national grid Flashcards
what is the national grid?
a system of transformers and high voltage transformers
what is the problem with getting energy to homes?
energy is always lost in power cable due to resistance of wires
what are the 2 ways we can reduce energy lost in power cables?
build power stations closer to homes, use transformers
how does using transformers reduce energy lost in power cables?
step-up transformers increase potential difference to 100,000s of volts, and less energy is lost in power cables when potential difference is high
after electricity passes through high voltage cables, what does it pass through and why?
step-down transformer to decrease potential difference( 230V) because potential difference is too high and unsafe for homes
describe briefly the journey electricity takes to get from power stations to homes?
power station -> step-up transformer -> high voltage cables -> step-down transformers->home