Power Generation/Transmission

Power Generation/Transmission

Looking at power generation in the United States, 85% of the power is created by using an energy source to heat water, turning that water into steam, and then turning a turbine with that steam. Wind, making up about 10% of the energy sector, bypasses the ‘making steam’ step and uses naturally available wind to turn a turbine. Solar, approximately 5% of the energy sector, is the only mainstream energy source that doesn’t require a physically rotating turbine to make electricity.

No matter how your energy is generated, it needs to get to your house. Unless you have a solar system connected directly to your home, you will need some sort of transmission line network to get the energy from the point of generation to the point of use (your home). This whole system is referred to as “the grid.” The grid includes the power plants, transmission lines, and distribution centers. At the power plant, a substation is used to step up the voltage (often in the hundreds of kilovolts range) to the transmission lines. Then, near the destination, another substation decreases the voltage for local distribution (around 7 to 10 kilovolts).