What is Electricity

People use electricity every day — to charge phones, to power computers, to turn on lights, to cook dinner, and to brew that morning cup of coffee.

Electricity is the flow of electrical charge. Homes, buildings, and businesses get electricity through an interconnected system that generates, transmits, and distributes electricity – also called the grid.

Generation

Electricity is produced when certain forces (mechanical, magnetic, heat, or light) interact with energy resources — sunlight, wind, water, natural gas, coal, oil, nuclear. Various processes convert the potential energy from these resources to electric current, which is the movement of charged particles.

Transmission

Electric current then moves to an interconnected group of power lines and other equipment. These lines move electricity from its source, often transmitting high voltage electric current across great distances.

Distribution

Devices called transformers then reduce the voltage of the electricity and move it to another set of lines and equipment that connect directly to the homes and businesses in your community.