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An '''electrical grid''' is a network of interlocking power supply lines which carry electrical power from power generation plants and farms to customers.<ref>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.</ref>
An '''electrical grid''' is a network of interlocking power supply lines which carry electrical power from power generation plants and farms to customers.<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> 15 December 2015.</ref> 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 4th, 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>
==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 over160,000 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>
* 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==
{{reflist}}
[[category:Electrical Engineering]]