets to the consumer, allowing you to turn on the lights, watch television, or run your dishwasher. The patterns of our lives add up to a varying demand for electricity by hour, day, and season, which is why the management of the grid is both complicated and vital for our everyday lives.

BASIC STRUCTURE OF ELECTRIC SYSTEM

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