The Electricity Journey

In the Clean Energy Revolution from National Grid, Max La Manna is on a mission to demystify our energy systems and help make sense of the science and engineering that underpins our everyday lives.

As we push forward towards a net zero world, countries face tough targets to decarbonise the way we fuel our lives and National Grid is there to help in the UK and Northeast United States.

This time, Max explores how electricity is generated and how it makes its way to our homes. We take a mystery tour of the process, unveiling the infrastructure you might have seen out and about, and explaining how it all unpacks in our monthly or yearly energy bill.

We start with a visit to meet Ian Gough, who’s passionate about helping people understand how energy is part of the green revolution. He explains how the Green Park wind turbine, which presides over the UK’s M4 motorway, is powering local businesses. Plus we get an insight into exactly how these renewable power generators work.

Engineer Senamiso Mathobela explains how transmission carries high voltage energy around the UK, before we visit James Kelloway for a tour of the ESO – or electricity system operator – to find out how all that supply and demand is balanced to power everyday lives.

Then it’s off to a substation in Bristol to meet Stephen Blackwell. Ever wondered what happens at a local electricity substation? All is revealed here when Steve takes us through the important job of making sure that high voltage energy is stepped down to the right level for our homes and businesses and managed at sites around the country.

Then finally Paul Sands of pioneering green energy supplier Ecotricity explains how all these stages break down into our monthly bills, and tackles the tough questions many of us are facing during the crisis. He also discusses why renewable energy costs more during a gas crisis and how that might be set to change in the future.

Ian Gough runs Reduce Energy Ltd. https://www.nrgreduced.com

Green Park is located in Reading https://www.greenpark.co.uk

Find out about National Grid ESO at https://www.nationalgrideso.com

Ecotricity https://www.ecotricity.co.uk

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