Power lines, the poles and wires running along our nation’s roads and fields, are called our electrical transmission and distribution system. Power plants are connected to this network, the power grid.

One of the benefits of this grid system is that if one power plant (say, the only power plant in your area) goes offline, the rest of the network can pick up the slack and still provide electricity to everyone. However, power outages are still possible and are generally the result of downed power lines, making it impossible to receive power from the grid.

But where does the electricity begin, and how exactly does it get to your home?

It all begins at electricity generation facilities, commonly called power plants. There are many different ways to create electricity, though the end result is always the same—large amounts of electric power. After production at a power plant, electricity flows through metal conductors to a switchyard, where it enters a transformer and is stepped up for transmission.

When electricity is stepped up, it is converted to a very high voltage, which makes it easier to transport through our nation’s power grid. These high voltages are too dangerous to use in our nation’s homes, so it will be stepped back down to safe levels along its path.

Transmission lines carry the high-voltage electricity across our country to your community. Transmissions lines are not the same as the power lines that come into your home, but rather are suspended much higher in the air by tall, metal support structures. These transmission lines sometimes end in electrical substations in your area.

After electricity is stepped down to a safe voltage and transferred onto the power lines (called distribution lines) that you see along roads. Once it travels to your area, the electricity is stepped down one more time by a transformer. These transformer boxes live on the posts with distribution lines. Finally, electricity flows down a line into your home!

Learn more about electricity and our power grid by clicking here!

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