Difference between revisions of "Electrical grid"
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==History== | ==History== | ||
| − | At 3 o'clock in the afternoon on September 4, 1882, [[Thomas Edison]] started the first commercial power grid in lower Manhattan called "The Pearl Street Station."<ref>http://energy.gov/articles/top-9-things-you-didnt-know-about-americas-power-grid</ref> | + | At 3 o'clock in the afternoon on September 4, 1882, [[Thomas Edison]] started the first commercial power plant (designed to distribute power over a public grid) in lower Manhattan, called "The Pearl Street Station."<ref>http://energy.gov/articles/top-9-things-you-didnt-know-about-americas-power-grid</ref> |
==Technical Details== | ==Technical Details== | ||
| − | * The electrical grid is composed of over 450,000 miles of high-voltage power lines<ref name="energy.gov">http://energy.gov/articles/top-9-things-you-didnt-know-about-americas-power-grid</ref> and | + | * The U.S. electrical grid is composed of over 450,000 miles of high-voltage power lines<ref name="energy.gov">http://energy.gov/articles/top-9-things-you-didnt-know-about-americas-power-grid</ref> and over 160,000 miles of overhead [[transmission lines]]<ref name="HowStuffWorks.com">Brain, Marshall, and Dave Roos. "How Power Grids Work" 01 April 2000. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/power.htm> 25 January 2016.</ref> |
* The [[United States]] power grid is actually composed of three different grids, which are called [[interconnections]].<ref name="energy.gov">http://energy.gov/articles/top-9-things-you-didnt-know-about-americas-power-grid</ref> | * The [[United States]] power grid is actually composed of three different grids, which are called [[interconnections]].<ref name="energy.gov">http://energy.gov/articles/top-9-things-you-didnt-know-about-americas-power-grid</ref> | ||
| − | * Mailbox-sized monitoring devices called | + | * Mailbox-sized monitoring devices called synchrophasers are now used to monitor the health of the grid with detail never before available<ref name="energy.gov">http://energy.gov/articles/top-9-things-you-didnt-know-about-americas-power-grid</ref> |
==References== | ==References== | ||
Latest revision as of 06:16, March 27, 2024
An electrical grid is a network of interlocking power supply lines which carry electrical power from power generation plants and farms to customers.[1] This system is used so that the supply is somewhat decentralized. If one set of lines is damaged or overloads, the rest of the grid will ensure a reliable electrical supply to most other users.
History
At 3 o'clock in the afternoon on September 4, 1882, Thomas Edison started the first commercial power plant (designed to distribute power over a public grid) in lower Manhattan, called "The Pearl Street Station."[2]
Technical Details
- The U.S. electrical grid is composed of over 450,000 miles of high-voltage power lines[3] and over 160,000 miles of overhead transmission lines[1]
- The United States power grid is actually composed of three different grids, which are called interconnections.[3]
- Mailbox-sized monitoring devices called synchrophasers are now used to monitor the health of the grid with detail never before available[3]
References
- â 1.0 1.1 Brain, Marshall, and Dave Roos. "How Power Grids Work" 01 April 2000. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/power.htm> 15 December 2015. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "HowStuffWorks.com" defined multiple times with different content - â http://energy.gov/articles/top-9-things-you-didnt-know-about-americas-power-grid
- â 3.0 3.1 3.2 http://energy.gov/articles/top-9-things-you-didnt-know-about-americas-power-grid