How does electricity get to our homes?, | What is electrical current?, | What is a substation?, ....

How does electricity get to our homes?

How does electricity get to our homes 

Electricity plants convert the energy from the raw materials of the earth into electrical current.This is done with the help of huge generators,which are driven by water,steam,or wind.Electricity is then distributed at a high voltage through cables laid in the ground or through overhead lines,on which often birds sit in swarms.Substations then produce electricity,which finally comes out of the sockets in our homes:230 volts alternating current.However,many devices,such as computers,need direct current.Fuses protect us and our property from damages.

How does electricity get to our homes

What is electrical current?

By current we mean the flow of negative charge,i.e.,the floe of electrons.Metals have lots of electrons.Hence,current flows in them,and they are good conductors.Substances such as air and glass are bad conductors.We need a source of power,such as a battery,to bring the electrons in motion so that a bulb can start glowing.The battery has a positive(+)and a negative(-)terminal.There are a lot of electrons from the negative terminal and only a few at the positive one.The flow of electrons from

the negative terminal to the positive terminal is the current.It is measured in amperes (A).The greater the difference in charges between the two terminals,the stronger will be the flow of the current.This difference is known as the electrical voltage.It is measured in volts(V).

What is a substation?

European sockets provide electric current at 230 volts.Since,this voltage do not suffice to cover the large distance from the power plant to our homes,it is raised in the power plants with the help of transformers up to 380,000 volts.Locally,large substations or small 'transformer houses' transform the voltage to 230 volts.A transformer is like an electromagnet.The incoming  high-voltage electric current generates a magnetic field in the coil.This permeates the neighbouring coil in the second electric circuit and generates a lower voltage:230 volt  

How does electricity get to our homes