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Electric Grid 101
By: Steve Sokolowski, Marketing Associate
Email: ssokolowski@sussexrec.com
Electricity plays a vital part in our daily lives. It can be hard to imagine what life was like for those who lived in our area before Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative was formed in 1937 to bring power to our community. Today, we depend on it for essentials like light, heating, cooling, and refrigeration, for entertainment like gaming or streaming movies or TV shows, and for powering the modern necessities that keep us connected to the rest of the world.
Our access to electricity at the flip of a switch is thanks to the hard work and vision of thousands of people who worked to build the modern electric grid and those who now work behind the scenes to keep it running.
Beginner’s Guide to the Electric Grid
The local system that delivers power throughout Sussex REC’s service territory is just a small part of a much larger, even more complex system that interconnects homes and businesses throughout the United States. The US electric grid is composed of three main grids: the Eastern Interconnection (which Sussex REC’s system is a part of), the Western Interconnection, and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. These grids operate independently but are interlinked so power can flow through each as needed. Hundreds of independent utilities, many of them co-ops like Sussex REC, own and maintain their own systems within each of these grids.
A major complexity that affects the grid is supply and demand for power. Demand for electricity can vary greatly depending on time of day, outside temperature, and weather. Electric providers must plan for these swings and either produce or purchase enough electricity so it’s available exactly when it’s needed. Regional transmission organizations help make sure the system stays balanced and can adjust in real time to meet these challenges.
Where Your Power Comes From
The electric grid exists to bring power from its source to the homes and businesses of those who will use it. Power plants come in many different shapes and sizes, though they are always the source that the electric grid takes power from to deliver to consumers. Utilities either have deals with or ownership of power plants and secure energy to provide to the people on their lines. That power can come from nuclear energy, fossil fuels like natural gas or coal, or renewable sources like hydropower, solar, or wind.
From the power plant, electricity is stepped up by a “step-up transformer,” which increases voltage to help it travel over long distances. It moves through high-voltage transmission lines which are held up by the massive towers you’d see along a major highway. This is the “generation and transmission” phase, which occurs before electricity reaches the distribution system where it will be used (for example, Sussex REC’s local system). Along the way, it will typically be stepped down by a transmission substation before it nears its destination.
Power is stepped down again at a distribution substation to lower voltage to safe levels for lower-voltage lines. These distribution power lines are the ones you’d see along local roads, typically strung on wooden poles. Electric distribution lines exist at the top of the pole, sometimes placed over lines for cable, telephone, and internet services. Distribution lines carry electricity to homes, schools, and businesses and step down power one final time through a transformer (either pole-mounted or ground-mounted). This makes sure the electricity is safe to use for each and every one of your everyday tasks.
![HOW ELECTRICITY GETS TO YOU. Step 1: Generation. Electricity is generated from various sources. Step 2: Step-Up Transformer. Voltage is increased to push the electricity over long distances. Step 3: Transmission Power Lines. Lines carry electricity over long distances. Step 4: Transmission Substation. Voltage is lowered so electricity can travel across the local system. Step 5: Distribution Substation. Voltage is lowered further for safe distribution. Step 6: Distribution Power Lines. Electricity travels across these lines in your community. Step 7: Final Stop. A transformer reduces voltage a final time, and electricity is sent to your home.](http://sussexrec.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/How%20Electricity%20Gets%20To%20You%20graphic.png)
Ensuring Reliable Power
An important facet of the planning that goes into the electric grid is ensuring reliability for consumers. One way that utilities do this is to make sure that they are receiving power from multiple sources. This way, if one is for some reason unavailable, they still have access to electricity through another source.
Sussex REC’s power comes from a variety of sources, managed through our generation & transmission partner Allegheny Electric Cooperative. Our current power mix is made up of approximately 54% nuclear power from the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station. 9% is hydropower from the Raystown Hydroelectric Plant and the Niagara Power Project. We purchase the rest of our power on the open market from various power sources. Overall, our power mix is approximately 80% carbon free.
Technology also plays a big part in reliability. For example, we use Automatic Metering Infrastructure to receive data over our power lines from our members’ meters. This data helps us see usage trends and detect potential service problems. Our outage monitoring system also allows us the ability to remotely monitor outage situations and, using new software, it can also automatically perform switching as needed to redirect power to areas affected by an outage while our crews work on making repairs.
And of course, trees are a major part of the equation for any utility that serves an area like ours. Our vegetation management program targets trees that could pose potential threats to the flow of power in our system. You can read more about these efforts in this issue’s main article. The costs associated with securing the right type of equipment, software, and manpower needed to manage our electric grid are funded through the System Connection Fee which you’ll see on your monthly bill. All of this is critical in making sure power can flow where it’s needed reliably and safely.
For more information on how Sussex REC brings your power to you, check out our animated Watts It About video!
![Image of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C. Text reads: Currents - The quarterly newsletter of Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative | 64 County Route 639, Sussex, NJ 07461 | Website: www.sussexrec.com | Email: currents@sussexrec.com | Phone 973-875-5101 | Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative: President & CEO - Chris Reese; Our Board of Directors: Chairman - Jack Haggerty, Jr., Vice Chariman - William Kovach, Sec./Treasurer - Ronald Dupont, Thomas Madsen, Barbara Miller, Brad Sparta, Joseph Barca, Michael Abate, Karen McDougal](http://sussexrec.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/FDR%20Board%20Bumper.png)
![WHY DOES YOUR POWER PROVIDER TRIM TREES? Although most trees do not present a problem, some of them grow into or crowd power lines, poles or other utility equipment and cause service issues. Unruly and overgrown trees can: -Cause outages. -Create fire hazards. -Break off and land on power lines. -Cause lights to flicker during high winds. -Get weighed down with ice and cause issues. Proper pruning techniques are used to preserve tree health, although sometimes a tree must be removed. This is a last resort, but it can be necessary if there are: -Fast-growing trees directly under power lines. -Trees that are leaning into lines. -Trees that are declining, cracked, or split. Unobstructed power lines make it easier and safer for utility crews to repair or service lines.](http://sussexrec.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Why%20Does%20Your%20Power%20Provider%20Trim%20Trees.png)
![TAKE YOUR SEAT AT THE TABLE. Make Your Voice Heard! As part of a member-owned rural electric cooperative, your voice matters! Our Member Advisory Committee (MAC) meets twice yearly with co-op leadership to learn about our operations and provide feedback from the member's perspective. We are currently looking for new volunteers to join this committee. Sign Up Today: sussexrec.com/mac](http://sussexrec.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/MAC%20Image%20Larger_0.png)
![MEDICAL ALERT PROGRAM. Do you rely on electric-powered medical equipment? Enroll in our Medical Alert Program to receive advance notice of planned outages. www.sussexrec.com/medalert](http://sussexrec.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Medical%20Alert%202_0.png)