The life of a modern person is organized in such a way that its infrastructure support involves many components with different technical and functional properties. These include electricity. An ordinary consumer does not see and does not feel exactly how it performs its tasks, but the end result is quite noticeable in the work of household appliances, and not only. At the same time, questions regarding where electricity comes from remain unsolved in the minds of many users of the same household appliances. 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 quite understandable, since energy cannot be described as an ordinary object or phenomenon accessible to visual perception. At the same time, 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 considered as a product generatedsubstations. From this point of view, the elements that are directly involved in the process of formation and transmission of current are also important. That is, in this case, we consider an energy field created around a conductor or other charged body. To bring this understanding of energy closer to real observation, one must deal with the following question: where does electricity come from? There are different technical means for the production of current, and all of them are subordinated to one task - the supply of end consumers. However, before the moment when users can provide their devices with energy, it must go through several stages.
Electricity generation
Today, about 10 types of stations are used in the energy sector, which provide electricity generation. This is a process, as a result of which a certain type of energy is converted into a current charge. In other words, electricity is generated 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. When answering the question of where electricity comes from, it is worth noting the infrastructure that each substation is provided with. Any power generator is provided with a complex system of functional nodes and networks that allow you to accumulate the generated energy and prepare it for further transmission to distribution nodes.
Conventional power plants
Although in recent years, trends in the energy sector have been changing rapidly, it is possible to single out the main types of power plants operating according to classical principles. First of all, these are thermal generation facilities. The development of the resource is carried out as a result of the combustion of organic fuel and the subsequent conversion of the released thermal energy. At the same time, there are different types of such stations, including heating and condensing. 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 electricity comes from, one can also note stations that simultaneously produce other types of energy. In addition to thermal generation facilities, hydro and nuclear power stations are quite common. In the first case, the transformation of energy from the movement of water is assumed, and in the second - as a result of the fission of atoms in special reactors.
Alternative energy sources
This category of energy sources usually includes solar rays, wind, subsoil, etc. Especially common are various generators focused on the accumulation and conversion of solar energy into electricity. Such installations are attractive in that they can be used by any consumer in the volumes required to supply his home. However, the high cost of equipment, as well as nuances in operation, due to the dependence of working photocells onlight intensity.
At the level of large energy companies, wind alternative sources of electricity are actively developing. Already today, a number of countries are using programs for the gradual transition to this type of energy supply. However, there are some obstacles in this direction, due to the low power of generators at a high cost. A relatively new alternative energy source is the natural heat of the Earth. In this case, the stations convert the thermal energy received from the depths of underground channels.
Power distribution
After the generation of electricity, the stage of its transmission and distribution begins, which is provided by energy sales companies. Resource providers organize the appropriate infrastructure, which is based on electrical networks. There are two types of channels through which electricity is transmitted - overhead and underground cable lines. These networks are the ultimate source and the main answer to the question of where electricity comes from for various needs of users. Supplier organizations are laying special routes for organizing network distribution of electricity, using different types of cables.
Electricity consumers
Electricity is required for a variety of tasks in both domestic and industrial sectors. A classic example of the use of this energy carrier is lighting. Today, however, the electricity in the home serves to power more thana wide range of instruments and equipment. And this is only a small part of society's energy needs.
This resource is also required to maintain the transport infrastructure: to maintain trolleybus lines, trams and metro, etc. Separately, it is worth noting industrial enterprises. Factories, combines 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.
Management of electric power facilities
In addition to the organization of the power grid, which technically provides the possibility of transmission and distribution of energy for end consumers, the operation of this complex is impossible without control systems. To implement these tasks, suppliers use operational dispatch centers, whose employees implement centralized control and management of the operation of the power industry facilities entrusted to them. In particular, such services control the parameters of networks to which consumers of electricity are connected at different levels. Separately, it is worth noting the departments of dispatch centers that perform maintenance of networks, preventing wear and tear and restoring damage to certain sections of lines.
Conclusion
During its existence, the energy industry has undergone several stages of its development. Recentlythere are new changes due to the active development of alternative energy sources. The successful development of these areas already today makes it possible to use electricity in the house, received from individual household generators, regardless of the central networks. However, there are certain difficulties in these sectors. 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 advancement of these areas remain relevant for different categories of consumers.
