Where does our electricity come from? What is grid stability, peak time and why is our electricity supply so unstable? There’s a lot of talk around electricity supply and demand (and price increases!) these days but not a lot of talk about how it all works!
There are a number of complex steps in the generation of electricity to when it arrives at your home, but it can be summarised in 4 key steps:
1. Power Generation
Electricity is generated at power plants located throughout the country. In Ireland, the electricity is generated from wind energy, natural gas, coal and peat(fossil fuels)
2. Transmission
Once electricity is generated, it is transmitted across the country via a network of high voltage transmission lines. The transmission system is owned and operated by EirGrid, which is responsible for ensuring that the electricity supply is balanced and stable
3. Distribution
Once the electricity reaches a local area, it is distributed to homes, businesses, and industries through a network of lower voltage distribution lines. The distribution system is operated by ESB Networks, which is responsible for maintaining and upgrading the local electricity infrastructure.
4. Supply
Electricity suppliers then purchase electricity from the wholesale market and sell it to end-users such as households and businesses
What are 'Peak Times' and what is 'The Grid'?
EirGrid operates and develops Ireland’s electricity grid. The grid safely brings power from generators to the ESB network that supplies every home, farm, community and business in Ireland.
Peak time refers to the time of the day when the electricity demand on the grid is typically at its highest. We need to strengthen the grid to deal with increasing demands.
