THE CLIMATE REALITY PROJECT
Every day, we flip switches, plug into outlets, and maybe even charge our electric cars. But how does electricity get from power plants to powering our lives? This infographic makes it simple.
In short, our electricity is delivered from suppliers to consumers through a complex electrical grid — from generation, to transmission, to distribution, to powering our homes and businesses. But it’s a little more complicated than that. The US actually has three grids (often called “interconnections”): The Eastern Grid, the Western Grid and the Texas (ERCOT) Grid, with the Eastern being the largest. They are all connected, though they operate independently.
With more than 450,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines (not including distribution lines), the US electricity grid is clearly a behemoth. But how many times have you really given a thought to this huge, incredible network that generates electricity, carries it miles and miles, and powers our Netflix binges, our holiday lights, and our refrigerators? Here’s the breakdown, from the Energy Department:
View full version (climaterealityproject.org): Here’s How the Grid Works
About the Climate Reality Project
www.climaterealityproject.org
Our mission is to catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every level of society.Today, climate change is standing in the way of a healthy tomorrow for all of us. But at Climate Reality, we know that practical solutions are right in front of us. We can create a healthy, sustainable, and prosperous future by making a planet-wide shift from dirty fossil fuels to clean, reliable, and affordable renewable energy.
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