How is Electricity Made?

The most common process of making electricity is called 'mechanical generation'. This is generally because a machine called a generator is used in production. Generators normally consist of large masses of tightly-coiled copper wire which spin around magnets at a high rate of speed. These components together are called a turbine and the spinning action electrifies the wire which in turn creates electricity. Many turbines will be found in electrical generation plants, and they of course are very large in order to produce electricity for many homes and businesses - not like the self made ones we all made in science class!
It takes a tremendous quantity of energy to move generation turbines. This is often provided in the form of steam power generated by the burning of coal. Alternative energy providers can be things such as: Water motion can - be used if there is a large body of water nearby. Heat generated by nuclear fission is also employed and of course wind turbines also create electricity for some areas. People often don't realise that it's the fuel needed to generate the turbines that we need to 'renew'.
Storage of Energy
Of course the energy produced by generation may not have a demand for immediate use and solutions that enable us to efficiently store energy are incredibly important going forward for energy and electricity. There will be times that the amount of energy produced will be more than the amount being used and this is where energy storage comes into play. One of the most common methods for large scale energy storage is grid energy storage. Some grid systems rely on battery storage. Many large batteries are employed for this purpose and this allows convenient access to energy as needed. "Smart grid" systems allow for release of extra energy during any time.
Transmission
Once electricity is produced, it must travel either to a grid storage facility, or to homes and businesses from their suppliers or . Electricity that comes from the generation plant is low-voltage. It is passed through transformers and converted to a much higher voltage, which allows for the electricity to be spread over long distances. The transmission lines are made of heavy copper/aluminium wire - these metals are used because they are highly conductive. All power lines are insulated to reduce the loss of electricity to the environment. Although there is of course always some seepage of energy.
Once the power reaches the point of use, it goes through a substation. There, it is converted back to a lower voltage that is useable for homes and businesses, from here, smaller distribution power lines are the method of transmission. Power lines are normally found above ground although there is a movement for more electrical lines to be buried. Before going into homes, the electricity is then converted to an even lower voltage through a smaller transformer.
And then we get to flick the switch and make use of this incredible form of energy. Something so simple, yet complex that we all use and benefit from.