Once electricity is produced, it must be delivered to where it needs to go, including homes, schools, offices, factories, etc. In order to get the power from the source dams to distance users, vast networks of transmission lines and facilities are used to bring electricity to us in a form we can use. Power plant electricity comes first through a transformer, which raises the voltage to force-pressure the power long distances through power lines. Transformers on poles further reduce the electric power, so that it’s at the right voltage for appliances within our homes. When electricity comes into our homes, we purchase it by the kilowatt-hour, a meter measures how much is used.
In additional to hydroelectric power plants, other power plant sources include gas-turbines, geothermal, wind powered systems and more. These powerplants use the same general system of transmission lines. A power grid allows electricity to be interchanged among several utility systems to meet varying demands. Essentially, the electricity running your computer could be from a hydroelectric power plant, a wind generator, a nuclear facility, or a coal, gas or oil fired power plant, or a combination of these.[1]
Research by Theresa Pipher
