Electrical Power sector
Contents
1- Introduction
1- Generation
2- Transmission
3- Distribution
1-Introduction
The electric power sector is a vital component of modern society, providing the energy necessary to power homes, businesses, and industries. There are three main stages that electric energy goes through in order to reach your home, each stage differing from the others in voltage value and the process that occurs:
1- Electricity Generation
2- Electricity Transmission
3- Electricity Distribution and Sale
1-Generation
Electricity generation is the first stage in extracting electrical energy, and essentially, generation facilities are called Power Stations or Power Plants.
There are two processes that occur in power generation:
1- Electricity generation
In these stations, energy is converted from one form to another to obtain electrical energy. Most of these stations contain generators. In most stations, the generators are connected to turbines with the aim of converting kinetic energy into electrical energy. Nowadays, with the advancement of industry, electricity is generated by other methods without generators, through renewable energy and nuclear power.
These stations are typically measured by the electrical power output, and their capacity is calculated in watts. At this stage, the type of electricity is determined, usually alternating current (AC), with a frequency of either 60 or 50 hertz depending on the country’s system.
2- Voltage Conversion:
The voltage is then converted to a higher voltage through voltage step-up transformers to reduce the current, enabling the use of cables with smaller cross-sectional areas for transmission through the substation.
2-Transmission
After the generation process, typically located outside urban areas, electricity exits through high-voltage cables to the transmission stage.
During transmission, there are two processes:
1- Electricity Transmission:
In this process, cables carrying electricity are transported from power generation stations, typically located outside cities, to urban areas.
High-voltage cables are carried on towers called transmission lines, which are the same as those seen outside cities. These cables have specific specifications, including insulation and appropriate cross-sectional area. There are three sets of cables, each representing one phase.
2- Voltage Conversion:
High-voltage cables are received at the outskirts of cities by substations. These substations contain transformers to lower the voltage (opposite to those found in the generation stage). Additionally, the function of these substations is to connect the electrical network with other stations through large circuit breakers, in addition to protecting them. Control, monitoring, and protection of these substations are also carried out through switchgear, which is also present inside the substations. These substations are located within neighborhoods as well as at the outskirts of cities.
The voltage of the electricity is high before this stage and becomes medium after conversion. Cables branch out from these substations for the distribution stage, either underground or overhead.
3-Distribution
This stage begins with the electricity entering the city, where two processes occur:
1- Voltage Conversion:
These transformers receive cables from the substations in the transmission stage to distribute them to consumers. The cables are typically underground. Voltage conversion is carried out by smaller transformers called substations, which reduce the voltage from medium to low, the same voltage used in households, usually (220/110 V). These substations are more widely spread within neighborhoods than the larger substations. Multiple cables branch out from these transformers and distribute to consumers, with one phase for each consumer.
2- Distribution to Consumers:
After that, distribution to consumers occurs either through underground or overhead cables. The cables reach consumers from the transformers and end with meters to measure electricity consumption.
When you connect any electrical device to an outlet, it draws electric current, and then the consumed energy is measured by the meters.
There are three types of consumers, and the pricing and metering vary according to the type:
1- Residential 2- Commercial 3- Industrial
Meter pricing varies for each of these three types due to higher energy consumption for commercial and industrial consumers. Additionally, commercial or industrial consumers may be connected to one or more transformers depending on the load.
Electricity companies provide network protection through protective devices and the protection of surrounding elements, increasing the reliability of the company by diversifying electricity sources and connecting the network so that electricity does not stop for consumers even if there is a problem in the network.
Portals
