Provo City

Transmission


In the diagram below you can see how electricity makes its trip from the power plant to your home or business. Once produced, electricity leaves the power plant through power lines and goes through a transformer which increases or decreases the voltage of power. This first transformer increases the voltage ("electrical pressure") of the electricity and decreases the current ("electrical flow"). The voltage and current are changed this way so that less electricity is lost in the form of heat in the transmission lines. After going through the transmission lines, the voltage is lowered and the current is increased to levels that are closer to how you would use electricity in a home or business. Then the electricity goes through a distribution system which can be above the ground on poles or even underground. Before you can use it at your home or business, the electricity goes through one more transformer to decrease the voltage and increase the current. Power lines from here bring electricity to your building and through a meter which reads how much electricity you use. When you turn on your lights or appliances, you allow the electricity to flow through your meter.