By Maxx Bell
Our world is changing. The fossil fuels we have depended on for so long are going to run out, there is no question of ‘if’, only ‘when’. Even before that happens, we need to wean ourselves off of fossil fuels because of the catastrophic damage they are doing to our way of life. Like it or not, human-made pollution from fossil fuels is the driving force behind drastic changes to our climate, sending us toward a hotter, drier planet that will end in disaster for us, and life as we know it. We need to reach net zero emissions, and we need to do it quickly. Fortunately, we already know how!
It will be vital for us to phase out the fossils and replace them with clean, green energy from renewable sources like wind and solar, which produce electricity. Already we see more and more electric cars on the road, eventually, everything we do will be provided by highly efficient electricity. Because of this increasing demand, our electric power distribution will have to evolve and expand, so we can give our new, greener society the power we need to succeed.
Our electric power is brought to us from the places where it’s generated via a network we call the ‘electricity grid’. The grid could be compared to a network of roads, but travelled by electricity instead of motor vehicles. The grid has two parts: The ‘transmission network’ is like a national motorway, carrying power across large regions of the country- you have undoubtedly seen the gigantic towers and heavy-duty lines that make these up. The second part is the ‘distribution network’ which can be compared to local roads, these are the smaller poles and lines that carry the power from the transmission network to our businesses and homes.
Currently, we have enough of a grid to handle our power needs, at least most of the time- inclement weather and high temperatures generated by burning fossil fuels can damage the grid, and temporarily stop the flow of power over the networks! It is therefore vital that we increase the capacity of our electric grid by maintaining and improving what we already have in place, upgrading and expanding our power lines and distribution stations so that they are capable of bringing clean, renewable energy in the form of electricity to wherever we need it- in other words, pretty much everywhere!
