Every day, we use dozens of appliances that require electricity. We charge our phones, watch television, turn on the lights, open the garage, re-heat our food in the microwave, and the list goes on and on. Since the invention of electricity in 1879, it has become an essential part of our everyday lives.
Despite its importance and impact on modern society, the majority of us don’t really know how it is made, where it comes from, and how it gets into our homes. Today’s post will break down the basics of modern electricity and show you how you can get around the ever-rising prices of electricity.
Where Does it All Start?
To understand how electricity has become so accessible, we need to take a closer look at what it is and where it comes from. Simply put, electricity is a form of energy that is created by charged particles. These particles, electrons and protons, surround atoms and can be charged statically through accumulation or dynamically as a current. Although humans claimed to invent electricity in 1879, it has technically been around a lot longer than that.
Natural occurrences like lightning are a great example of the creation and passing of electrical current. In fact, Ben Franklin was one of the first to manipulate energy from charged particles through utilizing lightning.
Through trial and error, inventors and scientists discovered that electricity is a secondary energy source and that it could be created through the conversion of energy made by primary energy sources like coal, wind, nuclear power, oil, etc.
Over time, the conversion of energy into electricity has become more and more efficient, making it accessible to a large portion of the globe and turning it into a necessity for modern society.
How Electricity is Made
Now that we know what electricity is and where it comes from, we can talk about how it is made. The majority of electricity is made in power stations that are filled with large machines called turbines. These power stations utilize large amounts of heat, water, or wind to rotate the turbines at a high velocity.
With a constant, high-speed rotation, the turbines transfer some of their energy to spin large magnets surrounded in coils of copper wire. The magnets’ rotation causes a flow of electrons within the wires creating electricity. This electricity is harnessed by generators and passed through a transformer that allows it to be distributed to neighboring cities and towns at the proper voltage.
How Electricity Gets to Your Home
After the electricity has passed through the power station transformer, it will flow to large transmission lines held up by huge towers. These towers can carry larger amounts of electricity at higher voltages and perform the brunt work of transferring the majority of the electricity in the country. Once these powerlines reach more populated areas, they are connected to residential grids and pass through a local transformer, which brings the voltage to the rate at which it can be transferred through local, lower voltage power lines and can then be used at any home. Through millions of miles of wiring, electricity is accessible across the entire United States.
Almost all homes in America are connected to an electrical grid and have access to as much electricity as they need. Each homeowner’s electricity usage is tracked on a monthly basis and charged at a fixed price by local utility companies.
Why Electricity Prices are Always Going Up
The creation and distribution of electricity is controlled by utility companies. Most cities’ electricity is controlled by one main utility company. Because of this, there is no competition for pricing, and the utility companies can change the price as they’d like. With that being said, over the last 20 years the average price of electricity has gone up by more than 60 percent in the U.S.
The U.S. Energy Information Agency projects that residential electricity prices will continue to rise by at least 1% each year for the next 5 years. So even if a homeowner’s electricity usage doesn’t increase, their bills are still going to end up being more expensive. That is a sad truth about the majority of American cities.
No matter what you do, you’re always going to end up paying more each year for your electricity. We know that you don’t have the ability to create a power station or set up a giant wind turbine in your backyard, but we also know that solar is the most accessible and affordable answer to combat the increasing electricity costs.
Cut Out the Middleman and Go Solar
By going solar, homeowners no longer rely on power stations, power lines, or utilities companies. Solar is a primary energy source that produces electricity through the photovoltaic effect. With a solar system placed at the proper angle on your roof, most homeowners can produce enough electricity to cover all their needs over the course of each month.
In fact, some states have net metering programs that allow solar owners to sell unused power back to their utilities provider and get paid from their solar panels. Some homeowners are turned off by solar because of its large upfront costs, but many don’t realize that there are a variety of incentives and financing methods that make solar a valid investment for just about any homeowner.
Blue Raven Solar currently offers the BluePower Plus+ financing plan allows homeowners to place and own panels on their roof for no upfront costs. We also cover the first 18 months of your solar loan bills. This means you can start saving every month as well as benefit from all local and federal solar incentives. Homeowners who choose to go solar with Blue Raven Solar will save big, but also experience world-class service.
At Blue Raven Solar, we’re here to answer any of your solar questions and help you make an impact on your wallet as well as the planet. Don’t waste any more time and see how much you can save by generating your own electricity with solar! Click on the link below and fill out some basic information to get on the phone with one of our solar specialists: