My Second and Final Draft

Josiah Janyszek
Dr. Kerr
EN101-23
September 13, 2011

“The Process of Distributing and Using Electricity”

    Thales of Miletus discovered that amber attracted light objects whenever it was rubbed (“History of Electricity Use“). Amber is Greek for ‘elektron’ which is where the word ‘electricity’ derives from (“History of Electricity Use”). Electricity comes from atoms which are made up of protons, electrons, and neutrons (“Electricity Generation and Distribution). Protons and neutrons make up the nucleus (the center) of the atom while electrons orbit it (Electricity & Controls for HVAC/R). The valence electrons, the ones that occupy the outermost orbit of the atom, create electricity through a certain action or reaction (Electricity & Controls for HVAC/R). Electricity itself is the flow of electrons (Electricity & Controls for HVAC/R). Since electricity can not be stored, it is generated and distributed as soon as it is needed (“Electricity Distribution”). In order to get electricity to a person’s home, it must first be generated and then distributed through the distribution and transmission system (“Electrical Distribution System Overview“). The generation, distribution, transmission, and usage of electricity make up the process of distributing and using electricity.

    Electricity must be generated before it can be distributed and used. Electricity is generated at a power plant (“Electricity Generation and Distribution”). Generators use a wheel or different type of device to turn the shaft (the part of the generator that turns electromagnets inside of the electromagnetic coils) and armature (iron or steel bars which are laid across the poles of an electromagnet to produce electricity) inside of the generator (“Electricity Generation”). The amount of turns in the coils, the strength of the magnet, and the rate at which the magnet turns determines how much electricity is produced (“Electricity Generation and Distribution”). Generators used for creating electricity for a person’s home are connected to a steam-powered turbine which burn fossil fuels in order to produce steam (“Electric Generators and Backup Power”). Around seventy percent of electricity is produced by fossil fuels (“History of Electricity Use”). The electricity is distributed after it has been generated at the power plant.

    The distribution and transmission system is the next phase in the process of distributing and using electricity. Transformers are one of the most important parts of the grid (“Electrical Distribution System Overview”). Residential, commercial, and industrial facilities get their electricity through the distribution and transmission system (“Electrical Distribution System Overview”). The distribution of electricity is the local network to deliver the electricity to consumers while the transmission of electricity makes up the backbone of the grid (“Electricity Transmission and Distribution”). The electricity travels to a transformer, through the power lines, and to a substation (“Electric Generators and Backup Power”). At the substation, the voltage may need to be increased depending on the distance the electricity needs to travel and the amount that is desired (“Electricity Distribution”). The electricity travels the speed of light, allowing it to arrive at its destination almost as soon as it is produced, over heavy cables strung between tall towers (“Electricity Distribution”).  The voltage is then decreased at a transformer located at a substation near the final destination so the electricity can travel across smaller cables (“Electricity Distribution”).  The electricity travels through distribution lines to small transformers that are either located on top of poles or on the ground (“Electricity Distribution”).  These transformers decrease the voltage for consumers to use (“Electricity Distribution”). After the electricity has gone through the generation, distribution, and transmission process and the voltage has been decreased, the electricity is ready for use.

    Electricity is used in a home or other building after it has been generated and traveled through the distribution and transmission system. Around thirty percent of the fossil fuels used in U.S. homes is in the form of electricity, and seventy-five percent of the fossil fuel used is coal (“Electricity Use”). Most of the time people use electricity, they are most likely using coal as well (“Electricity Use”). Electricity has changed the way people live (“History of Electricity Use”). The usage of it has become the foundation of peoples’ way of life (“Electricity Use”). Using electricity has grown drastically over the past several decades (“U.S. Household Electricity Uses”).  Electricity can be used for many kitchen, laundry, and ventilation appliances (“U.S. Household Electricity Uses”). Lights, communication devices, computers, and other devices and machines rely on the use of electricity (“Electricity Use”). Electricity was soon used for telephones, radios, and televisions after Samuel Morse invented the telegraph in 1840 and about forty years later, electricity was also used for electric motors after Thomas Edison had used it for lights in 1880 (“History of Electricity Use”). Electricity is used almost everyday. As of a few surveys taken within the past few years, the U.S. ranks first place among other countries in the usage of electricity (“Electricity Consumption Statistics”).
    The process of distributing electricity starts with the electricity being generated and ends once the electricity has been used at its destination. Lives have been made much easier because of the process of distributing electricity. If it were not for the whole process of distributing and using electricity, people could not live the way they do today.

Works Cited

Electricity & Controls for HVAC/R
“Electricity Consumption Statistics”                <http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/ene_ele_con-energy-electricity-consumption>.
“Electricity Distribution”                         <http://www.eei.org/ourissues/electricitydistribution/Pages/default.aspx>.
“Electrical Distribution System Overview”            <http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/intro/power.htm>.
“Electricity Generation”                                             <http://www.electricityforum.com/electricity-generation.html>.
“Electric Generators and Backup Power”                                      <http://www.generators.smps.us/>.
“Electricity Generation and Distribution”                                          <http://www.pge.com/microsite/pge_dgz/more/electricity_gen.html>.       
“Electricity Transmission and Distribution”                      <http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/emerging-technologies/technology-directory/pages/electricity-transmission-distribution.aspx>.
“Electricity Use”                    <http://www.bydesign.com/fossilfuels/links/html/electricity/electric_use.html>.
“History of Electricity Use”                            <http://www.bydesign.com/fossilfuels/links/html/electricity/electric_history.html>.
“U.S. Household Electricity Uses”                        <http://www.eia.gov/emeu/reps/enduse/er01_us.html>.