Wiktor Wise
Electricity is essential to powering our homes and is used for everything from boiling water to charging our phones. It is generated at power stations, which use energy sources such as wind, coal, natural gas, solar, or water (hydropower) to produce electricity. This electricity is then transmitted through high-voltage transmission lines, which stretch across the country, connecting to other power stations through the electrical system or power grid. The electricity then reaches a substation, where the voltage is lowered, and it is sent through distribution lines to our neighbourhoods and, eventually, our homes.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Source of electricity | Power stations, solar, wind, coal, natural gas, water (hydropower), fossil fuels, geothermal, wood fuels, petroleum |
| How electricity is generated | Electrical generators, spinning turbines |
| How electricity reaches homes | Transmission lines, power grid, distribution lines |
| How electricity is measured | Electric meter |
| How electricity is distributed within homes | Wires inside walls, switches, outlets |
| Electricity usage in homes | Space heating and air conditioning, water heating, lighting, refrigeration, televisions, cooking appliances, clothes washers and dryers, consumer electronics |
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What You'll Learn
- Electricity generation: solar, wind, coal, natural gas, hydropower
- Transmission: high-voltage electrical current travels across the country
- Transformers: increase voltage to push power long distances
- Distribution: electricity carried from substations to homes, businesses, schools
- Home wiring: electricity travels through wires inside walls to outlets and switches
Electricity generation: solar, wind, coal, natural gas, hydropower
Electricity is used in almost all homes, and retail electricity purchases accounted for about 44% of total residential sector end-use energy consumption in the US in 2020. The three major categories of energy for electricity generation are fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and petroleum), nuclear energy, and renewable energy.
Generating stations, which may be hundreds of miles away from your home, use solar, wind, coal, natural gas, or hydropower to generate electricity. The electricity is then sent through transformers to increase the voltage to push the power long distances. It then travels through high-voltage transmission lines that stretch across the country. It reaches a substation, where the voltage is lowered so it can be sent on smaller power lines. It then travels through distribution lines to your neighbourhood. Smaller transformers reduce the voltage again to make the power safe to use in our homes.
Natural gas is used in steam turbines and gas turbines to generate electricity. Coal was the fourth-highest energy source for US electricity generation in 2023, accounting for about 16%. Nearly all coal-fired power plants use steam turbines. One power plant converts coal to gas to use in gas turbines to generate electricity. Petroleum was the source of about 0.4% of US electricity generation in 2023.
Wind energy turns a turbine's blades, which feed an electric generator and produce electricity. Hydropower plants use flowing water to spin a turbine connected to a generator. Solar energy systems don't produce air pollutants or greenhouse gases, and as long as they are responsibly sited, most solar panels have few environmental impacts beyond the manufacturing process. Solar photovoltaic and solar thermal power plants provided about 4% of total US utility-scale electricity in 2023. Most solar-thermal power systems use steam turbines to generate electricity.
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Transmission: high-voltage electrical current travels across the country
The electricity that powers our homes is generated at stations that could be hundreds of miles away. These stations are connected through an electrical system called the "power grid". The power grid allows electricity to be shared between generating stations to meet demand.
Once the electricity is generated, it is transmitted across the country through high-voltage transmission lines. This electricity is often transmitted at hundreds of thousands of volts. In the United States, power transmission varies from 230 kV to 500 kV. Transmitting electricity at high voltages reduces the energy lost to Joule heating and lowers the current, reducing the fraction of energy lost over the distance travelled.
The high-voltage electrical current travels through the transmission network to a substation, where the voltage is lowered. This reduction in voltage allows the electricity to be sent through smaller power lines to distribution networks in local regions.
The distribution networks then further reduce the voltage to a level that is safe for home use. This electricity is then sent through power lines to our neighbourhoods and into our homes.
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Transformers: increase voltage to push power long distances
Electricity is a man-made product that is generated at power stations, which could be hundreds of miles away from your home. Power stations use different sources of energy to generate electricity, including solar, wind, coal, natural gas, hydropower, and even fossil fuels. The electricity generated is then transmitted through high-voltage transmission lines that stretch across the country.
Transformers play a crucial role in pushing electricity over long distances. At the power station, the electrical current is sent through transformers to increase the voltage. This increase in voltage ensures that the electrical charge can be pushed and transmitted over long distances efficiently.
The high-voltage electricity then travels through transmission lines, which are supported by large towers, until it reaches a substation. At the substation, the voltage is lowered so that the electricity can be sent through smaller power lines, also known as distribution lines, towards neighbourhoods.
Finally, smaller transformers, often found on poles or on the ground (pad mount transformers), further reduce the voltage to make the electricity safe for use in homes. This step ensures that the electricity entering homes is at a suitable voltage for powering appliances and devices without causing any harm or damage.
Transformers are essential in the process of transmitting electricity over long distances by increasing the voltage at the power station, allowing electricity to reach homes that are far away from the generation source.
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Distribution: electricity carried from substations to homes, businesses, schools
The journey of electricity from substations to homes, businesses, and schools is a complex process that involves multiple stages and a range of specialised equipment. This process ensures that electricity is delivered efficiently and safely for end-use.
Electricity is generated at power stations or generating stations, which can be hundreds of miles away from the end user. These stations use large spinning turbines powered by sources such as wind, coal, natural gas, or hydropower to produce electricity. The current generated is then sent through transformers to increase the voltage, enabling it to be pushed over long distances.
The high-voltage electrical charge travels through transmission lines or power grids that stretch across the country. These transmission lines are supported by electricity pylons or poles and wires that we commonly see along highways. At this stage, electricity reaches a transmission substation, where it enters the transmission network. Substations are integral components of the national electricity grid, allowing for the transmission of electricity at different voltages securely and reliably.
From the substation, electricity is routed to a distribution substation, where the voltage is lowered again. This reduction in voltage is necessary for electricity to enter homes, businesses, and schools at a usable level. The electricity then travels through distribution lines to reach local neighbourhoods. Smaller transformers further reduce the voltage, making it safe for use in homes and other buildings.
Finally, electricity enters homes, businesses, and schools through wires inside walls, powering various devices and equipment. It connects to a meter that measures electricity consumption and passes through a service panel with breakers or fuses to protect the wires from overload. This intricate distribution network ensures that electricity is effectively delivered from substations to its various end points, powering the numerous aspects of our daily lives.
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Home wiring: electricity travels through wires inside walls to outlets and switches
The process of electricity generation and transmission is complex, and the power that eventually reaches our homes comes from a variety of sources and methods. Electricity is generated at large power plants, which can be hundreds of miles from the homes they supply. Power plants use fossil fuels, nuclear energy, or renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, or hydropower to turn turbines and generate electricity. This electricity is then transmitted at high voltages across the country through the power grid, also known as the electrical transmission and distribution system.
Once the electricity reaches the general area of the homes it will supply, the voltage is lowered at a substation to make it safe for home use. The electricity then travels through distribution lines and smaller transformers to individual homes. Inside a home, electricity passes through a meter that measures usage, and then moves to the service panel, typically located in the basement, garage, or utility area. The service panel acts as a central distribution point, sending electricity to switches, outlets, and appliances.
Electricity travels from the service panel to appliances and outlets through a hot conductor and returns to the service panel through a neutral conductor, completing a continuous circuit. A third, grounding wire is also connected to outlets and metal boxes as a safety feature to protect against shock and electrocution in the event of a short circuit or overload. This grounding wire is connected directly to the earth, allowing any extra electricity to be safely conducted away.
The wiring inside homes is typically made of copper, the most common conductor of residential electricity. These wires are insulated to protect against fire and shock, as electricity travels on the outside of the wire. The wires are colour-coded to indicate their purpose, with black insulation for switches and outlets, red for switch legs and smoke detectors, and blue or yellow for wires pulled through a conduit.
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Frequently asked questions
Electricity is a man-made product, created in an electrical generator. It is essential to how our homes operate, from powering our heating and cooling systems to charging our phones.
Electricity is generated in power stations, which use energy sources such as solar, wind, coal, natural gas, or water. The electricity then travels through transmission lines and distribution lines, carried by transformers that increase voltage so that power can be pushed over long distances. Finally, electricity enters our homes through a series of outdoor power lines or an underground connection.
The power grid, also known as the electrical transmission and distribution system, is a network of generating stations connected through the electrical system. It transmits power generated at a diversity of facilities and distributes it to end-users, often over extensive distances.
There are different sources of power and ways to generate electricity. In the US, 44% of total residential sector end-use energy consumption in 2020 came from retail electricity purchases. Natural gas was used in 58% of homes in 2020, accounting for 43% of residential sector end-use energy consumption.
