It’s easy to take power grids for granted because they generally operate without much fanfare.
But in the beginning there is much fanfare that involves design, construction and installation of machines and infrastructure. And, while power grids may look staid and uninspiring to the average person, maintenance and engineering continues long after the grid is built.
This is why anyone studying power systems must have a thorough understanding of the basic concept of an electric power system, which can be broadly defined as a network of pieces that combine to process and distribute electrical power.
An electrical grid is an interconnected network for delivering electricity from producers to consumers. It consists of generating stations that produce electrical power, high voltage transmission lines that carry power from distant sources to demand centers, and distribution lines that connect individual customers.
It all starts with the power plant, which is generally located away from areas with dense populations. According to the Washington Post, the breakdown of power plant fuel sources looks like this:
- Natural Gas-Powered Electric Plants – Natural gas has moved past coal as the most common fuels source for U.S. power stations. There are 1,793natural gas-powered electricity plants in the United States. They generated 34 percent of the nation’s electricity last year. This fuel is the primary source of electricity generation in 19 states and provides at least 50 percent of the electricity in nine states.
- Coal – Despite advances in carbon zero facilities, coal still generates 30 percent of the U.S. electricity. There are 400 coal-powered electric plants in the U.S.
- Nuclear – New nuclear plants are coming online after a decades-old moratorium. This of course is a major concern to cybersecurity professionals. There are 61nuclear electric plants in the United States, which generate 20 percent of the nation’s electricity.
- Hydro — There are 1,444hydroelectric plants in the United States generating 7 percent of the nation’s electricity last year.Washington, Oregon, Vermont and Idaho lead the nation in power from hydroelectric plants, getting between 56 percent and 68 percent of their electricity from them.
- Wind – Wind is the fastest-growing power source, finding a home in the Great Plains, where wind blows reliably across wide open There are 999wind-powered electric plants in the United States. They generated 6 percent of the nation’s electricity last year.
- Solar – This is still primarily a sunbelt state power source. Solar power is predominantly used in the Southwest, where the sun shines the most. California gets almost 10 percent of its electricity from solar, and Nevada gets more than 6 percent. Vermont and Arizona follow with 4 percent each. There are 1,721solar-powered electric plants in the United States generating 1 percent of the nation’s electricity last year.
- Oil — Petroleum is no longer a popular source for electricity generation due to soaring prices back in the 1970s. Hawaii gets two-thirds of its electricity from oil, the only state where it is the leading energy source. Overall, there are 1,076oil-powered electric plants in the United States that generate just over half of 1 percent of the nation’s electricity.
Power Systems Certificate Training
Tonex offers a 4-day Power System Certificate Training course where participants learn all about power plants as well as many other topics including:
- Power systems modeling and analysis
- Power quality and design
- Power systems standards
- Advanced power systems (Micro and Smart grids)
- Power system control (linear and advanced)
More Courses
In addition to Power Systems Certificate Training, Tonex offers these related classes: Power Systems for Non-Engineers, Mobile Networks Power Systems.
Power and Energy
Who Should Attend?
Power Systems Training courses are designed for graduate students seeking a professional career in power systems, marketing people who need to know the background of the products they sell, all engineers who wants to learn, design or operate the power systems, electric utility personnel who recently started a career in power systems or have new job responsibilities, technicians, operators, and maintenance personnel who are or will be working at power plants or power system generation companies, and participants in many more occupations.
Why Choose Tonex?
- Reasonably priced classes taught by the best trainers is the reason all kinds of organizations from Fortune 500 companies to government’s most important agencies return for updates in courses and hands-on workshops
- Presenting highly customized learning solutions is what we do. For over 30 years Tonex has worked with organizations in improving their understanding and capabilities in topics often with new development, design, optimization, regulations and compliances that, frankly, can be difficult to comprehend.
- Ratings tabulated from student feedback post-course evaluations show an amazing 98 percent satisfaction score.
Contact us for more information, questions, comments.