Have you heard of “Power Grid” or know where and how electricity comes from? This article explains the basic idea of how electricity is distributed and delivered from power plants to households, buildings, factories, and etc… through “Power Grid“.
System Overview
The 'Power Grid’ contains two-step processes called “power transmission” and “power supply”. Power transmission is the first process in the power grid where electricity from various types of power plants to substations. The voltage of electricity generated at power plants is too high to consume at regular housing or business buildings. Therefore they transmit to substations and reduce the voltage of electricity. Then, shift to the next process is “power distribution”, which connects substations and consumers by electrical wires and sends the electricity.
Substation
Substations play the most important role in the power grid because they connect the processes of power transmission and supply. Firstly, the electricity generated at the power plant is sent to substations. There are different types of power plants such as natural gas power, wind power, and photovoltaic power stations. Generally, large power plant systems are placed in rural areas, therefore the energy needs to be delivered to places where the electricity is consumed. As it travels the long distance, we keep the voltage high and use big wires and keep them very high in the air so that nothing touches the high voltage wire. We may have seen those electricity tower out side of urban area. Carrying high-voltage electricity at once has a high risk of causing accidents as it gets closer to urban area. For that reason, the substations are stepping down the voltage a few times in a few different substations. Then the electricity can finally be supplied to consumers.
Power Station to Consumer Connection
The power grid can be compared to a marketplace for electricity. In this analogy, power stations are the sellers, substations are the distribution centers, and consumers are the buyers. This helps explain how electricity flows from its generation point at power stations, through substations, and finally to end users like households and businesses. We will explain more about the actual electricity market, where generators sell electricity to wholesalers or retailers, in another article.
Grid Balancing
Let’s look at the basic rule of electricity, called “Grid Balancing”. Grid balancing plays an important role in energy supply and demand. The nature of grid balancing does not allow us to store electricity, which means the electricity we are using right now was provided by a power plant just a second ago. The power grid system works by precise management and control by Transmission System Operators (TSO). TSOs are predicting the amount of electricity that can be used and adjusting supply and demand exactly to generate power at power plants. However, this role of grid balancing is facing a wave of change, due to the increasing amount of renewable energy especially solar and wind.
Challenges with Renewable Energy
While renewable energy sources like solar and wind are environmentally friendly, they present challenges for maintaining grid balance. Unlike traditional power plants, which can generate electricity on demand, renewable energy sources are dependent on weather conditions and time of day. This variability can lead to mismatches between supply and demand. For example, solar panels produce electricity during the day, but peak electricity use often occurs in the evening. If too much electricity is generated when demand is low, or too little when demand is high, it can destabilize the grid and lead to power shortages. To address these challenges, engineers are developing energy storage systems, such as batteries, that can store excess electricity generated during peak production times and release it when demand is high. Additionally, advanced technologies and grid management strategies are being implemented to improve the stability and reliability of renewable energy integration into the power grid. These innovations help ensure a consistent and balanced electricity supply despite the variability of renewable energy sources.
Tensor Energy
At Tensor Energy, we develop advanced technologies to help electricity generators use the power grid more efficiently. Our cloud platform leverages AI and machine learning to optimize grid operations and integrate renewable energy sources seamlessly. By enhancing grid efficiency, we contribute to a more sustainable and reliable electricity supply. Understanding the basics of the power grid and the challenges of integrating renewable energy highlights the importance of innovative solutions. These solutions, like those provided by Tensor Energy, are essential for ensuring a stable and sustainable energy future.
