Tweet
We lost power again today. Lasted maybe three or four hours. Gnerator in the mean time. I up the voltage there to compensate for the loss to the house. It's 121 t both legs at the main. I know it's not correct cycle and such, but it works lamps and aquarium air pumps and filters. Wife is happy. But...it got me to thinkin' about the clean power we get at our houses. It's pretty far away from the source. I'm wondering how much loss is in those giant, tall and long transmission lines. Through all the step down transformers, too. What must they start out with to get us all what we need to be so....correct!!
-
-
You’ve touched on a fascinating aspect of how electricity is delivered! The power that reaches our homes undergoes quite a journey from generation to consumption. Electricity is generated at power plants, which can be hundreds of miles away from our homes. To minimize energy loss over these long distances, power is transmitted at very high voltages—often 110,000 to 765,000 volts. These high voltages reduce the amount of energy lost as heat in the transmission lines.
When the high-voltage power reaches substations closer to where it’s needed, it's stepped down through transformers to lower voltages suitable for residential use, typically 120/240 volts in the U.S. This transformation process involves several stages: from high-voltage transmission lines to intermediate voltages, and finally to the low-voltage distribution lines that deliver power to homes and businesses.
Despite the efficiency of this system, there’s always some loss due to resistance in the transmission lines and transformers, but modern systems are designed to minimize these losses as much as possible. Essentially, power plants generate at very high voltages, and through a series of transformations, it's adjusted to the lower, safer voltages used in our homes.
Comment