Electricity 101

       I'm always trying to put things in perspective. So here's my Georgia Tech basics on the alternating electricity (often abbreviated to AC) that comes into our homes.  Battery powered devices, like cell phones and flashlights (torches in many parts of the world) is another subject.

            Electricity is just a form of energy. Other forms presently used in many homes are wood, natural gas (from methane or denatured H2S gas), water (as in water wheels), oil and coal products (as in fuel oil for heat and gasoline for our cars and diesel for many cars and trucks), and even things like solar and wind and even manure piles, all often used to make electricity besides cooking and heat.

            That humans need and want energy goes back to caveman days, like the use of wood to make fire to be warm and cook with, including learning how to make the fire.

            And electricity can't be mined or stored, it has to be made from other energy sources, and sent into our homes for use. Presently in the USA most electricity is made from some combination of water, coal, natural gas, and nuclear.  And it can't be stored (hardly at all). So the amount and location of electrical generating plants and transmission lines is usually associated with demand areas. Well demand is always changing, like due to a growing population, or the increasing use of electricity (really the energy from it) for home and business purposes.

            Last electricity has only been around for a little over a century. Prior to its wildly popular use throughout the world and in the last century, we humans used other things for energy like water power (again as in water wheels as an example), animal power (like in squeezing sorghum to make sweets and molasses), and even wood and dry manure pods for heat and cooking (even to boil off collected maple sap) and even some light after the sun went down. Heck we even burned harvested whale oil for light, and also used it for cosmetics.

            In the end, all this energy comes from the sun.

            Now with present technology and already built and deployed electrical generation and transmission things, our electricity is usually made within 500 miles or less of where it is delivered for good economic reasons. Now to move it to more remote areas is both a technical problem which will probably take decades to both learn and implement; and is also a political and voting decision. After all, people live in remote areas, too, and as an example.

            The state of California comes to mind as to AC electrical generation to meet state legislated laws for clean air at home. Hence a lot of southern California's electrical demand is made in nearby Arizona.  

            Said another way, if one likes public electricity, how much? And how quick do you want to change present things, if you even do?  This also assumes the technology can change things for the better. And how willing are you to accept things like rolling black outs and its affect on your quality of life and our national economic future, to include our jobs?

            Here locally where I live in east Tennessee the benefits are obvious to me, like I do appreciate them and thank the people that make this happen. Like I can turn the switch on the wall, and get light to go to the bathroom by, 24/7. Or I can take a warm shower from an electrically heated water heater. Or I can drive my car with gas from pumps that are electrically powered and controlled. Or I can be warm during the cold season. The benefits go on and on...

            Anyway, these examples seem to be how important electricity is to we humans these days.  And this post has to do about electricity in general. And there won't be a test.