Take a look at the Smart Grid Infographic and start exploring the shift! Today, national, state and local governments working with utility companies are renovating our electrical grids into ‘smart grids’. Thomas Edison turned on the first power plant, the Pearl Street Station, in 1882 in New York City. After traveling along power lines, electricity enters a power substation, where the energy is converted to lower voltages and distributed to homes and businesses. From there, electricity travels to a transmission substation, which prepares the energy to travel long distances by increasing its voltage. The process begins at a local power plant, where energy is captured from burning fossil fuels, or generated from renewable sources such as wind or solar. So where does our energy originate? The system that brings energy from the power plant to a home or business is the electrical grid.

Unfortunately, having electricity at the push of a button makes some of us forget what it takes to get it there.

Since Thomas Edison turned on the first power plant, the Pearl Street Station, in 1882 in New York City, the modern world has abundant and instantaneous access to electricity. Pretty amazing, huh? We used to have to make a fire, light an oil torch, or burn a candle to see and keep warm. Flip on the nearest light switch any room.

Us power grids map