In a power plant there are large turbine generators. These generators produce power. Fuel such as coal, gas and oil are burned in a furnace/boiler. The fuel heats water which produces high-pressure steam. The steam leaves the boiler and is fed into the generator. The steam pushes the turbine (the fan blades) at very high speeds. The turbine turns the generator that produces electricity. From the power plant, the electricity is fed into a network of cables called a grid. High voltage transmission lines carry electricity long distances to a substation.

At the substation, power lines lead the electricity to commercial and industrial businesses and homes. As the electricity nears your home, a transformer reduces the voltage. The transformer mounted on a pole outside your home converts the power to usable voltages of 220 and 110 volts. This voltage operates your TV, stereo, refrigerators and lights, etc.

You may not see a pole and transformer in your neighborhood, because you have lines that are underground.