Transformer substations convert electrical energy from mass power to local power and vice versa. They are found in the center of electrical cables and contain various pieces of equipment. They convert bulk energy into premium energy for local use and can also send excess power back to the grid. Some substations have specialized functions, such as collector substations and railroad substations.
A transformer substation is a place where electrical energy is converted from mass power to local power or vice versa. These dingy gray stations are found at the center of many electrical cables, both above and below ground. They generally contain various pieces of electrical equipment and closed systems. This equipment transforms electrical current to allow it to continue moving through the mass power system or move into the local grid, where it goes to consumers.
In the old days, power wasn’t on a national grid; a single company owned and maintained all the lines in an area. At the time, there were power plants that generated electricity and substations that converted it for use. The term “substation” referred to the fact that the transformation site was connected to a single main station. With the modern power grid, a single transformer substation can be connected to multiple power plants, but the name has remained the same.
When a power plant generates electricity, it shuts down in a form that most electrical devices are unable to use. This format of power, often called bulk power, is great for current movement, but not much else. The series energy moves through high voltage transmission lines and enters a transformer substation. These stations convert bulk energy into premium energy and send it to homes and businesses.
In addition to converting energy for local use, a transformer substation will send bulk energy to the system. Since it is nearly impossible to store such electricity, the transformer takes excess power from the local system and converts it back to bulk power. Furthermore, whenever the local system has enough energy, the transformer substation will send the block energy it receives back to the grid.
Not all transformer substations have the same capacity. Some can only convert power for local use, while others can only retransmit power. This allows the utility to both reduce the amount of its machinery at any one point and to reduce the likelihood that a single incident will disrupt the entire local system.
Outside of the basic transformer substation functions described above, some stations have specific specialized functions. Collector substations connect to a power generation system that relies on sporadic or irregular inputs such as wind or water power. These stations take the energy generated in these systems and convert it for mass energy transmission.
Railroad substations take bulk energy and use it to power subways, monorails, and other electrical systems for people to move. The power used by these large machines is much closer to the bulk transmitted form, so they use their own substation rather than the local grid. These transformer substations behave just like the standard ones.
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