Source:
https://www.cfact.org/2021/01/27/the-grid-everyone-knows-the-word-few-understand-it/
"In 1935, only 25 percent of rural homes in the United States had electricity, and there are people alive today who grew up without it.
... the system that Generates, Distributes and Controls the electricity that flows across he United States ... is referred to as the grid, which is actually three grids covering the entire lower 48 states.
... these grids have worked remarkably well.
... The three actual grids that stretch across the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean are the Eastern, Western and theTexas grid.
... While wind and solar power are popping up every where, so far they have added nothing to our available electricity as they must be backed up 100% with fossil fuel to take over for their unreliability.
Capacity Factor ... is determined by calculating the amount of electricity a power plant actually produces over a year, divided by the amount the unit could theoretically produce based on its nameplate rating.
For the primary types of energy sources we use they are 91% for nuclear, 87% for combined cycle natural gas (uses a second turbine to extract heat from waste gas), 85% for coal, 34% for onshore wind, 12 to 25% for solar.
Power transformers are used to raise the voltage of the electricity to as high as 800,000 volts.
This creates a large enough gradient to allow the electricity to move very long distances.
Without such high voltages losses in power to the end users would be very large.
Then it is reduced to 60,00 volts for sub-transmission with in the areas it is to be used.
Most AC (alternating current used in your home) is transmitted through overhead lines because of the very high costs of placing high voltage lines underground.
... Transformers in substations lowers the voltage to between 4,000 and 13,000 for distribution within the local areas.
Distribution transformers are usually found on telephone poles or in small boxes behind homes.
They lower the voltage to 120 and 240 single phase for homes.
... circuit breakers are needed, to interrupt the flow when a problem occurs.
In your home, fuses serve that purpose.
The whole system must be maintained within certain limits for which capacitors are used to store extra power.
Reclosers are mounted along distribution lines to restore the flow of electricity when momentary short circuits occur."