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Where does power come from?

Harnessing the energy of a fuel, turning it into electricity, and getting it into your home is a very technical and detailed process. No wonder it took humans thousands of years to invent today's power systems!

To understand where your power comes from, we've broken the energy "supply chain" down into its basic steps. Click here to begin, and go to the first step!

Fast Facts

Transmission towers are the large electricity structures you often see outside cities and towns.
Energy companies can pay electricity generators up to $10,000 a megawatt hour during times of peak demand.
Electricity is a secondary energy source produced by converting other energy sources like the chemical energy in coal and gas.
Households pay a fixed price to energy companies for power, which protects us from sudden price changes on hot days.
The distribution network is made up of the poles and wires you see in cities and towns.
Power generation stations make power, which is then taken to customers on the transmission and distribution networks.
Retailers are the companies that sell electricity to the end customer, such as a household or business.