(orchestral music)
- [Narrator] We use
electricity every day.
It powers our homes, our work,
our entertainment and more.
But have you ever wondered
where it comes from
and how does it show up
at the flip of a switch.
Energy companies
like Idaho Power
use machines called generators
to convert energy from
flowing water, wind, steam,
or gas into an electrical
current we can use.
That current is created
by using a turbine
to move a magnet inside
a coil of copper wire.
At Idaho Power about
half of our energy
is produced by
hydroelectric projects
on the Snake River.
At a dam,
moving water from
the rivers flow
spins hydro electric turbines.
The turbines rotate a
generator shaft inside
a coil of copper wiring,
creating electricity.
The clean energy
produced by hydro-power
is also one of Idaho Power's
most cost effective resources,
allowing us to offer some
of the lowest energy prices
in the country.
After the energy is
generated at a power plant,
it must be moved to your home.
First, it goes through
a step up transformer,
which converts it to
high voltage electricity.
This energy travels
long distances
using high voltage
transmission towers and lines.
Then the energy goes through
a step down transformer.
Typically at a substation.
Electricity leaves
the substation and
travels to your house
through overhead or
underground distribution lines.
Then when you turn on your
lights, your instant pot
or your TV, electricity is
there to make it happen.
The most fascinating part,
the process of
generating transmitting
and distributing energy
happens almost instantaneously.
Electricity is not
readily stored,
but it can travel at
nearly the speed of light,
which means when
you flip the switch,
the energy you're using
was generated probably
at an Idaho Power Plant at
almost the exact same time.
