PG 101

Timlynn Babitsky | Issues: Strategies & Tactics,Power Grid Problems | Sunday, April 13th, 2008

by Timlynn Babitsky
If your project is a large community wind project, a small to medium wind farm, or even a single turbine you want to connect back into the power grid, you may run into the Power Grid Debate. The national power transmission system is old, vulnerable, and inadequate. But will your project have any impact on the transmission grid where you aim to be connected?

How much do you really know about the transmission grid and how it works?

As a child, digging out information on How Stuff Works meant endless hours at the library. Today, the How Stuff Works website and Discovery Channel’s How It’s Made TV program are excellent sources for background information.

How Power Grids Work by Marshall Brain on the How Stuff Works website is a really good first source for transmission grid information. The reader-friendly descriptions give you a good overview of a transmission system. With photos, diagrams, charts, etc., this article covers the key elements of the power grid: power plant; electric current; substations; distribution grid and bus; regulator banks; taps; safety devices; fuses and circuit breakers at the house; and more.

Although this article should not be your only source for understanding the Power Grid issue, it is a good place to start.

One of the key steps in your project success is to Do Your Homework! ….. before you HAVE to!

 

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