Supplying and Distributing Electricity
Supply: How it's Produced
More than two and a half centuries have passed since Benjamin Franklin and others proved lightning was a form of electricity. Electricity is a form of energy that starts with atoms. An atom has three parts: protons, neutrons, and electrons. At least one electron travels around the center of the atom at great speed. Forcing electrons to flow from atom to atom creates electricity. In the United States, this process is typically performed at power plants. There are many ways to generate electricity such as burning coal, nuclear reaction, or through renewable methods such as solar, wind and more.
Distribution: How it's Delivered
Electricity from the power plant is brought to you along a network of power equipment and lines. Electricity leaves the power plant on high power transmission lines on tall towers to substations and is brought to homes and businesses by transformers that manage the voltage and service lines that carry the current.
Energy Terms
Producing and delivering the energy that powers our homes and businesses often involves introducing new terms. We’ve listed and defined many of those to help you navigate the energy process along with us.
| Cogeneration | Production of heat energy and electrical or mechanical power from the same fuel in the same facility. |
| Demand | The level at which electricity is delivered to users at a given point in time. Electric demand is measured in kilowatts. |
| Department of Energy (DOE) | A federal agency that manages the programs of research, development, and commercialization of various energy technologies and associated environmental, regulatory, and defense programs. The DOE promulgates energy policies and acts as a principal advisor to the President of the United States on energy matters. |
| Distribution | The substations, wires, and lines that convey electricity from high-powered transmission lines to ultimate consumers. |
| Distribution System | The substations, wires, and lines that convey electricity from high-powered transmission lines to ultimate consumers. |
| Electricity | A property of the basic parts of matter. A form of energy having magnetic, radiant, and chemical effects. A current of electricity is increased by an increase in the charged particles. |
| Energy | The capability of doing work. The resources that make a technology operational. The term "energy" is also used to mean electricity supplied over time. It is expressed in kilowatt-hours. |
| Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | A federal agency established under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970 to undertake all administrative and regulatory functions related to the prevention, control, and abatement of air pollution. |
| Fossil Fuel | Oil, coal, or natural gas. Fuel that was formed in the earth in prehistoric times from remains of living organisms. |
| Grid | The electric transmission and distribution system that links power plants to customers. |
| Interchange | The agreement among interconnected utilities under which they buy, sell, and exchange power among themselves. This can provide for economy and emergency power supplies. |
| Kilowatt Hour | A kilowatt hour measures the quantity of electricity generated or consumed in one hour. |
| Load Management | Steps taken to reduce power demand at peak load times or to shift some of the load to off-peak times. |
| Lumens/Watts | A measure of the efficiency of a light bulb. The number of lumens output per watt of power input. |
| Megawatt | A unit of electric power equal to one million watts or 1,000 kilowatts. |
| Nuclear Energy | Power obtained by splitting heavy atoms (fission) or joining light atoms (fusion). A nuclear power plant uses a controlled atomic chain reaction to produce heat. The heat is used to make steam to run conventional turbine generators. |
| Peak Load | The highest electrical demand within a particular period of time. |
| Transmission | The process of conducting the flow of electricity at high voltages from the points of generation to the locations of groups of electricity users. |