Electric power transmission

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Blog - Power Line

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Electric power transmission is one process in the delivery of electricity to consumers. It refers to the 'bulk' transfer of electrical power from place to place. Typically power transmission is between the power plant and a substation in the vicinity of a populated area. This is distinct from electricity distribution which is concerned with the delivery from the substation to the consumers. Due to the large amount of power involved, transmission normally takes place at high voltage (110 kV or above). Electricity is usually sent over long distance through overhead power transmission lines (such as those in the photo on the right). Rarely is power transmitted underground, due to the high capacitive and resistive losses incurred.

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Electricity - Power plant - Substation - Electricity distribution

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A power transmission system is sometimes refered to colloquially as a "grid". However, for reasons of economy, the network is rarely a grid (a fully connected network) in the mathematical sense. Redundant paths and lines are provided so that power can be routed from any power plant to any load center, through a variety of routes, based on the economics of the transmission path and the cost of power. Much analysis is done by transmission companies to determine the maximum reliable capacity of each line, which, due to system stability considerations, may be less than the physical limit of the line. Deregulation of electricity companies in many countries has lead to renewed interest in reliable economic design of transmission networks. The separation of transmission and generation functions is one of the factors that contributed to the 2003 North America blackout.

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Fully connected network - Redundant - Deregulation - 2003 North America blackout

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