Power plants burn oil, coal or natural gas to create steam. The steam spins a turbine attached to a huge magnet which creates an electric current.
In hydro-electric plants or wind farms, water and wind are used to spin the turbine. Solar thermal plants use the sun to heat liquid that turns into a gas to spin the turbine.
The electricity produced is then sent to large transformers which increase the voltage. This makes the current strong enough to be sent long distances.
ActewAGL sources its energy from both renewable and non-renewable power plants.
High voltage transmission lines send the electricity through a network of lines known as the electricity grid. The voltage on these lines is between 132,000 and 500,000 volts/v (132–500 kilovolts/kV).
When it reaches the large sub-stations, the voltage is lowered for transmission through smaller power lines to the distribution networks of the electricity suppliers.
From the suppliers’ sub-stations and zone sub-stations, the electricity goes to kiosk sub-stations or power pole transformers where the voltage is lowered again for safe household use to 240v.
For commercial buildings with sub-stations onsite, the voltage is lowered to an appropriate level for that site.
Electricity is delivered to your home or business via overhead or underground cables to your meter box.
It is your responsibility to keep powerlines around your home clear of trees and other obstructions. From the meter box the electricity passes through fuses or circuit breakers to travel on smaller wires your electrician has installed throughout your house in different circuits. These circuits travel to the various switches and powerpoints in your house. Learn more about electricity circuits in your home.
The meter measures your electricity use in kilowatt hours (kWh). This means the number of 240v units that you use over the period of an hour. Learn more about how to read your electricity meter.