August 2010

• Intro
• The grid's operational structure
• Your cooperative and the grid
• The history of the transmission line
• The future of transmission
• Download the full article as a

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Intro

The electricity grid is the network of lines that carries electric power from its source—typically power plants—to where it’s needed, such as your community and your home. To work effectively, electricity must at all times flow safely and reliably throughout the grid so the power is there when you flip on a switch.

When you cut that switch off, the electric power doesn’t stop at your switch. Like water, it finds the path of least resistance and goes somewhere else through the grid to where it’s needed.

Most people are familiar with the power lines and poles that run alongside roadways or the lines that run underground in a neighborhood. These lines distribute electricity to users and are called “distribution lines.” Your electric cooperative is a “distribution utility,” because it manages and maintains the system that supplies you with power.

The part of the grid that carries electric power from generating stations to distribution utilities is called the “transmission grid.” To allow electricity to cover great distances efficiently, power from its source is transmitted at voltage much higher than what your household appliances need. (See illustration.)