From switching on the fan and charging your phone to heating food in the microwave- these are some of our everyday activities that we do not give much thought to. All of these activities make use of a common energy source that is highly essential- electricity. Are you now giving thought to how power actually reaches your home after its generation? Well, it’s a long journey for electricity beginning from the power station up until it reaches your home. Read on to know how it reaches you.
Power stations- Where the journey begins
Electricity begins traveling towards you from a power station. Now, what are the power stations? Power stations are basically huge plants which are usually located very close to energy sources like hydroelectricity dams, natural gas plants, and wind or solar farms. These energy sources are what produce electricity. Based on the type of fuel or energy input medium that is used (solar, coal, wind, or nuclear), power plants will have additional components such as boiler, turbine, furnace, generators, and cooling towers. Such components are basically essential for the process of electricity generation. As soon as the electricity is generated, it leaves the power station via overhead lines to a power substation. Normally, at this stage, the electricity is as high as 30,000 volts or even more.
Power Substations- The first stop
Power substation manufacturers make all possible efforts to situate them as close to the power stations as possible. The role of the power substation is to further enhance the current-voltage so that it can easily cover long distances without the loss of too much power. Substations utilize transformers to enhance or reduce electric current voltage. There may also be a need to reduce the voltage sometimes so that electricity can be made safer before it enters your home.
Transmission networks
Once the electricity passes through the first power substation transformer, it travels to the transmission networks. The transmission networks are responsible for shifting the electricity from power stations to distribution channels so that it can be delivered to households, commercial units, and all other end users. Even at this stage, the electricity maintains a high voltage level since it still needs to cover vast distances.
Transmission networks are comprised of overhead lines over metal pylons or the ones which are buried underground. These lines are so designed that they can carry high levels of voltage. To prevent any hazards to people, these lines are properly insulated so that the electric current does not move to the ground by any chance.
Secondary power substation
At the second power substation, a transformer again reduces the voltage so that the electricity becomes safe for use across households and by other end users. This is the stage at which the electricity is considered to have made its way to the distribution channels and completely left the transmission networks.
The kind of power substation and voltage can differ based on the location and use. For instance, if we talk about rural areas, in particular, you will find that smaller power substations are utilized to decrease the voltage to around 30,000 volts which is appropriate for factories and to power trains. On the other hand, in urban areas with smaller factories, the voltage level can be anything between 12,000 to 30,000 volts. And as far as the delivery of electricity to homes, schools, offices, and similar other units is concerned, the transformer might reduce the voltage to be as low as 250 volts.
Distribution network
Upon leaving the power substation transformer, the electricity enters the distribution network on the journey towards its final destination. These distribution power lines can either be underground or overhead and can be easily spotted. As soon as the electricity reaches your area, it again passes through a small pole transformer located nearby for further voltage reduction. This is the final step to make sure that the electricity is safe for end users.
