Basic Concepts

Of Electricity
• Electricity is the most widely used form of
energy, ranging from miniature batteries in
your wristwatch to large arc furnaces for
melting steel. It's important to understand
electricity's basic principles to see how to
use it wisely and safely.
 What is Electricity?
• Electricity is a form of energy that starts
with atoms.
• Electricity can be created by forcing electrons to
flow from atom to atom.

Free Electrons can Move from

Free Electrons Can Move
Atom to Atom
 What is Electricity? Cont’d ….
• The word "electric" comes from the Greek word
"amber" and has been used to describe a wide
range of related phenomena.
• We can't see electricity, but we can see its
effects, such as light .
• Electricity can exist in a number of forms, but
there are two types of commonly used electricity:
Direct Current, Alternating Current
What is Electricity? Cont’d ….
• Direct Current (DC)
• Direct current is produced when electrons
flow constantly in one direction.
• It's abbreviated as "DC". Since direct
current flows in one direction only, its
electrical pressure or voltage is always
oriented in one direction, or "polarity".
What is Electricity? Cont’d ….
• Alternating current (AC)
• The primary characteristic of AC power that makes it so
economical is the ability to change the voltage levels by
using transformers. The voltage can be stepped up or
down as the need arises. This allows the power to be
distributed as widely as needed.
• Unlike DC voltage and current, which remain steady, AC
voltage and current changes -- or cycles -- 60 times per
second in North America. AC power in Europe cycles 50
times per second.
• AC power is represented graphically by a sinusoidal or
sine waveform. -- called sine wave for short.
What is Electricity? Cont’d ….
• There are five characteristics of AC power;
Amplitude, Cycles, Frequency, Peak to
Peak, and RMS.
 Def of Current
• Current is a measure of the rate of electron flow
through a material.
• Electrical current is measured in units of
amperes or "amps" for short. This flow of
electrical current develops when electrons are
forced from one atom to another.
• One amp is defined as 6.28 x 10 18 electrons
per second.
 Current cont’d
(heat production)
• When current flows in a conductor, heat is
produced.
• That is why the amperage flow in a circuit
is important, since the more amps flowing,
the more heat is produced.
• Most people notice this heating effect
when the cord of any appliance or
electrical device heats up after the device
has been running for an extended period.
 Current cont’d
Overloading
• Recognizing heat production is important
in specifying wire sizes.
• When a wire carries more amps than it
can handle without overheating, we say it
is "overloaded".
• Overloaded wires can melt the insulation
and create shocks or even fires.
 Conductors
• The term “Conductor” can refer to a material
that allows electricity to flow through it OR the
specific physical wires contained in an electric
circuit.
 Conductors cont’d
• Materials that are made up of Atoms whose
Electrons are easily freed are called "conductive
materials" or simply "Conductors".
• Because of their atomic structure, most metals
are good conductors of electricity.
• Silver, Copper, Gold, and Aluminum are
examples of some of the very best Conductors
of electricity.
• Copper and Aluminum are conductors that are
commonly used in wiring electrical systems
because of their combination of performance
and cost.
 Copper Wires

• Copper Wire is commonly used on the

"customer side" of the Electric Meter.
 Copper had certain advantages and
disadvantages when compared to its primary
alternative, aluminum wire.
• Copper costs more (capital cost) than aluminum wire but
requires less maintenance (variable cost).
• While copper wire costs more than aluminum wire,
copper is a better conductor, so a smaller wire can be
used compared to aluminum.
• Copper wire also requires less maintenance than
aluminum wire. Because copper expands less than
aluminum for similar amounts of heat, circuits using
copper wire do not have as many maintenance issues
with loose connections.
• Copper can also withstand many varied corrosive
environments much better than aluminum wire.
 Power

• Power is a measure of the amount of work an electric

current can accomplish in a specified period of time.
• The most common unit of electrical power measurement
is the watt, or kilowatt, which is 1,000 watts.
• Power is the rate at which electrical energy is converted
into some other form of energy such as light, heat or
mechanical work or horsepower.
 Power con’d
• For any electrical device, the higher its power rating in
watts, the greater its consumption of electrical energy,
not necessarily the amount of work it produces.
• For example, consider a 100-watt incandescent light
bulb. The 100 watts does not represent how much light it
produces, but how much electrical power it uses. A 17-
watt fluorescent lamp may produce much or even more
light, while using only 17% of the power.
 Rating Your Appliance
• The electric company actually bills you for
the amount of energy that you use. But
your appliances are rated by the amount
of power that they use. You can easily find
the amount of energy used by solving the
power equation for energy. You get:
Energy=Pt
units of kilowatt hours
 Calculating your electric bill
• Now all you need to know is how much your
electric utility or company charges you for
energy. This will usually be in the units of $ per
kw hr. Then you just multiply the kw hrs by the $
per kw hr, and you end up with the cost for that
appliance for the amount of time that you have
used it.
 Sample Calculations
• Let's say that you found that your
microwave oven has a power rating of 120
watts. To convert that into kilowatts you
must divide by 1000 as follows. Place this
number in the table.
 Sample Calculations cont’d
• You estimate that your microwave oven is
used 3 hours per day. Multiply by 365 days
per year to get the hours used per year as
follows:
 Sample Calculations cont’d
• Now you can calculate your energy
consumption by multiplying the power in
kw times the time used in hr/yr as follows:
 Electrical Emergencies
• A downed power line is potentially hazardous .
• Always assume a fallen wire is "live" or "hot"
even if it looks harmless.
• If the wire is energized or "live," it will electrically
charge anything that comes into contact with it.
Never touch anything the fallen wire has been in
contact with.
• For Example
 Aluminum Wires
• Aluminum Wire is used as the primary material
for electrical conductors on utility transmission
and distribution systems.
• The overhead wires spanning Utility Poles are
made of Aluminum and do not have Insulation
around them. By not insulating the wires, the
heat can dissipate to the air faster.

Bare Aluminum Conductors

Roll of Aluminum Conductor
on Overhead Lines
Advantages of Aluminum’s over Copper as a
conductor for Utility Lines
Its lighter weight and more economical lower
cost
• Because Aluminum costs less than Copper,
using aluminum conductors (wires) helps
Utilities keep costs down.
• Because Aluminum is lighter than copper, in can
be run longer distances between the poles
(spans) which allows fewer poles to be used.
This saves money on poles when building the
line.
 Resistance
• "Electrical Resistance" is defined as the "characteristics
of the material that impedes the flow of electricity
through the material.“
• Even the best electrical conductors, (i.e. Gold) have
some resistance to the flow of electricity (electrons)
through them .
• “Think of Resistance as a measure of how loosely or
tightly a material holds onto its electrons “

Flow of Electric Current

 Factors that effects resistance
The Resistance to flow in an electrical circuit comes
from factors including the material the wire is made of
(and impurities), the diameter of the wire, and the length
of the wire.
• * Aluminum Wires have more Resistance than Copper
Wires for the same diameter and length.
• * Smaller Wires have more Resistance than larger
diameter Wires for the same material and length.
• * Longer Wires have more Resistance than shorter
Wires for the same material and diameter.

Resistance Factors
 Insulators

• Insulators are materials that have structural

properties exactly opposite of conductors.
• These materials are made up of atoms whose
electrons are not easily "freed". These electrons
are said to be tightly bound to the nucleus, and
are very stable.
• Typical examples of insulators. Glass, rubber,
porcelain, and most plastics are good insulators.
 Voltage
• Voltage is the electrical force that causes free electrons
to move from one atom to another .
Analogy:
“Just as water needs some pressure to force it through a
pipe, electrical current needs some force to make it flow”
• "Volts" is the measure of "electrical pressure" that
causes current flow. Voltage is sometimes referred to as
the measure of a potential difference between two points
along a conductor
 Energy

• Electrical energy is the average amount of

power used over a given time period and
is commonly measured in "kilowatt-hours."
 Calculation of Energy
Let's calculate the energy use for a blow dryer.

Say the blow dryer is rated at 1,500 watts by the

manufacturer. This is how much electric power it uses
when it operates.

If the blow dryer is operated for a total of 2 hours

each month, the blow dryer consumes 1,500 watts x 2
hours = 3000 watt-hours.

Since utility rates are based on kilowatt-hours, divide

by 1,000 to get 3 kilowatt-hours. This shows how power
consumption and operating time are important in
determining energy use.
 How Electricity Is Generated
• Most electricity used in the United States is
produced at power plants.
• Various energy sources are used to
turn turbines.
• The spinning turbine shafts turn electromagnets
that are surrounded by heavy coils of copper
wire inside generators. This creates a magnetic
field, which causes the electrons in the copper
wire to move from atom to atom.
 How Electricity Travels
• Electricity leaves the power plant and is sent over high-
power transmission lines on tall towers.
• The very strong electric current from a power plant must travel
long distances to get where it is needed.
• Electricity loses some of its strength (voltage) as it travels, so it
must be helped along by transformers, which boost or “step
up” its power.
• When electricity gets closer to where it will be used, its voltage
must be decreased.
• Different kinds of transformers at utility substations do this job,
“stepping down” electricity’s power. Electricity then travels on
overhead or underground distribution wires to neighborhoods.
• When the distribution wires reach a home or business, another
transformer reduces the electricity down to just the right voltage
to be used in appliances, lights, and other things that run on
electricity.
Voltage from generator to Customer