The life of a modern person is organized in such a way that its infrastructural support involves many components with different technical and functional properties. This includes electricity. An ordinary consumer does not see and does not feel how she performs her tasks, but the end result is quite noticeable in the work of household appliances, and not only. At the same time, questions regarding where the electricity comes from, in the view of many users of the same home appliances, remain unresolved. To expand knowledge in this area, it is worth starting with the concept of electricity as such.
What is electricity?
The complexity of this concept is understandable, since energy cannot be designated as an ordinary object or phenomenon accessible to visual perception. There are two approaches to answering the question of what electricity is. The definition of scientists says that electricity is a stream of charged particles, which is characterized by directional movement. As a rule, particles are understood as electrons.
In the energy industry itself, electricity is more often viewed as a product produced by substations. From this point of view, the elements that are directly involved in the formation and transmission of current are also important. That is, in this case, we consider the energy field created around a conductor or other charged body. In order to bring this understanding of energy closer to real observation, one should deal with the following question: where does the electricity come from? There are different technical means for producing current, and all of them are subordinate to one task - supplying end consumers. However, until the moment when users can provide their devices with energy, it must go through several stages.
Electricity generation
To date, in the energy sector, about 10 types of stations are used that provide electricity generation. This is a process that results in the conversion of a certain type of energy into a current charge. In other words, electricity is formed during the processing of other energy. In particular, at specialized substations, thermal, wind, tidal, geothermal and other types of energy are used as the main working resource . Answering the question regarding where the electricity comes from, it is worth noting the infrastructure that each substation is provided with. Any electric generator is provided with a complex system of functional units and networks, which allow accumulating the generated energy and preparing it for further transmission to distribution units.
Traditional power plants
Although energy trends have been changing rapidly in recent years, the main types of power plants operating according to classical principles can be distinguished. First of all, these are thermal generation facilities. The resource is produced as a result of the combustion of fossil fuels and the subsequent conversion of the released thermal energy. Moreover, there are different types of such stations, including cogeneration and condensation ones. The main difference between them is the ability of objects of the second type to also generate heat fluxes. That is, when answering the question of where the electricity comes from, one can also note stations that simultaneously produce other types of energy. In addition to thermal generation facilities, hydro and nuclear plants are quite common. In the first case, it is assumed that energy is converted from the movement of water, and in the second - as a result of fission of atoms in special reactors.
Alternative energy sources
It is customary to include sun rays, wind, earth bowels, etc. in this category of energy sources. Various generators that focus on the accumulation and conversion of solar energy into electricity are especially common. Such installations are attractive in that they can be used by any consumer in the volumes required to supply his home. However, the widespread occurrence of such generators is hindered by the high cost of equipment, as well as the nuances in operation, due to the dependence of the working photocells on the light intensity.
At the level of large energy companies, wind alternative energy sources are actively developing. Already today, a number of countries are using gradual transition programs to this type of energy supply. However, in this direction there are obstacles due to the low power of the generators at a high cost. A relatively new alternative source of energy is the natural heat of the Earth. In this case, the stations convert the thermal energy received from the depths of the underground channels.
Power distribution
After the generation of electricity, the stage of its transmission and distribution begins, which is provided by energy retail companies. Resource providers organize the appropriate infrastructure, which is based on electrical networks. There are two types of channels through which the transmission of electricity is realized - overhead and underground cable lines. These networks are the ultimate source and the main answer to the question of where the electricity comes from for different user needs. Supplier organizations pave special routes for organizing network distribution of electricity, using different types of cables.
Electricity consumers
Electricity is required for a wide variety of tasks, both in the household and in the industrial sector. A classic example of the use of this energy carrier is lighting. However, today the electricity in the house serves to ensure the operation of a wider range of instruments and equipment. And this is only a small part of the society’s energy needs.
This resource is also required to maintain the operation of the transport infrastructure: to service the lines of trolleybuses, trams and the metro, etc. Industrial enterprises should be noted separately. Factories, plants and processing complexes often require the connection of huge capacities. We can say that these are the largest consumers of electricity using this resource to ensure the operation of technological equipment and local infrastructure.
Electricity facilities management
In addition to organizing an electric grid economy, which technically provides the ability to transfer and distribute energy to end users, the operation of this complex is impossible without control systems. To implement these tasks, suppliers use operational dispatch points, whose employees implement centralized control and management of the work of the electric power facilities entrusted to them. In particular, such services control the parameters of networks to which electricity consumers are connected at different levels. Separately, it is worth noting the departments of control centers that perform network maintenance, preventing wear and repair damage on certain sections of the lines.
Conclusion
Over the entire period of its existence, the energy industry has undergone several stages of its development. Recently, new changes have been observed due to the active development of alternative energy sources. The successful development of these areas today makes it possible to use electricity in the house, obtained from individual household generators, regardless of central networks. However, in these industries there are certain difficulties. First of all, they are associated with financial costs for the purchase and installation of appropriate equipment - the same solar panels with batteries. But since the energy generated from alternative sources is completely free, the prospects for further promotion of these areas remain relevant for different categories of consumers.