As a retired electric utility engineer I can say that this is a great video. Much more info than what is usually presented to the layperson but explained well. One other type of equipment in substations is capacitor or inductor banks. These are used to adjust voltage and reactive power requirements. Reactive power is difficult to explain but briefly it is the additional current that flows beyond current needed to transmit power. It affects the voltage on the power line. As you noted, customer loads are different and some, such as motors draw a lot of reactive power (as well as real power) which creates three problems: 1) it drops the voltage, 2) it results in extra current in the lines which steals from the maximum capability of the line to deliver real (actual) power and 3) increases losses in the lines. Nowadays, capacitors (which inject reactive power) and inductors (which do the opposite) are being replaced by solid state semiconductor devices (thyristors) which can do much finer control and at lightning speed.
I'm an electronics engineer who remembers the basics of this stuff from my degree but this explanation and the video were both very informative and fascinating. Thanks for the education!
Any tips for a freshmen electrical engineer? I’ve got some potential internships but they are with hardware and CE companies which is by no means bad, I just want to explore the total scope of the electronic engineering discipline
Being an electrical engineer who has worked for both electrical distribution and transmission companies, I love that you are covering this topic. Even more so, I love how you are able to keep the technical details while explaining them in ways the lay-person can understand. Thank you!
harsh savla this is such a stupid comment and ironically you’re just playing blame-game by blaming activism for “lack of knowledge” when all the things you mentioned are already accessible publicly for free for education
Having worked at several sub stations, the most amazing thing to see is switching, the noise and the power that is involved is incredible. When we were working on a sector area, which was turned off, we could still feel the power from a neighbouring sector area. Imagine having a constant low current constantly pumping true your body. Electricity is a very interesting power.
In August of 2019 my wife was pregnant with our daughter and had been diagnosed with high blood pressure. We were required to monitor it daily and go to the hospital if it was too high. It's 9:30 or so at night and my wife's pressure cuff reads something borderline... like maybe we should go to the hospital maybe not. We decide to wait 10 minutes and read it again. While we’re waiting I put this video on to kill time and learn something. We take another reading and they are the lowest they’ve been all night! Grady, you saved my wife a trip to the ER. Thank you!
I'm glad that your wife avoided a trip to the ER, but please be aware that if blood pressure is significantly too low that can also be very dangerous and should be taken very seriously
I have been to a tour through a substation that was under construction. As it was still under construction, it was not connected to the grid yet, so there was no power anywhere in it at the time. It really was a unique chance to see a substation from this close. The guide told us that even when the power is on, there is nothing you can touch that has high voltage (unless you jump with your arms up). They have switches that are designed to disconnect the load, and switches that only are allowed to switch when the power is already off (to connect/disconnect a line to/from the bus). The grid below the ground is also to keep the ground at the same potential, so there is no voltage difference between your legs when making a step. They have concrete walls around the transformers, to suppress fire risk, but also to block noise from reaching the people living near the substation. The one I visited was built in an already existing high voltage power line to split of power to newly developed neighborhoods, and provide redundancy for the lower voltage network, and as a point to connect a future high voltage line.
Your guide was 100% right except the jumping part. If those conductors and insulators are live or near anything live "das machine is nicht fur gefingerpoken." Even If they are not live we have to earth everything due to the posibility of induction. A EHV or HV line can induce a voltage on the line next to it and that induced voltage has claimed many lives.
Talking of step potential there was a couple of horse killed at racing track here in the UK a few years ago because of step potential. A 415v cable under ground had been damageed humnas where fine because there potential between human legs is small but the horse because the they didn't. Have shoes(of the human kind) and the difference between there legs being much greater
That and that wall protects the transformer from getting shot at. Not saying anymore what’s vulnerable, but you would be amazed how much money and trouble and months a new transformer takes to build and replace, in most cases of large transmission and distribution transformers.
As a substation electrician that is partially true. Much of the metering and relaying is also "transformed" to a workable ratio of the high voltage. 345,000 volts at the wire and 120/240 volts at the PT or potential transformer to monitor system voltage. Where substation becomes dangerous is when equipment grounds are comprised in the case of breakage or theft. You then have a piece of equipment building a charge waiting for someone or something to complete the circuit to the ground grid. Won't be pretty.
If your power begins to flickler, start counting. If it goes on and off three times in quick succession it will most probably be out for a while. Automatic resets will reconnect in the hope that the fault was transitory and will clear itself. If the fault doesn't clear then the power line is opened and won't close again until a workman/lineman has been called out and has been able to find and clear the fault. Most power companies don't keep crews on duty 24/7 (excluding on duty power plant workers who aren't lineman) so someone will have to be called from home and then they can begin searching for the problem. That's why when the power goes off it usually stays off for a while. Also there is another type arc suppression breaker which is an Air Blast Breaker. When the electrical contacts separate high pressure air is directed between the two contacts which blows away any ionizing gas and prevents arcing.
Emil Sitka Where I’m from there are lineman all over the place. Longest power shortage I’ve seen, out of the major natural disasters, was a few hours, but that was due to a major fire and the company had cut electricity in the neighbourhood. Other then that, a few minutes to 1 hour.
@@matthewhemmings2464 Longest for me personally was 19 hours after transformer blew. Luckily I have a home built RV with solar panels and batteries. Ran an extension cord to the fridge from the RV. Hung out in the RV in front of my house.
Emil Sitka I see, I come from a cold place where electricity is very cheap, so people heat using electric power. So 19 hours with no electricity here during -15 to -40 Celsius would be considered an emergency. So it’s a regional thing that power outage are a big no-no and the power company can bring the system back up anytime within a few minutes to max 1 hour. Plus electric production is such a national pride here, not having electricity is inconceivable and a shame XD. But when I went in Central America I was surprised to see the power out almost every week, sometimes a few times a day.
For two summers while I was in college, I worked for my city electric utility as part of a 4-person crew (3 laborers and 1 truck driver). Our only job was to visit every one of the several dozen substations the utility owned and dump 50-pound bags of salt into concrete lined holes in the ground scattered throughout the substation. Small substations had just a dozen or so of these holes. The big ones had a hundred or more. The newer substations gave us plenty of room to work, the older ones involved crawling underneath some of the power structures to reach the holes. We were told this action provided some benefit to the underground infrastructure of the substation that Grady mentions in this video. It was a great summer job, lots of exercise and it paid well for a laborer position. Years later I worked for another part of the same city government. I remember telling the then director of the electric utility about my great summer job and he told me that they had stopped doing that work just a few years after I had done it because of concerns about contaminating groundwater.
As a layman, I must say that I found this video so incredibly helpful! I have always had an interest in and fascination with how electricity works. I pass, everyday, a major coal powerplant here in the U.S. and your videos bring a new understanding to the engineering marvel that is witnessed by my eyes. I thank you, sir, for your dedication to explaining how this amazing science works.
its simply stunning how the basic needs of our daily life are ensured and how little we know or care about it... you videos really are easy to understand, easy to follow and give us so much insight about stuff most of us dont really care about in our daily life, but its something that we should appreciate instead of taking for absolutely granted. and thank you Grady for all the work you put into your videos and presentations!
I feel that if more people paid attention to how little they know about the infrastructure and technology that makes modern life possible, they'd be more willing to listen to experts and we wouldn't have to deal with so many overarching bad decisions.
"its simply stunning how the basic needs of our daily life are ensured and how little we know or care about it..." This also goes to the fact that people don't appreciate the value of educated and dedicated workers getting out early and home late every day, weekends and holidays. They don't realize how badly and quickly life as we know it would end without others who are interested in pursuing these careers.
Trained and working in electricity and electronics for many years, I was amazed at the clarity and simplicity (and accuracy!) of your presentation. I've never seen anything else as good; congratulations!
I live right near our substation where power is taken off the high voltage lines. I didn't realize why we didn't get power outages till a few years ago whan it hit me that our wiring run from that substation is only about a mile or two long! Been in this house for 15 years or more and have only lost power for a few momentary 10 minute to 1 minute outages. Pretty neat!
Great video. I’m actually a substation engineer. That’s actually my job title haha. I design and plan out everything inside the fence line, and your video did a good job giving us a basic overview of some of the components. Some things that you didn’t cover were the control house, metering, relays, networks, communications, and capacitor banks. Relays are really the second most important part of a substation because they are the brains behind everything and control all safety aspects inside the substation. These relays can all be programmed differently and actually tell the breaker when to trip, the breaker doesn’t know when to trip itself. The ground grid is the most important part of a substation and is designed to be the last component to fail.
@@karlinemelo941 oh yes of course! Extremely safe. When a substation is built we actually completely excavate about 3ft down and install a "ground grid" this is a mesh if copper wire and 15ft ground rods and is similar to the ground post a normal house has but much much larger. This covers the entire area of the substation just in case if there would be a short circuit anywhere that the electricity can safely go into the ground. Plus we all do soil studies to determine the electrical resistance of the soil on the site and have computer simulation that can determine the safety of the entire site. All substations are built safe enough that you could actually be holding onto the metal fence from the outside and be perfectly safe from electrical shock if a short or fault were to occur
@@karlinemelo941 no problem, I'm happy to explain! There are no health issues what so ever to worry about with an electrical substation. The EMF is only dangerous within a few inches of that equipment and that is all blocked off. There is no radiation coming from a substation besides the normal everyday types of ration you find from your WiFi or cell phone. The only dangerous radiation is "ionizing" radiation but that's not in a subtation. You'll find that in a nuclear reactor but not much else on Earth and no where near a substation
@@CrazyNickOO7 thank you for your explanation. could you describe what a 'substation operator' does? i'm looking into a career with DOE or a utility company but i'm having a hard time telling each title such as electrician, engineer, operator, dispatcher, controller, etc. apart based on only the job descriptions because they are all very similarly described.
As a substation operator this is an absolutely fantastic and accurate description of how they work. I would like to add just a few things, the interruption mediums for CB’s now include SF-6 sulfur hexa flouride, vacuum breakers are used on lower voltage cb’s and the higher voltage cb’s oil breakers are being replaced by sf-6 gas cb’s, better for the environment and also if there is a catastrophic fault where an oil cb is compromised, you will not get a river of burning mineral oil everywhere, but even sf-6 gas breakers are being replaced by vacuum cb’s. The cb’s trip and recloser algorithm is different for each line, some lines are 100% underground and are difficult to patrol , and others go into high fire areas which require extra scrutiny during hot dry windy days, but for the most part relay coordination are setup for a transient fault, birds tree branches etc and will test on their own after 15-30 seconds, giving the branch time to clear itself, if wires are still down or tangled up it will lock out till crews can access and repair, be patient with port outages folks , they are there for grid and public protection, during a storm whole pole lines or equipment can be damaged and take time to repair safely
Matthew Maxwell-Burton correct they are called lock out orders or no test orders for when linemen are working on a section of isolated energized lines , we do the same We don’t test fully underground circuits before patrolling because of the likely nature that underground equipment is almost always a hard fault or damaged components that will not just blow itself in the clear , usually a smoking manhole is identified by the public and first responders are called to the scene , sometimes is cable in the middle of the street between structures that is harder to find because the problem is mid duct and not immediately seen
As a highly trained maintenance mechanic, I agree. Every time you flip a switch, thank an electrician. And when you turn a faucet on, you can thank me.😃
Great little overview! The thorough grounding underneath substations is also for protection against lightning strikes. It's connected to lightning rods and conductors that can "catch" lightning strikes so they don't hit the active devices too badly.
Actually, their goal is to prevent strikes by allowing ground charges to dissipate before the potential reaches the critical point and causes a ground-to-cloud discharge, or 'strike'.
@@williamlaudeman7157 Ground grids absolutely don't prevent lightning strikes. The charge build up occurs in the clouds. No matter how much "discharging" you do, there will still be a huge potential difference. The ground grid gives lightning a solid path to ground. The ground grid has multiple purposes. It is used for safety of workers. If the exterior of all equipment and structures are connected to the same ground grid it ensures that workers aren't shocked or electrocuted when touching equipment or structures. The ground grid also provides a solid return path for grounded wye systems. This return to path is important because protective equipment (relays) are more sensitive to ground faults than phase to phase faults. Therefore, for ground faults, relays can react more quickly and reliably with a strong ground grid.
@@laingalion Actually lightning strokes can originate from the clouds or the ground. As far as discharging, though, there is a reason there is a LOT of lightning protection in a substation but most people think it's just part of the power lines.
@@williamlaudeman7157 No, the ground grid is not even close to being there for lightning protection, they are fairly complex, and sometimes well designed, systems in place for that. The difference in path length for the air to hit it's dielectric breakdown between a cloud and a 138kV line versus a cloud and relatively 0V ground is only about 4.6cm shorter, lightning protection is substantially further away from the conductors than 4.6cm to make it far more likely to be hit by a stroke of lightning.
@@dunzerkug It doesn't matter where the lightning "originates" from. What causes lightning is potential difference. A difference which can be a billion volts. The voltage at a substation is peanuts compared to the voltage build up in the clouds. So even if you "discharge" the voltage at the substation, it wouldn't do much to prevent a lightning strike. The ground grid is just there to give a path for lightning to absorb its energy and hopefully prevent equipment damage. If your ground grid is designed poorly, it can even cause more harm than good. A poorly designed ground grid can rise in voltage when hit with lightning and will cause damage to everything connected to it.
Thank you so much! I am an EE student that is currently talking to a company that makes grid protection products. They wanted me to watch some of their online seminars, but I didnt understand much of the material. This definitely helped to fill my knowledge gaps.
This video came out the night before my job interview with a power distribution company... Just heard back today that I got the job. Thanks for the help!
Cool video. I'm a electrical engineer for a power company and that was a great and informative video to help people understand our types of systems. I'd say they only thing I can say is a bit off is the breaker on the right side of the transformer is the one that would operate before the one on the left since that would have fewer people out of power and also protects the investment of the transformer by no allowing dangerous amounts of current to flow into it ( I know for a general population isn't going to know the difference and it is a minor thing ). Thanks for the video and I look forward to more of your videos. Have a great day!
Please entertain a wild question from someone who is not an engineer. Given the fact that there are finite raw materials on earth to make raw steel for electrical equipment (transformers, etc), can said electrical equipment that drives the power grid be "recycled" to repurpose the raw materials?
@@marknewsome987 they do recycle some of that depending on what it is. Most transformers, wire, and things like that are usually recycled or repaired and used again. If it is damaged to the point you can't recycle the equipment it is discarded, ceramic bells, plastic insulators that have failed and the like. That isn't a wild question at all, so if you have anymore I'll try to answer them to the best of my knowledge. Have a good one.
as a protection and control engineer working on these systems, id have to say you did an amazing job describing the inner workings of the Grid. Congrats and keep up the great work!! Tasmania, australia!
Where I work transmission voltage is stepped down usually 3 times. When a transmission line enters the first station, its stepped down from 238kv to 34.5kv that's a receiving station or RS. From there it goes to multiple smaller stations called distribution stations or DS's. From there it can go to large transformers on customers properties called industrial stations or IS's which can step it down to what the customer needs, normally 277/480 or it leaves as stepped down voltage from the DS at 7.5kv and will travel around to neighborhoods to the transformers you normally see on poles or underground, the transformers are calls customer stations or CS's at that point its stepped down to usuable voltages for the customer which can be 277/480 wye or 120/208/240 for delta or 120/208 if wye
I work in the southern California area. Our stuff is old as sin. They have been talking of upping our primary voltage the 7kv to meet the needs of the future and fall in line more with other utilities. It would be an absolutely monumental undertaking though having to switch out the infrastructure to accept that.
@@Indy509 if they leave the existing lines and just start using the new voltage on new sections, it would be more cost effective, wouldn't it? This would mean only upgrade what is required to the new voltage. Here in Ottawa, we use several voltages. The local power company guy said at one job that 4160 isn't a common voltage here anymore, and it considered a legacy system.
@@Indy509 I was a Distribution Operator at a utility that had some equipment at 8kV and some newer stuff at 13.8kV. Each year they would tackle conversion of portions of the 8kV to 13.8kV, but it's a HUGE, time consuming process. Reconductoring is sometimes necessary, replacing all the transformers with dual voltage hogs that can be energized at 8kV until the conversion actually happens, then a switch on or inside the tank needs to be moved so it can be energized at 13.8kV for the rest of it's life. Not to mention every lightning arrestor, cutout and various other pieces of equipment need to be converted. Those upgrades alone take months to complete and in the end you have upgraded maybe 8-10 blocks. Not that it isn't worthwhile, of course, but when I worked there, maybe 10% of the system maybe was 8kV, and it's probably going to be another 50+ years before it's entirely gone.
I worked as an Apprentice Transmission lineman for a couple of years; the job wasn't for me, but it definitely made me appreciate all that goes into getting power to the people.
Great video, a few minor comments (yea, I'm going to be that guy) 1. The purpose of the Switch at the substation is often not for breaking load and faults. Most switches in the US are used simply as a "visible break". A worker can look at a switch and visually tell that downstream conductors and equipment won't be energized. This is important because often you can't tell if a breaker is open at a glance because the breaking mechanism is internal. The breaker's job is to stop the power flow. The switch's job (most of the time) is to visually show that the line is dead. Open breaker first, then the switch. 2. Instrument transformers often don't energize the monitoring equipment anymore. Microprocessor relays are powered by a giant substation battery bank. All intelligence and monitoring in modern substations are powered by the substations batteries. The batteries are powered by the distribution side of the substation via a service transformer. 3. "Recloser" is mostly a distribution term and a distribution equipment. Substation breakers can be set to reclose but are not often referred to as a recloser. 4. Substations are already "smart". "Smart Grid" (a terrible term) often refers to adding intelligence and flexibility to the distribution system.
As a substation commissioning engineer, I gotta say Grady, you did a great job making this seem understandable to the average person. Might have to make my mom watch this so she’ll stop calling me an electrician lol.
@@bjornegan6421 “substation operator” isn’t really a thing anymore as it’s mostly automated or remotely controlled. Used to be that they would have a sub operator stay at certain large subs all day and if something tripped and needed to be reset or if the grid controller called to turn something off they would go operate the breakers. Also they would take certain voltage/current/temperature measurements. That’s all done remotely now. Down a rung would be a utility switchman or HV lineman which actually goes to the sub and opens air switches manually (some things can’t be operated remotely) and do periodic inspections or troubleshooting after a fault. But it isn’t a 24/7 gig inside the sub like it used to be prior to the automation boom utilities had in the 90’s. Linemen have a fairly hands on, physical job. Up a rung would be the grid controller, who sits at a desk in an office somewhere and clicks buttons on a computer to open and close breakers, schedule maintenance, monitor power flow from production sources to customers, looks for abnormalities, and dispatches a crew of linemen if something is wrong.
@@toastymotors thank you very much for the quick and detailed response. the reason i ask is i am looking at a "substation operator apprentice" job posting from the DOE a few days ago. the description of the responsibilities are: 1 Operates energized high and low voltage electrical power transmission system substations following strict procedures and safety requirements. 2 Checks and reviews station conditions. Responsible for station security and safety of others in the station. 3 Performs inspections on all high and low voltage equipment in substations and keeps records. Periodically inspects station, including all components in the switchyard, outlying buildings, and the perimeter of the property. 4 Monitors and operates various communications systems. All processes require clear oral communication. 5 Completes associated documentation required of the above listed tasks. 6 Drives 15-20% of the time in all weather conditions. this sounds like a mix of a lot of the individual positions you mentioned.
Good video capture of an arcing disconnect switch. I retired from power engineering and substations kept my mortgage payments going. I salute those who work in this very challenging but rewarding industry. High voltage disconnect switches are not designed to interrupt load current, but they can interrupt charging current. Some high voltage switches have vacuum/gas bottles that provide interrupting contacts that allow interruption of some load current. I have attempted to switch line switches where the bottles were faulty and the resulting arc and heat generation made me almost evacuate my bowels. Very unpleasant. When a breaker is tripped and when one switches the isolating disconnect switches, at times the charging current can be very intimidating. Rookies will try and drop the switch blades back closed because they panic, while veterans will keep cranking to open the switch while enduring the arcing and sparking. With the breaker open, it's only charging current, but it's noisy and scary. Your video was a very good summary of substations. P.S. I noticed some personnel at a substation wearing high heels and others wearing low profile shoes. We would prohibit that as it could lead to tripping and injury. The power industry's safety practices have been developed and "written in blood' so to speak. We have adapted out safety practices based on previous accidents and fatalities. Very dangerous industry, but the danger is very manageable. I like you section on the buried conductor ground grid. We have had many injuries and some fatalities based on improper bonding and grounding practices. Great video.
I retired as a Distribution AND Transmission Line Inspector for National Grid in the upstate NY area. ……thankfully before anymore sophisticated remote control devices were installed! I was a Chief Lineman/Foreman with 17 yrs. experience previous to the Inspector’s job and Tree Trimmer (Line clearance) Forman previous to that. I enjoyed this video and wish we had such teaching tools for myself and others in our various electrical jobs/careers. Well done and thank you!
I'm an apprentice electrician and I've been searching for a video explaining detailed operations of power grids. This presentation is the best one I've seen yet! Thank you for this! It definitely aids in my understanding!
The timing of this new series is really weird and convenient.n I'm a Civil Engineer and started my career four years ago in bridges (lots of coordination with hydraulics/soils) and now I moved over to working for an electric utility. Thanks for the quality content! :)
I am an electrical engineering student and have learned a lot of powerline contraction basics from you ,Thank you and keep on sharing your knowledge with us
As an engineer that is frequently asked to repair older insulators and bushings, your videos are extremely informative and well presented. Please keep up this important work.
Please entertain a wild question from someone who is not an engineer. Given the fact that there are finite raw materials on earth to make raw steel for electrical equipment (transformers, etc), can said electrical equipment that drives the power grid be "recycled" to repurpose the raw materials?
Great video, Grady! Substations are fascinating. By the way, have you heard about Segway's Portable PowerStation Cube Series? It's perfect for outdoor enthusiasts like us. It has a massive capacity, fast recharging, and even waterproof technology. Check it out if you're interested!
Thank you for the compliment! If you enjoyed learning about substations, you'll love exploring the features of the Segway Portable PowerStation Cube Series. It's a versatile power solution that's perfect for outdoor adventures and provides reliable backup power for your home. Check it out!
Couldn’t explain it better myself. I worked in substations and power systems for over forty years. There are two other type of stations that look very similar to substations. They are called switching stations and capacitor stations.
The aftermath of a 33 KV oil filled circuit breaker failing is something to behold, I've seen a 4 x 4 metre hole blown threw a 4 layer thick brick wall from just 1 of them the size of a household washing machine exploding under load.
Just a note on CB dielectric. There are several types of dielectric. From oil, sf6, and vacuum to name a few all of which are used in voltages ranging from 10kv upwards to 400kv+. Most high voltage CB are sf6 but that varies depending on the country
When I first watched this, I was working at McDonalds, now a year later I work in a sub station. They are pretty similar here in New Zealand. Its fascinating to learn how the grid works. Thanks for making the video! :)
@3:48 That was always the best day of switch yard training. Watching the arc and the face of the person cranking the handle. "Don't stop. Keep going" 👍
Finally, someone that understands! I am utterly fascinated by utility infrastructure. I'm a project manager in wireless deployment, having built towers and currently managing a 5G deployment project. These videos are *exactly* what I have been looking for. Will watch all of them. :)
You may like this one at Romanel / Switzerland - they made it as there was a tennis center nearby and the director of the central was a member: www.google.com/maps/@46.5598515,6.6137498,3a,63.5y,354.46h,123.04t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sQNbqgJwXRhQDqVwmOZ_a2A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
I did a Google lens search and one other picture showed up but I can not find any information other then the pictures saying perm gres substation. Google searched that and nothing came up so I'm at a loss but it sure looks cool.
@@MindlessDude You can see them here near Újhartyán, it took me a few minutes to find the correct line. I thought it was a fake and some 3D overlay !. www.google.com/maps/@47.2358228,19.3888187,3a,41.4y,89.28h,95.02t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1snjGW3DlxDgpXwal7tt_keQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Until I found your videos, I had to rely on videos that were far too detailed for a layman like myself. I find modern infrastructure fascinating, and you're providing all the answers to all my questions; one video at a time. Thank you!
My husband bought me your book for CHristmas! It was near the top of my wish list, so he bought it for me. I'm happy to learn the names and purposes of all the technology around me. This book should be given to every middle-school library in the country, but I don't know anybody that has that much money. It really makes me happy to look into that book.
I always take time to admire the hum of the transformers and the buzz of the transmission lines as I bike past my local substation. Now I'll enjoy it even more!
Awesome video, as always. Would love if you would go one step deeper. A full video of how different switches work or a whole video of transforms would be really cool. People will miss/forget things so going a little more in depth will help them retain at least the important stuff. I love the production quality of these videos, it shows how much effort you put into them, but occasionally just having a 5 min video of you talking to an EE pointing out the parts of a high voltage switch and how it works would be cool to get more information out to the public with less effort.
Well, Prime IS an extremely simple device. He can't even fly, and he turns into a lame truck. Now ME, I'm a properly complex Transformer. Think of what it takes to get a several-ton, unaerodynamic-looking, metal body to fly better than Superman and then turn into a little gun once I get where I'm going! Now THAT'S engineering!
1st year apprentice here, I had the opportunity to help work on a substation for couple weeks this last year. And this is fascinating. I was more so just tasked with simple assignment with no opportunity to learn (in depth) a ton of what was going on, although I was briefed on much of it. I really hope I get to work on more of this kind of stuff in my career. If I can declare what I'd like to specialize in it is gonna be splicing, medium voltage, and substations. I would love to know all there is to know about this aspect of electrical.
I worked for GE for many years as a switchgear test and inspect tech. We also performed Doble testing on substation transformers. It was a very satisfying career and I enjoyed it. I've been retired for about 11 years now, but I think about that line of work every time I pass a substation or power station
Hello your videos are really well done although I do not speak English I still manage to understand the concepts and theories thanks to your schemas very well explained ... thank you
You have no idea how many of my fifty year old 'mamma hows that work' questions this channel has answered. I'm probably just an odd one but, I've always marveled at the Substations and the humming sound that raw energy seems to produce.
Thanking you these are great places to see what goes into engineering outdoors dealing with the environment we lived close to the substation long ago not know they are really neat as we utilize 3-phase power for our machinery, we are still within only a few thousand yards from a local substation. The sub-stations here in the California high-desert are not as big as many you shared those are well really large we bet you love visiting them. We get lightening strikes as there are no other structures here in the desert near these. Thank you so much for making this learning easier for us that want to know but are not electrical engineers. Lance & Patrick.
Very nice video! I know it won't be a priority, since it is not that common today, but can you make a video about the different types of mass energy storage? Like Flywheels, Pumped Hydro, Batteries and more? Would love to see that.
I work for a company that manages electric power systems and it's main business is dielectric liquid testing, transformer maintenance and electrical reliability. This video is absolutely awesome and explains in great detail.
I work in an Org where we manufacture Medium voltage switchgears ( Upto 36kV ) and bushings, along with transformers. Your video is a perfect tool & total guide for beginners & to brush up knowledge for intermediate people. Keep it up.
Please entertain a wild question from someone who is not an engineer. Given the fact that there are finite raw materials on earth to make raw steel for electrical equipment (transformers, etc), can said electrical equipment that drives the power grid be "recycled" to repurpose the raw materials?
My experiences with substations are few. Once I tripped a substation breaker before the power company opened the air switches. The trip switch was in a steel booth about the size of a phone booth (if anyone remembers those), but it was made of 3/8” steel. I was a little nervous pushing the button even though I was wearing a protective suit and closed inside the kiosk. My other substation related experience involved a squirrel in a substation transformer. The resulting brownout caused a malfunction with a 1200 horsepower, 4000v motor a few miles away and the motor exploded. The top portion (about the size of a minivan was flipped launched about 15 feet away. I was dealing with the motor, but it’s amazing that one squirrel caused such a catastrophic failure. Now there were maintenance issues involved with the motor that also contributed to the motor failure.
Would you please do a comparison between the grid in the US an elsewhere in the world- specifically about why 3 phase power distribution is extremely expensive to get in the US, but common elsewhere (e.g. Germany)? Also, thanks Grady. Every video I learn something new!
I think thats is more to do with local distrobution. Here in Aus (and in Europe) we actually run all three phases down most streets and feed off houses by lots of three. Houses usually only get 80A or 100A single phase but if you need and pay for it you'll be able to get three phase. That might mean paying for a transformer though. That is if you only have 3 phase HV out front. If you have LV 3 phase on the pole out front, you are only paying for cable and install.
It's all about where the local distribution wants to branch off their 3 phases to single phases. If the density of demand is low (country roads, farm land. Etc) then the distribution may only tap a single phase off of the main 3phase trunk line for large ground of houses. But in a high density area like a city, you'll often see 3phases on the street poles and each street or section of street will have its own phase. The expense comes from when the 3phase lines aren't close to where you want it. If you live in a city, it won't be very expensive to get 3 phase. But if you're on the side of a mountain, then the 3phase trunk lines are much further away... Also 3phase power is really only useful when you have spinning loads. Most loads in an average North American house is resistive or DC. Which means the economics of having 3 phase power in an average household doesn't make sense for the electrical distribution companies.
They're pretty obsessive with substation maintenance, in general. They called me out to check a T1 connection in one today that they'd already confirmed was a LEC problem, "just to be sure."
This is amazing, thank you for this video and all of the wonderful education content on your channel! Many generations will benefit from this readily accessible information!!!
Video is made for ordinary non technical people, but comments are mostly from Electrical Engineers! I am too studying Electrical Engineering third year! Best wishes dude 🙏!
6:22 This circuit breaker is not able to disconnect the electric line during a lightning strike, because the lightning strike is too fast, and the lightning voltage is too large for the breaker to withstand it. To reduce the effects of a lightning strike, special devices are used. This is called an surge arrester When lightning strikes a line, a lot of voltage breaks through it towards to the ground and saves the line and equipment. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surge_arrester
Air is a dielectric too, hence the clip of contact arcing at the substation. The good thing though is that air has a relatively high dielectric constant.
You really know that you study electrical engineering when this great video doesnt tell you anything new. Im really proud of myself. :D Thanks for this awesome video.
6:08 I also noticed cyrillic script on some of the large lit up industrial buttons, high probability of being Russian but there are other languages that use it too.
Dam, as a electrical engineer student, I love these sorts of videos. Its amazing seeing how what I learn in lectures and labs on a much smaller scale can be translated to large scale setups in day to day life. Keep up the amazing videos!
I was told that capacitors are also used in local transmission lines. And I've seen devices that might be just that. Can you tell me where they fit in ? Retired railroad 'CONDUCTOR' of 37 years(did you notice my 'CONNECTION'?) My father worked for SCE on the clerical aspect. Much Thanks, Wes - Surf City, CA
Great video, will the next one go into protective relaying al all? ie transformer differential, overcurrent, line relaying, etc. I work in substations every day and it’s great how you break complex concepts down so they’re easy to understand
Heh lets just say the catastrophic failure of a substation like this releases a lot more than blue smoke lol. I have a friend that lives across the road from a large substation that someone decided to end themselves by crashing a transit van into one of the transformers. Seems they failed to ground the thing well enough to blow the breakers though random arcs going off making one hell of an impressive boom each time one formed a metal transformer literally overheating so badly that the metal was literally on fire. Suffice to say I was most glad to be inside a building watching it while phoning the emergency services I think I'd have had a heart attack being out in the open that close lol.
There is so much negative buzz about a smart grid, but the concept actually makes sense once you remove the buzzwords. Think of it as distributed load balancing. Nobody notices if their hot water heater shuts off for 15 minutes. Bingo! want to charge your electric car for a lower cost? Have automatic communication to only charge when demand is the lowest. How about selling power from your electric car at times of extreme demand -- and get well paid for it? Smart meters are like smart phones. By themselves they aren't much more than a phone. It is the ability to add apps that do a huge range of things that make them useful. We honestly don't know what all could be done with a smart grid -- but we will only be able to do it once the basic infrastructure is in place. It becomes even more important because most renewable energy, wind, solar, tidal do not conform to peak loads. Instantaneous automated control of loads will greatly simplify grid management.
@@MichaelSteeves it's stupid and overly complicated. Just use nuclear. Renewables are virtue signalling bullshit. If we ever extract enough energy out of the environment to run our civilisation the environmental effects will make histrionic climate alarmists claims look like a child's bedtime story.
I'm a lay person, but I find this stuff fascinating. There's no telling how many people passing by in cars who have said, "Look at that crazy person," as I was walking down the sidewalk gawking up at the power lines and transformers.
The some of the so called "switches in a sub station are also called "air breakers". And a lot of the large overhead transmission lines are 500 KV. Or half a million volts.
As with many modern systems we take for granted, just imagine how many people got zapped and killed to get to this point. The need for every protection device arose out of first hand experience in failure. We are standing on the shoulders of thousands of brave (and stupid) people who lived before us.
My local electric company has started placing small solar farms in their substations that have the extra room. I thought this was an interesting way of deploying solar.
What’s even cooler about transformers is that they work both ways! That can be dangerous too though. If a generator is hooked up at your house incorrectly it can feed back up through the transformer into the primary conductors even when the power would otherwise be out. Electricity has no smell or sound so never touch a downed wire even if you believe it to be de-energized.
We live in a very hurricane-prone area, so we got a generator. But we knew that plugging it directly into the house would be dangerous and potentially send power back up the lines that could electrocute lineman working on it if done improperly. So my dad and I installed a manual transfer switch that switches the house’s conductors from grid power to a neutral position with no power before switching from there to the generator- completely taking the circuits that run through it offline. A generator can only handle so much though, so we wired up the essentials for downstairs: fridge and microwave, all the “normal” outlets in the living room and kitchen, and maybe laundry? I don’t remember. The stove and oven, as well as hearing and air would have drawn too much power so we have several grills and griddles available to use in that case (in place of the oven) and we have portable heaters and AC units that can run on regular outlets (to supplement heating and air) if needed. We also have a supply of stabilized ethanol-free gasoline (stabil ensures it doesn’t build up gunk in the container over time, and ethanol-free is better for small engines than gas containing ethanol) for the generator and other small engine devices we have. My dad jokes that we’ll be the only house with WiFi at the end of the world lol! (He’s a bit of a prepper, but not in an extreme way).
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
As a retired electric utility engineer I can say that this is a great video. Much more info than what is usually presented to the layperson but explained well. One other type of equipment in substations is capacitor or inductor banks. These are used to adjust voltage and reactive power requirements. Reactive power is difficult to explain but briefly it is the additional current that flows beyond current needed to transmit power. It affects the voltage on the power line. As you noted, customer loads are different and some, such as motors draw a lot of reactive power (as well as real power) which creates three problems: 1) it drops the voltage, 2) it results in extra current in the lines which steals from the maximum capability of the line to deliver real (actual) power and 3) increases losses in the lines. Nowadays, capacitors (which inject reactive power) and inductors (which do the opposite) are being replaced by solid state semiconductor devices (thyristors) which can do much finer control and at lightning speed.
I'm an electronics engineer who remembers the basics of this stuff from my degree but this explanation and the video were both very informative and fascinating. Thanks for the education!
what about battery packs? if we are gonna start using more wind and solar, we'll need places to store that energy
@@ephimp3189 yes, definitely!
As an electric utility engineer myself, I couldn't agree more with you. Awesome information. Thank you.
Any tips for a freshmen electrical engineer?
I’ve got some potential internships but they are with hardware and CE companies which is by no means bad, I just want to explore the total scope of the electronic engineering discipline
Being an electrical engineer who has worked for both electrical distribution and transmission companies, I love that you are covering this topic. Even more so, I love how you are able to keep the technical details while explaining them in ways the lay-person can understand. Thank you!
Your public works videos are the best!
Nice explanation
His public works are public, they're creative Commons, no copyright
Jake Adams i Agreeee!!!
@@buddingscientist170 civil engineering
harsh savla this is such a stupid comment and ironically you’re just playing blame-game by blaming activism for “lack of knowledge” when all the things you mentioned are already accessible publicly for free for education
Having worked at several sub stations, the most amazing thing to see is switching, the noise and the power that is involved is incredible. When we were working on a sector area, which was turned off, we could still feel the power from a neighbouring sector area. Imagine having a constant low current constantly pumping true your body. Electricity is a very interesting power.
In August of 2019 my wife was pregnant with our daughter and had been diagnosed with high blood pressure. We were required to monitor it daily and go to the hospital if it was too high. It's 9:30 or so at night and my wife's pressure cuff reads something borderline... like maybe we should go to the hospital maybe not. We decide to wait 10 minutes and read it again. While we’re waiting I put this video on to kill time and learn something. We take another reading and they are the lowest they’ve been all night!
Grady, you saved my wife a trip to the ER. Thank you!
I'm glad that your wife avoided a trip to the ER, but please be aware that if blood pressure is significantly too low that can also be very dangerous and should be taken very seriously
I have been to a tour through a substation that was under construction. As it was still under construction, it was not connected to the grid yet, so there was no power anywhere in it at the time. It really was a unique chance to see a substation from this close.
The guide told us that even when the power is on, there is nothing you can touch that has high voltage (unless you jump with your arms up).
They have switches that are designed to disconnect the load, and switches that only are allowed to switch when the power is already off (to connect/disconnect a line to/from the bus).
The grid below the ground is also to keep the ground at the same potential, so there is no voltage difference between your legs when making a step.
They have concrete walls around the transformers, to suppress fire risk, but also to block noise from reaching the people living near the substation.
The one I visited was built in an already existing high voltage power line to split of power to newly developed neighborhoods, and provide redundancy for the lower voltage network, and as a point to connect a future high voltage line.
Your guide was 100% right except the jumping part. If those conductors and insulators are live or near anything live "das machine is nicht fur gefingerpoken." Even If they are not live we have to earth everything due to the posibility of induction. A EHV or HV line can induce a voltage on the line next to it and that induced voltage has claimed many lives.
Talking of step potential there was a couple of horse killed at racing track here in the UK a few years ago because of step potential.
A 415v cable under ground had been damageed humnas where fine because there potential between human legs is small but the horse because the they didn't. Have shoes(of the human kind) and the difference between there legs being much greater
@Mister Brookes so which part is untrue?
That and that wall protects the transformer from getting shot at. Not saying anymore what’s vulnerable, but you would be amazed how much money and trouble and months a new transformer takes to build and replace, in most cases of large transmission and distribution transformers.
As a substation electrician that is partially true. Much of the metering and relaying is also "transformed" to a workable ratio of the high voltage. 345,000 volts at the wire and 120/240 volts at the PT or potential transformer to monitor system voltage. Where substation becomes dangerous is when equipment grounds are comprised in the case of breakage or theft. You then have a piece of equipment building a charge waiting for someone or something to complete the circuit to the ground grid. Won't be pretty.
I’m a utility protection engineer and I can tell you that you did an outstanding job. Really enjoy your videos.
T&D SCADA engineer here and I second your praise :nods:.
I work for a leading company in transformer maintenance and this video rocks. (and it's not Doble)
30 years in the electricity supply industry here, and fully agree.
Environmental management head of a powerstation in Vientiane, and have to say that this video is very well done.
How do electricity companies know there is electricity lost? Lets say 10 kW?
If your power begins to flickler, start counting. If it goes on and off three times in quick succession it will most probably be out for a while. Automatic resets will reconnect in the hope that the fault was transitory and will clear itself. If the fault doesn't clear then the power line is opened and won't close again until a workman/lineman has been called out and has been able to find and clear the fault. Most power companies don't keep crews on duty 24/7 (excluding on duty power plant workers who aren't lineman) so someone will have to be called from home and then they can begin searching for the problem. That's why when the power goes off it usually stays off for a while.
Also there is another type arc suppression breaker which is an Air Blast Breaker. When the electrical contacts separate high pressure air is directed between the two contacts which blows away any ionizing gas and prevents arcing.
Air blast breakers are still in use. However, vacuum bottles and SF6 etc are replacing them
Emil Sitka Where I’m from there are lineman all over the place. Longest power shortage I’ve seen, out of the major natural disasters, was a few hours, but that was due to a major fire and the company had cut electricity in the neighbourhood. Other then that, a few minutes to 1 hour.
I have always wondered why the power flickers several times before going off. Now I know! Thanks.
@@matthewhemmings2464 Longest for me personally was 19 hours after transformer blew. Luckily I have a home built RV with solar panels and batteries. Ran an extension cord to the fridge from the RV. Hung out in the RV in front of my house.
Emil Sitka I see, I come from a cold place where electricity is very cheap, so people heat using electric power. So 19 hours with no electricity here during -15 to -40 Celsius would be considered an emergency. So it’s a regional thing that power outage are a big no-no and the power company can bring the system back up anytime within a few minutes to max 1 hour.
Plus electric production is such a national pride here, not having electricity is inconceivable and a shame XD. But when I went in Central America I was surprised to see the power out almost every week, sometimes a few times a day.
For two summers while I was in college, I worked for my city electric utility as part of a 4-person crew (3 laborers and 1 truck driver). Our only job was to visit every one of the several dozen substations the utility owned and dump 50-pound bags of salt into concrete lined holes in the ground scattered throughout the substation. Small substations had just a dozen or so of these holes. The big ones had a hundred or more. The newer substations gave us plenty of room to work, the older ones involved crawling underneath some of the power structures to reach the holes. We were told this action provided some benefit to the underground infrastructure of the substation that Grady mentions in this video. It was a great summer job, lots of exercise and it paid well for a laborer position. Years later I worked for another part of the same city government. I remember telling the then director of the electric utility about my great summer job and he told me that they had stopped doing that work just a few years after I had done it because of concerns about contaminating groundwater.
As a layman, I must say that I found this video so incredibly helpful! I have always had an interest in and fascination with how electricity works. I pass, everyday, a major coal powerplant here in the U.S. and your videos bring a new understanding to the engineering marvel that is witnessed by my eyes. I thank you, sir, for your dedication to explaining how this amazing science works.
its simply stunning how the basic needs of our daily life are ensured and how little we know or care about it...
you videos really are easy to understand, easy to follow and give us so much insight about stuff most of us dont really care about in our daily life, but its something that we should appreciate instead of taking for absolutely granted.
and thank you Grady for all the work you put into your videos and presentations!
I feel that if more people paid attention to how little they know about the infrastructure and technology that makes modern life possible, they'd be more willing to listen to experts and we wouldn't have to deal with so many overarching bad decisions.
so true!
"its simply stunning how the basic needs of our daily life are ensured and how little we know or care about it..." This also goes to the fact that people don't appreciate the value of educated and dedicated workers getting out early and home late every day, weekends and holidays. They don't realize how badly and quickly life as we know it would end without others who are interested in pursuing these careers.
Trained and working in electricity and electronics for many years, I was amazed at the clarity and simplicity (and accuracy!) of your presentation. I've never seen anything else as good; congratulations!
I legitimately can't wait to walk past my local substation tomorrow. Another great video explaining something I've always wondered about!
I live right near our substation where power is taken off the high voltage lines. I didn't realize why we didn't get power outages till a few years ago whan it hit me that our wiring run from that substation is only about a mile or two long! Been in this house for 15 years or more and have only lost power for a few momentary 10 minute to 1 minute outages. Pretty neat!
@@volvo09 Ditto. Mine is so close that some nights I can hear the faint buzzing in the distance.
djd829 dat 50hz hum
@@JonnyD3ath 60 here
Great video. I’m actually a substation engineer. That’s actually my job title haha. I design and plan out everything inside the fence line, and your video did a good job giving us a basic overview of some of the components. Some things that you didn’t cover were the control house, metering, relays, networks, communications, and capacitor banks. Relays are really the second most important part of a substation because they are the brains behind everything and control all safety aspects inside the substation. These relays can all be programmed differently and actually tell the breaker when to trip, the breaker doesn’t know when to trip itself. The ground grid is the most important part of a substation and is designed to be the last component to fail.
Is it safe to live close to an eletrical substation?
@@karlinemelo941 oh yes of course! Extremely safe. When a substation is built we actually completely excavate about 3ft down and install a "ground grid" this is a mesh if copper wire and 15ft ground rods and is similar to the ground post a normal house has but much much larger. This covers the entire area of the substation just in case if there would be a short circuit anywhere that the electricity can safely go into the ground. Plus we all do soil studies to determine the electrical resistance of the soil on the site and have computer simulation that can determine the safety of the entire site. All substations are built safe enough that you could actually be holding onto the metal fence from the outside and be perfectly safe from electrical shock if a short or fault were to occur
CrazyNickOO7 thank you very much for your explanation. And how about health issues? Like EMF level, radiation etc?
@@karlinemelo941 no problem, I'm happy to explain! There are no health issues what so ever to worry about with an electrical substation. The EMF is only dangerous within a few inches of that equipment and that is all blocked off. There is no radiation coming from a substation besides the normal everyday types of ration you find from your WiFi or cell phone. The only dangerous radiation is "ionizing" radiation but that's not in a subtation. You'll find that in a nuclear reactor but not much else on Earth and no where near a substation
@@CrazyNickOO7 thank you for your explanation. could you describe what a 'substation operator' does? i'm looking into a career with DOE or a utility company but i'm having a hard time telling each title such as electrician, engineer, operator, dispatcher, controller, etc. apart based on only the job descriptions because they are all very similarly described.
As an electrician and fellow life long learner, I love all your public works videos. Please keep them coming.
As a substation operator this is an absolutely fantastic and accurate description of how they work.
I would like to add just a few things, the interruption mediums for CB’s now include SF-6 sulfur hexa flouride, vacuum breakers are used on lower voltage cb’s and the higher voltage cb’s oil breakers are being replaced by sf-6 gas cb’s, better for the environment and also if there is a catastrophic fault where an oil cb is compromised, you will not get a river of burning mineral oil everywhere, but even sf-6 gas breakers are being replaced by vacuum cb’s.
The cb’s trip and recloser algorithm is different for each line, some lines are 100% underground and are difficult to patrol , and others go into high fire areas which require extra scrutiny during hot dry windy days, but for the most part relay coordination are setup for a transient fault, birds tree branches etc and will test on their own after 15-30 seconds, giving the branch time to clear itself, if wires are still down or tangled up it will lock out till crews can access and repair, be patient with port outages folks , they are there for grid and public protection, during a storm whole pole lines or equipment can be damaged and take time to repair safely
In France, they aren't allowed to reclose if linemen are working on the line. They also don't do it if the whole line is cable.
Matthew Maxwell-Burton correct they are called lock out orders or no test orders for when linemen are working on a section of isolated energized lines , we do the same
We don’t test fully underground circuits before patrolling because of the likely nature that underground equipment is almost always a hard fault or damaged components that will not just blow itself in the clear , usually a smoking manhole is identified by the public and first responders are called to the scene , sometimes is cable in the middle of the street between structures that is harder to find because the problem is mid duct and not immediately seen
Electrical grids are unsung heroes of modern world.
Mark Freeman Yet we take both the substations and their workers for granted.
As a highly trained maintenance mechanic, I agree. Every time you flip a switch, thank an electrician. And when you turn a faucet on, you can thank me.😃
It was good that A/C beat D/C
@@briangarrow448 Thanks Brian, I didn't know that you were the man behind my faucet here in Albany, NY? lol
@@briangarrow448 I'll think of you when I flush my toilet. How's that? 😃
Great little overview!
The thorough grounding underneath substations is also for protection against lightning strikes. It's connected to lightning rods and conductors that can "catch" lightning strikes so they don't hit the active devices too badly.
Actually, their goal is to prevent strikes by allowing ground charges to dissipate before the potential reaches the critical point and causes a ground-to-cloud discharge, or 'strike'.
@@williamlaudeman7157 Ground grids absolutely don't prevent lightning strikes. The charge build up occurs in the clouds. No matter how much "discharging" you do, there will still be a huge potential difference. The ground grid gives lightning a solid path to ground.
The ground grid has multiple purposes. It is used for safety of workers. If the exterior of all equipment and structures are connected to the same ground grid it ensures that workers aren't shocked or electrocuted when touching equipment or structures. The ground grid also provides a solid return path for grounded wye systems. This return to path is important because protective equipment (relays) are more sensitive to ground faults than phase to phase faults. Therefore, for ground faults, relays can react more quickly and reliably with a strong ground grid.
@@laingalion Actually lightning strokes can originate from the clouds or the ground. As far as discharging, though, there is a reason there is a LOT of lightning protection in a substation but most people think it's just part of the power lines.
@@williamlaudeman7157 No, the ground grid is not even close to being there for lightning protection, they are fairly complex, and sometimes well designed, systems in place for that. The difference in path length for the air to hit it's dielectric breakdown between a cloud and a 138kV line versus a cloud and relatively 0V ground is only about 4.6cm shorter, lightning protection is substantially further away from the conductors than 4.6cm to make it far more likely to be hit by a stroke of lightning.
@@dunzerkug It doesn't matter where the lightning "originates" from. What causes lightning is potential difference. A difference which can be a billion volts. The voltage at a substation is peanuts compared to the voltage build up in the clouds. So even if you "discharge" the voltage at the substation, it wouldn't do much to prevent a lightning strike. The ground grid is just there to give a path for lightning to absorb its energy and hopefully prevent equipment damage.
If your ground grid is designed poorly, it can even cause more harm than good. A poorly designed ground grid can rise in voltage when hit with lightning and will cause damage to everything connected to it.
Thank you so much! I am an EE student that is currently talking to a company that makes grid protection products. They wanted me to watch some of their online seminars, but I didnt understand much of the material. This definitely helped to fill my knowledge gaps.
This video came out the night before my job interview with a power distribution company... Just heard back today that I got the job. Thanks for the help!
How's the new job?
Cool video. I'm a electrical engineer for a power company and that was a great and informative video to help people understand our types of systems. I'd say they only thing I can say is a bit off is the breaker on the right side of the transformer is the one that would operate before the one on the left since that would have fewer people out of power and also protects the investment of the transformer by no allowing dangerous amounts of current to flow into it ( I know for a general population isn't going to know the difference and it is a minor thing ). Thanks for the video and I look forward to more of your videos. Have a great day!
Please entertain a wild question from someone who is not an engineer. Given the fact that there are finite raw materials on earth to make raw steel for electrical equipment (transformers, etc), can said electrical equipment that drives the power grid be "recycled" to repurpose the raw materials?
@@marknewsome987 they do recycle some of that depending on what it is. Most transformers, wire, and things like that are usually recycled or repaired and used again. If it is damaged to the point you can't recycle the equipment it is discarded, ceramic bells, plastic insulators that have failed and the like. That isn't a wild question at all, so if you have anymore I'll try to answer them to the best of my knowledge. Have a good one.
as a protection and control engineer working on these systems, id have to say you did an amazing job describing the inner workings of the Grid. Congrats and keep up the great work!! Tasmania, australia!
Hydro?
Where I work transmission voltage is stepped down usually 3 times. When a transmission line enters the first station, its stepped down from 238kv to 34.5kv that's a receiving station or RS. From there it goes to multiple smaller stations called distribution stations or DS's. From there it can go to large transformers on customers properties called industrial stations or IS's which can step it down to what the customer needs, normally 277/480 or it leaves as stepped down voltage from the DS at 7.5kv and will travel around to neighborhoods to the transformers you normally see on poles or underground, the transformers are calls customer stations or CS's at that point its stepped down to usuable voltages for the customer which can be 277/480 wye or 120/208/240 for delta or 120/208 if wye
Don't forget 120/240 for a single phase, split phase system.
I work in the southern California area. Our stuff is old as sin. They have been talking of upping our primary voltage the 7kv to meet the needs of the future and fall in line more with other utilities. It would be an absolutely monumental undertaking though having to switch out the infrastructure to accept that.
@@Indy509 if they leave the existing lines and just start using the new voltage on new sections, it would be more cost effective, wouldn't it? This would mean only upgrade what is required to the new voltage. Here in Ottawa, we use several voltages. The local power company guy said at one job that 4160 isn't a common voltage here anymore, and it considered a legacy system.
@@Indy509 I was a Distribution Operator at a utility that had some equipment at 8kV and some newer stuff at 13.8kV. Each year they would tackle conversion of portions of the 8kV to 13.8kV, but it's a HUGE, time consuming process. Reconductoring is sometimes necessary, replacing all the transformers with dual voltage hogs that can be energized at 8kV until the conversion actually happens, then a switch on or inside the tank needs to be moved so it can be energized at 13.8kV for the rest of it's life. Not to mention every lightning arrestor, cutout and various other pieces of equipment need to be converted. Those upgrades alone take months to complete and in the end you have upgraded maybe 8-10 blocks. Not that it isn't worthwhile, of course, but when I worked there, maybe 10% of the system maybe was 8kV, and it's probably going to be another 50+ years before it's entirely gone.
@@Beezner122 I hear ya. I'll be good and buried before they get this new system up and running.
I worked as an Apprentice Transmission lineman for a couple of years; the job wasn't for me, but it definitely made me appreciate all that goes into getting power to the people.
My father was a lineman. He constructed high lines and substations. Thank you for the detailed info on how a substation really works.
Great video, a few minor comments (yea, I'm going to be that guy)
1. The purpose of the Switch at the substation is often not for breaking load and faults. Most switches in the US are used simply as a "visible break". A worker can look at a switch and visually tell that downstream conductors and equipment won't be energized. This is important because often you can't tell if a breaker is open at a glance because the breaking mechanism is internal. The breaker's job is to stop the power flow. The switch's job (most of the time) is to visually show that the line is dead. Open breaker first, then the switch.
2. Instrument transformers often don't energize the monitoring equipment anymore. Microprocessor relays are powered by a giant substation battery bank. All intelligence and monitoring in modern substations are powered by the substations batteries. The batteries are powered by the distribution side of the substation via a service transformer.
3. "Recloser" is mostly a distribution term and a distribution equipment. Substation breakers can be set to reclose but are not often referred to as a recloser.
4. Substations are already "smart". "Smart Grid" (a terrible term) often refers to adding intelligence and flexibility to the distribution system.
appreciate the minor comments, helps everyone out :)
As a substation commissioning engineer, I gotta say Grady, you did a great job making this seem understandable to the average person. Might have to make my mom watch this so she’ll stop calling me an electrician lol.
It only seems understandable? Now I'm worried about this not being accurate.
@@Anon54387 nah that's what they're saying. He made a complicated subject understandable.
would you be able to describe what a substation operator does?
@@bjornegan6421 “substation operator” isn’t really a thing anymore as it’s mostly automated or remotely controlled. Used to be that they would have a sub operator stay at certain large subs all day and if something tripped and needed to be reset or if the grid controller called to turn something off they would go operate the breakers. Also they would take certain voltage/current/temperature measurements. That’s all done remotely now. Down a rung would be a utility switchman or HV lineman which actually goes to the sub and opens air switches manually (some things can’t be operated remotely) and do periodic inspections or troubleshooting after a fault. But it isn’t a 24/7 gig inside the sub like it used to be prior to the automation boom utilities had in the 90’s. Linemen have a fairly hands on, physical job.
Up a rung would be the grid controller, who sits at a desk in an office somewhere and clicks buttons on a computer to open and close breakers, schedule maintenance, monitor power flow from production sources to customers, looks for abnormalities, and dispatches a crew of linemen if something is wrong.
@@toastymotors thank you very much for the quick and detailed response. the reason i ask is i am looking at a "substation operator apprentice" job posting from the DOE a few days ago. the description of the responsibilities are:
1 Operates energized high and low voltage electrical power transmission system substations following strict procedures and safety requirements.
2 Checks and reviews station conditions. Responsible for station security and safety of others in the station.
3 Performs inspections on all high and low voltage equipment in substations and keeps records. Periodically inspects station, including all components in the switchyard, outlying buildings, and the perimeter of the property.
4 Monitors and operates various communications systems. All processes require clear oral communication.
5 Completes associated documentation required of the above listed tasks.
6 Drives 15-20% of the time in all weather conditions.
this sounds like a mix of a lot of the individual positions you mentioned.
Good video capture of an arcing disconnect switch. I retired from power engineering and substations kept my mortgage payments going. I salute those who work in this very challenging but rewarding industry.
High voltage disconnect switches are not designed to interrupt load current, but they can interrupt charging current. Some high voltage switches have vacuum/gas bottles that provide interrupting contacts that allow interruption of some load current. I have attempted to switch line switches where the bottles were faulty and the resulting arc and heat generation made me almost evacuate my bowels. Very unpleasant. When a breaker is tripped and when one switches the isolating disconnect switches, at times the charging current can be very intimidating. Rookies will try and drop the switch blades back closed because they panic, while veterans will keep cranking to open the switch while enduring the arcing and sparking. With the breaker open, it's only charging current, but it's noisy and scary. Your video was a very good summary of substations.
P.S. I noticed some personnel at a substation wearing high heels and others wearing low profile shoes. We would prohibit that as it could lead to tripping and injury. The power industry's safety practices have been developed and "written in blood' so to speak. We have adapted out safety practices based on previous accidents and fatalities. Very dangerous industry, but the danger is very manageable. I like you section on the buried conductor ground grid. We have had many injuries and some fatalities based on improper bonding and grounding practices. Great video.
I retired as a Distribution AND Transmission Line Inspector for National Grid in the upstate NY area. ……thankfully before anymore sophisticated remote control devices were installed! I was a Chief Lineman/Foreman with 17 yrs. experience previous to the Inspector’s job and Tree Trimmer (Line clearance) Forman previous to that. I enjoyed this video and wish we had such teaching tools for myself and others in our various electrical jobs/careers. Well done and thank you!
I'm an apprentice electrician and I've been searching for a video explaining detailed operations of power grids. This presentation is the best one I've seen yet! Thank you for this! It definitely aids in my understanding!
The timing of this new series is really weird and convenient.n I'm a Civil Engineer and started my career four years ago in bridges (lots of coordination with hydraulics/soils) and now I moved over to working for an electric utility. Thanks for the quality content! :)
This covers everything I learned in 3 months of internship. Awesome job!
I am an electrical engineering student and have learned a lot of powerline contraction basics from you ,Thank you and keep on sharing your knowledge with us
Studying for NERC exam. Your videos are so much easier to watch and understand compared to the “prep” course.
As an engineer that is frequently asked to repair older insulators and bushings, your videos are extremely informative and well presented. Please keep up this important work.
Please entertain a wild question from someone who is not an engineer. Given the fact that there are finite raw materials on earth to make raw steel for electrical equipment (transformers, etc), can said electrical equipment that drives the power grid be "recycled" to repurpose the raw materials?
Great video, Grady.
W we@jonathan argueta w we w we
Woah
man I love your videos too
Great video, Grady! Substations are fascinating. By the way, have you heard about Segway's Portable PowerStation Cube Series? It's perfect for outdoor enthusiasts like us. It has a massive capacity, fast recharging, and even waterproof technology. Check it out if you're interested!
Thank you for the compliment! If you enjoyed learning about substations, you'll love exploring the features of the Segway Portable PowerStation Cube Series. It's a versatile power solution that's perfect for outdoor adventures and provides reliable backup power for your home. Check it out!
Couldn’t explain it better myself. I worked in substations and power systems for over forty years. There are two other type of stations that look very similar to substations. They are called switching stations and capacitor stations.
The aftermath of a 33 KV oil filled circuit breaker failing is something to behold, I've seen a 4 x 4 metre hole blown threw a 4 layer thick brick wall from just 1 of them the size of a household washing machine exploding under load.
8:27 That dial is just so happy to see them!
As someone who has been using electricity for many, many years, great video! Actually, love ALL your videos. Keep it up.
Just a note on CB dielectric. There are several types of dielectric. From oil, sf6, and vacuum to name a few all of which are used in voltages ranging from 10kv upwards to 400kv+. Most high voltage CB are sf6 but that varies depending on the country
I'm an electrical engineer and I approve this video.
Are you from india
When I first watched this, I was working at McDonalds, now a year later I work in a sub station. They are pretty similar here in New Zealand. Its fascinating to learn how the grid works. Thanks for making the video! :)
@3:48 That was always the best day of switch yard training. Watching the arc and the face of the person cranking the handle. "Don't stop. Keep going" 👍
Finally, someone that understands! I am utterly fascinated by utility infrastructure. I'm a project manager in wireless deployment, having built towers and currently managing a 5G deployment project. These videos are *exactly* what I have been looking for. Will watch all of them. :)
Awesome video Grady! I will be passing this along to future interns in the Substation Engineering department I work in.
@10:49 Wait a minute, is that a real substation with giant metalwork human figures looking like they're playing chess with the substation pieces?
Most urban substations aren't visible enough to even notice art work from outside.
You may like this one at Romanel / Switzerland - they made it as there was a tennis center nearby and the director of the central was a member: www.google.com/maps/@46.5598515,6.6137498,3a,63.5y,354.46h,123.04t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sQNbqgJwXRhQDqVwmOZ_a2A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
If clown shaped ones exist, then I don’t doubt it. laughingsquid.com/clown-shaped-high-voltage-electrical-towers/
I did a Google lens search and one other picture showed up but I can not find any information other then the pictures saying perm gres substation. Google searched that and nothing came up so I'm at a loss but it sure looks cool.
@@MindlessDude You can see them here near Újhartyán, it took me a few minutes to find the correct line. I thought it was a fake and some 3D overlay !. www.google.com/maps/@47.2358228,19.3888187,3a,41.4y,89.28h,95.02t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1snjGW3DlxDgpXwal7tt_keQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
I am a Final year electrical engineering student and I have done my training at 400kv Grid Sub Station
Until I found your videos, I had to rely on videos that were far too detailed for a layman like myself. I find modern infrastructure fascinating, and you're providing all the answers to all my questions; one video at a time. Thank you!
My husband bought me your book for CHristmas! It was near the top of my wish list, so he bought it for me. I'm happy to learn the names and purposes of all the technology around me. This book should be given to every middle-school library in the country, but I don't know anybody that has that much money. It really makes me happy to look into that book.
I always take time to admire the hum of the transformers and the buzz of the transmission lines as I bike past my local substation. Now I'll enjoy it even more!
Awesome video, as always. Would love if you would go one step deeper. A full video of how different switches work or a whole video of transforms would be really cool. People will miss/forget things so going a little more in depth will help them retain at least the important stuff. I love the production quality of these videos, it shows how much effort you put into them, but occasionally just having a 5 min video of you talking to an EE pointing out the parts of a high voltage switch and how it works would be cool to get more information out to the public with less effort.
07:41 "A Transformer is an extremely simple device"
Optimus Prime: "u f'ing wot m8?"
You were able to connect a animated cartoon and electricity. Well done.
Optimus Prime responding like a cockney is the best. LMFAO! "u f'ing wot m8?"
Well, Prime IS an extremely simple device. He can't even fly, and he turns into a lame truck. Now ME, I'm a properly complex Transformer. Think of what it takes to get a several-ton, unaerodynamic-looking, metal body to fly better than Superman and then turn into a little gun once I get where I'm going! Now THAT'S engineering!
1st year apprentice here, I had the opportunity to help work on a substation for couple weeks this last year. And this is fascinating. I was more so just tasked with simple assignment with no opportunity to learn (in depth) a ton of what was going on, although I was briefed on much of it. I really hope I get to work on more of this kind of stuff in my career. If I can declare what I'd like to specialize in it is gonna be splicing, medium voltage, and substations. I would love to know all there is to know about this aspect of electrical.
I worked for GE for many years as a switchgear test and inspect tech. We also performed Doble testing on substation transformers. It was a very satisfying career and I enjoyed it. I've been retired for about 11 years now, but I think about that line of work every time I pass a substation or power station
Hello
your videos are really well done
although I do not speak English I still manage
to understand the concepts and theories thanks to your schemas
very well explained ...
thank you
I'm really diggin' these public works videos, enjoy all your videos!
You have no idea how many of my fifty year old 'mamma hows that work' questions this channel has answered. I'm probably just an odd one but, I've always marveled at the Substations and the humming sound that raw energy seems to produce.
Thanking you these are great places to see what goes into engineering outdoors dealing with the environment we lived close to the substation long ago not know they are really neat as we utilize 3-phase power for our machinery, we are still within only a few thousand yards from a local substation. The sub-stations here in the California high-desert are not as big as many you shared those are well really large we bet you love visiting them. We get lightening strikes as there are no other structures here in the desert near these.
Thank you so much for making this learning easier for us that want to know but are not electrical engineers.
Lance & Patrick.
A big thank you to all the electric grid workers out there! ❤️
Very nice video! I know it won't be a priority, since it is not that common today, but can you make a video about the different types of mass energy storage? Like Flywheels, Pumped Hydro, Batteries and more? Would love to see that.
K1ngjulien_ synchronous condensers are making a come back. Flywheels are common in microgrids
I work for a company that manages electric power systems and it's main business is dielectric liquid testing, transformer maintenance and electrical reliability. This video is absolutely awesome and explains in great detail.
I work in an Org where we manufacture Medium voltage switchgears ( Upto 36kV ) and bushings, along with transformers. Your video is a perfect tool & total guide for beginners & to brush up knowledge for intermediate people. Keep it up.
Please entertain a wild question from someone who is not an engineer. Given the fact that there are finite raw materials on earth to make raw steel for electrical equipment (transformers, etc), can said electrical equipment that drives the power grid be "recycled" to repurpose the raw materials?
Great video! I'm a relay and controls designer for substations - your video is a good explanation of how substations work.....great job!
Awesome. I'm going to share this with my son in law. He is considering a career in civil engineering.
Very nice video.
Thanks for the information, didn't know about the ground rods in substations but it makes so much sense!
I truly appreciate all you lineman and engineers and everyone else it takes to get us electricity!!!! Thank you all!
My experiences with substations are few. Once I tripped a substation breaker before the power company opened the air switches. The trip switch was in a steel booth about the size of a phone booth (if anyone remembers those), but it was made of 3/8” steel. I was a little nervous pushing the button even though I was wearing a protective suit and closed inside the kiosk.
My other substation related experience involved a squirrel in a substation transformer. The resulting brownout caused a malfunction with a 1200 horsepower, 4000v motor a few miles away and the motor exploded. The top portion (about the size of a minivan was flipped launched about 15 feet away. I was dealing with the motor, but it’s amazing that one squirrel caused such a catastrophic failure. Now there were maintenance issues involved with the motor that also contributed to the motor failure.
Would you please do a comparison between the grid in the US an elsewhere in the world- specifically about why 3 phase power distribution is extremely expensive to get in the US, but common elsewhere (e.g. Germany)?
Also, thanks Grady. Every video I learn something new!
I think thats is more to do with local distrobution. Here in Aus (and in Europe) we actually run all three phases down most streets and feed off houses by lots of three. Houses usually only get 80A or 100A single phase but if you need and pay for it you'll be able to get three phase. That might mean paying for a transformer though. That is if you only have 3 phase HV out front. If you have LV 3 phase on the pole out front, you are only paying for cable and install.
It's all about where the local distribution wants to branch off their 3 phases to single phases. If the density of demand is low (country roads, farm land. Etc) then the distribution may only tap a single phase off of the main 3phase trunk line for large ground of houses. But in a high density area like a city, you'll often see 3phases on the street poles and each street or section of street will have its own phase. The expense comes from when the 3phase lines aren't close to where you want it. If you live in a city, it won't be very expensive to get 3 phase. But if you're on the side of a mountain, then the 3phase trunk lines are much further away... Also 3phase power is really only useful when you have spinning loads. Most loads in an average North American house is resistive or DC. Which means the economics of having 3 phase power in an average household doesn't make sense for the electrical distribution companies.
They're pretty obsessive with substation maintenance, in general.
They called me out to check a T1 connection in one today that they'd already confirmed was a LEC problem, "just to be sure."
Kire Du'Hai how hard is it to get a job at the substation??
This is amazing, thank you for this video and all of the wonderful education content on your channel! Many generations will benefit from this readily accessible information!!!
Video is made for ordinary non technical people, but comments are mostly from Electrical Engineers! I am too studying Electrical Engineering third year! Best wishes dude 🙏!
I work in power utilities as a Lineman, and your video is very well done.
6:22 This circuit breaker is not able to disconnect the electric line during a lightning strike, because the lightning strike is too fast, and the lightning voltage is too large for the breaker to withstand it. To reduce the effects of a lightning strike, special devices are used. This is called an surge arrester
When lightning strikes a line, a lot of voltage breaks through it towards to the ground and saves the line and equipment. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surge_arrester
I'm a professional engineer who has worked building infrastructure for 34 years. I love this channel
Air is a dielectric too, hence the clip of contact arcing at the substation. The good thing though is that air has a relatively high dielectric constant.
Fascinating stuff for all us folks who always wonder what the gray boxes behind the fence are for! Thanks!!
You really know that you study electrical engineering when this great video doesnt tell you anything new. Im really proud of myself. :D
Thanks for this awesome video.
0:01 Couldn't decide on which comment:
1) Didn't realize they used Schuko plugs in Texas. :)
2) Adjusted for an international audience.
6:08 I also noticed cyrillic script on some of the large lit up industrial buttons, high probability of being Russian but there are other languages that use it too.
I first read the title as "How Substances Work." I was expecting a *much* longer video.
Dam, as a electrical engineer student, I love these sorts of videos. Its amazing seeing how what I learn in lectures and labs on a much smaller scale can be translated to large scale setups in day to day life. Keep up the amazing videos!
Great video. I work at PG&E Substations and the precautions we take are extremely necessary
I was told that capacitors are also used in local transmission lines.
And I've seen devices that might be just that. Can you tell me where they fit in ?
Retired railroad 'CONDUCTOR' of 37 years(did you notice my 'CONNECTION'?)
My father worked for SCE on the clerical aspect. Much Thanks, Wes - Surf City, CA
As a arch student who is currently loving every bit of her electrical classes, thank you for a such a nice video
Great video, will the next one go into protective relaying al all? ie transformer differential, overcurrent, line relaying, etc. I work in substations every day and it’s great how you break complex concepts down so they’re easy to understand
Please do a video on the different types of water treatment plants!
Need one on natural gas. Come visit WV and I'll shown you around from well head to burner tip and everything in between.
I am a Civil engineer working in substation construction i really learn every day new things about substation.
Quite precise and easy to understand! Greetings from a Brasilian electrical engineer =)
Short version: Substations work great until you let the magic smoke out of them.🔥
Can't forget the magic blue pixies as well.
Heh lets just say the catastrophic failure of a substation like this releases a lot more than blue smoke lol. I have a friend that lives across the road from a large substation that someone decided to end themselves by crashing a transit van into one of the transformers. Seems they failed to ground the thing well enough to blow the breakers though random arcs going off making one hell of an impressive boom each time one formed a metal transformer literally overheating so badly that the metal was literally on fire. Suffice to say I was most glad to be inside a building watching it while phoning the emergency services I think I'd have had a heart attack being out in the open that close lol.
Very angry pixies
It's all fine until the pixies decide to dance in the air.
They were made with a lot of smoke built into them
I just realized why all open electrical wires must've been connected to some circly rods.
It's to prevent arcing.
Part 2 explanation of moving to a smart grid.🤞
Yes
Please
It would be an explanation of why that's a nonsensical buzzword used by the feeble minded. Or by sociopaths trying to steer money into their pockets.
There is so much negative buzz about a smart grid, but the concept actually makes sense once you remove the buzzwords. Think of it as distributed load balancing. Nobody notices if their hot water heater shuts off for 15 minutes. Bingo! want to charge your electric car for a lower cost? Have automatic communication to only charge when demand is the lowest. How about selling power from your electric car at times of extreme demand -- and get well paid for it?
Smart meters are like smart phones. By themselves they aren't much more than a phone. It is the ability to add apps that do a huge range of things that make them useful. We honestly don't know what all could be done with a smart grid -- but we will only be able to do it once the basic infrastructure is in place.
It becomes even more important because most renewable energy, wind, solar, tidal do not conform to peak loads. Instantaneous automated control of loads will greatly simplify grid management.
@@MichaelSteeves it's stupid and overly complicated. Just use nuclear. Renewables are virtue signalling bullshit. If we ever extract enough energy out of the environment to run our civilisation the environmental effects will make histrionic climate alarmists claims look like a child's bedtime story.
I'm a lay person, but I find this stuff fascinating. There's no telling how many people passing by in cars who have said, "Look at that crazy person," as I was walking down the sidewalk gawking up at the power lines and transformers.
Transformer and substation test tech here. Your video and explanation is on point. Delivered in such that the typical person can understand. 👏🏻
Just really like this video after Great Java Blackout in few weeks ago
Keep great job!
The some of the so called "switches in a sub station are also called "air breakers". And a lot of the large overhead transmission lines are 500 KV. Or half a million volts.
As with many modern systems we take for granted, just imagine how many people got zapped and killed to get to this point. The need for every protection device arose out of first hand experience in failure. We are standing on the shoulders of thousands of brave (and stupid) people who lived before us.
Thanks for breaking this stuff down for us Grady. I'm no electrical engineer but I like your videos.
This is a very well explained video. I wished this type of video had been around when I started my career in HV substations nearly 10 years ago.
My local electric company has started placing small solar farms in their substations that have the extra room. I thought this was an interesting way of deploying solar.
What’s even cooler about transformers is that they work both ways! That can be dangerous too though. If a generator is hooked up at your house incorrectly it can feed back up through the transformer into the primary conductors even when the power would otherwise be out. Electricity has no smell or sound so never touch a downed wire even if you believe it to be de-energized.
We live in a very hurricane-prone area, so we got a generator. But we knew that plugging it directly into the house would be dangerous and potentially send power back up the lines that could electrocute lineman working on it if done improperly. So my dad and I installed a manual transfer switch that switches the house’s conductors from grid power to a neutral position with no power before switching from there to the generator- completely taking the circuits that run through it offline. A generator can only handle so much though, so we wired up the essentials for downstairs: fridge and microwave, all the “normal” outlets in the living room and kitchen, and maybe laundry? I don’t remember. The stove and oven, as well as hearing and air would have drawn too much power so we have several grills and griddles available to use in that case (in place of the oven) and we have portable heaters and AC units that can run on regular outlets (to supplement heating and air) if needed. We also have a supply of stabilized ethanol-free gasoline (stabil ensures it doesn’t build up gunk in the container over time, and ethanol-free is better for small engines than gas containing ethanol) for the generator and other small engine devices we have. My dad jokes that we’ll be the only house with WiFi at the end of the world lol! (He’s a bit of a prepper, but not in an extreme way).