Despite our dependency upon electricity — it cooks our food, lights our cities and even saves lives — this form of energy generally is taken for granted.

Electricity occurs in a natural state as lightning and in the form of static electricity. Here we will learn about how electricity is created and controlled. The following is a cursory description of the production and distribution sequence of electricity in basic, nontechnical terms:

1. A source of fuel is burned to create steam from water;
2. That steam is directed into a turbine causing it to spin; (an alternative to steam is to store water above a turbine and let it fall through the turbine to make it spin;
3. Physically attached to the turbine is a magnet located inside coils of wire;
4. As the magnet spins, electricity is created in the wire;
5. The pressure of that electricity is then increased, enabling the electricity to travel long distances along power lines;
6. As the electricity nears the consumer, the pressure is reduced and enters our homes and businesses in a form to operate our appliances.

Fuel —More than half of the nation's electricity is produced using coal as fuel. Hydropower is used to produce approximately 15 percent of the nation's electricity. Other sources used to a lesser extent include natural gas, geothermal steam (naturally occurring underground steam reservoirs) and petroleum. Wind, solar and uranium also are used to create electricity.

Steam (or falling water) — Steam is produced in a very large boiler where a fuel is combusted (burned) to boil water. That steam is then directed into a turbine to make it spin at a very high rate. In hydroelectric facilities, a dam collects water and then allows the water to fall through a turbine, causing it to spin.

Turbine — A turbine consists of many blades, like those on a windmill, attached to a large shaft. These blades are designed so that the force of the steam or water causes the shaft to spin at very high rate of speed.

Generator — A large magnet is attached to the other end of the turbine shaft and is part of the generator. As the magnet spins inside the coils of wire that line the walls of the generator, electrons in the wire are pushed along. As each electron pushes the electron next to it, electric current is set up. That current then flows through the wire and out of the generator to a transformer.

Transmission/Distribution — Depending on their design, transformers either increase ("step up") the voltage of the electricity or decrease ("step down") the voltage. Think of voltage as a force that causes the electron flow. At a power plant, a transformer steps up the voltage, and the electricity leaves through high-voltage transmission lines at levels from 230,000 to 500,000 volts and higher. High-voltage transmission lines are those supported by very large towers and poles. The transmission system exists to transport electricity hundreds of miles from the power plants to locations where it will be used.

The high voltage necessary to enable electricity to travel those many miles is far too forceful to be used in appliances and other practical applications. Therefore that voltage must be reduced when the electricity reaches its destination. Once the voltage is reduced, electricity is then sent to end users using a distribution system.

As electricity goes from the transmission system into the distribution system, a series of step-down transformers at substations lower the voltage. Power lines leading to residential areas generally carry 4,000 to 12,000 volts. Within neighborhoods, the voltage is decreased further with step-down transformers located on the top of poles (or in a vault on the ground) to the typical 120-240 volts for home use.