Power on a journey
Electricity is made at power plants, sent across the country at very high voltage, and stepped down again before it reaches your home. Follow the flow from left to right.
Generation
Wind turns the turbine blades, and water falling from the reservoir spins the dam's turbines. Both drive generators that produce alternating current.
Step-up transformer
Generator output is raised to hundreds of thousands of volts. The same power at higher voltage needs much less current, so far less is wasted as heat in the wires.
High-voltage lines
Pylons carry the transmission lines over long distances. This is the backbone of the grid, linking many power plants to many towns.
Substation and distribution
At the substation a step-down transformer lowers the voltage for local lines. A small transformer on the street pole makes the final drop to household voltage.
The modern home
The house draws grid power but also makes its own with solar panels, stores surplus in a battery, and charges an electric car. Extra solar power can even flow back into the grid.