The national grid Flashcards
(12 cards)
What is the national grid?
The national grid is a giant web of wires,cables, and transformers that covers the whole of Britain, getting electricity from power stations to consumers
Electricity is distributed via what?
The national grid
Electricity production has to meet what?
Demand
When does electricity demand increase?
When people get up in the morning, come home from school or work and when it starts to get cold or dark outside. Popular events like a sporting vinyl being shown on TV could also cause a peak in demand.
Why do power stations often run at below their maximum power output?
So there’s a spare capacity to cope with a high demand
Does the national grid use a high or low potential difference?
High potential difference
Does the national grid use a high or low current?
Low
What is the problem with a high current?
You lose loads of energy as otherwise heat up an energy is transferred to the thermal energy store of the surroundings
Potential difference is changed by what?
A transformer
What is the order when you label a photo of the national grid?
Power station, step up transformer, step down transformer, and consumer
What happened to the potential difference in the step up transformer?
It’s increased
Why is potential difference reduced with a step down transformer?
To make it safe for domestic use
