For the stable life of our metropolis, energy equal to 100 million kWh per day is required, and per year this amounts to about 38 billion kWh. Who and what supplies Moscow with electricity? On Raushskaya embankment there is hydroelectric power station No. 1 (the oldest power plant in the capital), which is not only a UNESCO monument, but also generates electricity to supply the State Duma, the Kremlin, Lubyanka Square and the metro. The rated power of the station is 86 MW. The station was built by order of Emperor Alexander III to connect electricity to the first trams. Over the 114 years of existence of HPP-1, its capacity has increased 10 times.
The main source of electricity supply to Moscow is thermal power plants, in the amount of 15 units.
Another feature of Moscow’s power supply is the Moscow Energy Ring, which is formed by high-voltage power lines (voltage 500 kV) and a group of powerful substations (PS) located both within the city and in the Moscow region. The main task of these node substations is to reduce the voltage from 500 to 220 and 110 kV and transfer it to the node distribution substations.
We are often contacted by readers who have never encountered electrical work before, but want to figure it out. A section “Electricity for Beginners” has been created for this category.
Figure 1. Movement of electrons in a conductor.
Before you begin work related to electricity, you need to get a little theoretical knowledge on this issue.
The term "electricity" refers to the movement of electrons under the influence of an electromagnetic field.
The main thing is to understand that electricity is the energy of the smallest charged particles that move inside conductors in a certain direction (Fig. 1).
Direct current practically does not change its direction and magnitude over time. Let's say a regular battery has constant current. Then the charge will flow from minus to plus, without changing, until it runs out.
Alternating current is a current that changes direction and magnitude with a certain periodicity. Think of the current as a stream of water flowing through a pipe. After a certain period of time (for example, 5 s), the water will rush in one direction, then in the other.
Figure 2. Transformer design diagram.
With current this happens much faster, 50 times per second (frequency 50 Hz). During one period of oscillation, the current increases to a maximum, then passes through zero, and then the reverse process occurs, but with a different sign. When asked why this happens and why such current is needed, we can answer that receiving and transmitting alternating current is much simpler than direct current. The receipt and transmission of alternating current is closely related to a device such as a transformer (Fig. 2).
A generator that produces alternating current is much simpler in design than a direct current generator. In addition, alternating current is best suited for transmitting energy over long distances. With its help, less energy is lost.
Using a transformer (a special device in the form of coils), alternating current is converted from low voltage to high voltage, and vice versa, as shown in the illustration (Fig. 3).
It is for this reason that most devices operate from a network in which the current is alternating. However, direct current is also used quite widely: in all types of batteries, in the chemical industry and some other areas.
Figure 3. AC transmission circuit.
Many people have heard such mysterious words as one phase, three phases, zero, ground or earth, and know that these are important concepts in the world of electricity. However, not everyone understands what they mean and how they relate to the surrounding reality. Nevertheless, it is imperative to know this.
Without delving into technical details that are not necessary for a home handyman, we can say that a three-phase network is a method of transmitting electric current when alternating current flows through three wires and returns back through one. The above needs some clarification. Any electrical circuit consists of two wires. One way the current goes to the consumer (for example, a kettle), and the other returns it back. If you open such a circuit, then no current will flow. That's all the description of a single-phase circuit (Fig. 4 A).
The wire through which the current flows is called phase, or simply phase, and through which it returns - zero, or zero. consists of three phase wires and one return. This is possible because the phase of the alternating current in each of the three wires is shifted relative to the adjacent one by 120° (Fig. 4 B). A textbook on electromechanics will help answer this question in more detail.
Figure 4. Electrical circuit diagram.
The transmission of alternating current occurs precisely using three-phase networks. This is economically beneficial: two more neutral wires are not needed. Approaching the consumer, the current is divided into three phases, and each of them is given a zero. This is how it gets into apartments and houses. Although sometimes a three-phase network is supplied directly to the house. As a rule, we are talking about the private sector, and this state of affairs has its pros and cons.
Earth, or more correctly, grounding, is the third wire in a single-phase network. In essence, it does not carry the workload, but serves as a kind of fuse.
For example, when electricity runs out of control (such as a short circuit), there is a risk of fire or electric shock. To prevent this from happening (that is, the current value should not exceed a level that is safe for humans and devices), grounding is introduced. Through this wire, excess electricity literally goes into the ground (Fig. 5).
Figure 5. The simplest grounding scheme.
One more example. Let's say that a small breakdown occurs in the operation of the electric motor of a washing machine and part of the electric current reaches the outer metal shell of the device.
If there is no grounding, this charge will continue to wander around the washing machine. When a person touches it, he will instantly become the most convenient outlet for this energy, that is, he will receive an electric shock.
If there is a ground wire in this situation, the excess charge will flow down it without harming anyone. In addition, we can say that the neutral conductor can also be grounding and, in principle, it is, but only at a power plant.
The situation when there is no grounding in the house is unsafe. How to deal with it without changing all the wiring in the house will be discussed later.
ATTENTION!
Some craftsmen, relying on basic knowledge of electrical engineering, install the neutral wire as a ground wire. Never do this.
If the neutral wire breaks, the housings of grounded devices will be under voltage of 220 V.
Electricity is perhaps the most significant discovery in human history. A previously unknown force has always existed and a striking example of this is lightning. Faced with this phenomenon, scientists wondered – where did electricity come from and what is it?
The study of electricity continued for almost 2,700 years. From the very moment when the ancient philosopher Thales of Miletus discovered the attraction of small objects by amber rubbed on a piece of wool. Today we know that electricity is transmitted by electrons - small "balls" running along wires.
Experiment: Place small pieces of paper on the table, then take a simple plastic pen and rub it vigorously against a piece of wool or hair. When you bring your pen close to pieces of paper, they will simply begin to stick to it. This is the attraction that arises as a result of a static charge.
In the process of research, scientists wondered where electricity comes from, and found new sources. In nature, atmospheric electricity is static in nature. The tiny droplets of water that make up clouds rub against each other. The resulting friction builds up charge and eventually discharges into each other or into the ground in the form of lightning.
Electrostatic machine
The principle of its operation is based on the same friction, and modern electrostatic machines are demonstrated in physics lessons. The first such machine appeared back in 1663. Then scientists noticed that when glass rubs against silk, one charge arises, and when resin rubs against wool, another charge arises. Opposite charges were then called “glass and tar electricity.” Today we know that these are positive (+) and negative (-) charges.
These charges were accumulated in a Leyden jar. This was the first capacitor, which was a glass jar wrapped in foil and filled with salt water. The water accumulated one charge, and the foil accumulated the second. When the contacts come closer, a spark jumps between them, representing a small model of lightning.
Today it is an ordinary battery - a source of direct current. Electric current in a battery appears as a result of a chemical reaction. You can also get it at home. Place a simple nail in a glass of vinegar and a copper wire next to it. That's all - the battery is ready. The first galvanic cell was created by the outstanding physicist Volt. He took the zinc and silver circles and, alternating them one by one, replaced them with pieces of paper soaked in salt water. However, a clue for Volta was the experiment of Professor of Medicine Galvani. A scientist, studying anatomy, hung a frog's leg on a copper hook, and when he touched it with a steel object, the leg twitched. It took more than 10 years to solve the mystery of where electricity came from, but in the end Volt determined that it arose through the interaction of different metals.
Generator
The first generator was created in 1831 by the famous physicist Faraday. The principle is based on the connection between electricity and magnetism. The scientist wound a wire around a coil and when he moved a magnet inside the coil, an electric current appeared in the winding. The same principle continues in modern dynamos. Such devices are installed on the front wheel of a bicycle and connected to the headlight. There is a coil in the body, and a permanent magnet rotates in the middle. Modern industrial generators operating in power plants are more complex. In them, the permanent magnet was replaced by an excitation coil, that is, an electromagnet, but otherwise the same principle discovered by Faraday works.
As already mentioned, electricity is transmitted by electrons. In order for electrons to begin moving through wires, they need additional energy. In simple generators they receive this energy from a magnetic field, but in solar panels - from light. Small particles of light - photons - fall on a special matrix, which, under the influence of light, begins to give up electrons and an electric current arises.
Modern electricity
Today, without electricity, it is difficult to imagine the existence of humanity. In addition, with the growth of technological capacity, one of the pressing questions becomes where to get electricity from. Therefore, many different power plants are built and operate around the world. Apart from solar, all the others produce electric current with the help of generators, but these generators rotate due to different forces.
The operating principle of various types of power plants:
- hydroelectric power station - rotation occurs due to the passage of water flow through a turbine (blades);
- wind power plant - rotation occurs due to the wind spinning the propeller blades;
- thermal power plant - fuel is burned to heat water and turn it into steam. In turn, steam under pressure passes through the turbine and rotates the blades, and the rotation is transmitted to the generator;
- nuclear power plant - the principle is the same as that of a thermal one, only the water is heated not by the combustion of fuel, but by a slow nuclear reaction.
This is where electricity comes into our house. True, on their way, fast-moving electrons pass through many different installations, electrical stations and substations, where voltage is converted, power is distributed, etc. It is easier to explain to children where electricity comes from by saying that it is an invisible force obtained from nature itself - river flows, blowing wind, fire. At the same time, it is necessary to warn that electric current is dangerous and does not forgive pranks, so it is better to stay away from sockets.
Zero
In an ordinary socket there are 2 contacts - phase and zero. Where does zero come from in electricity if plus and minus are phase variables? Each generator at a power plant has 3 windings and each generates a separate phase. The phases are designated by the Latin letters A, B and C. The ends of all 3 windings are closed, and the other ends are the sources of the phases. The point of closure of the windings is zero. Thus, the current from any of the windings passing through the load returns to the zero point. Additionally, in the switchboard of the house, the neutral is grounded, and the circuit is called “solidly grounded neutral”. With overhead power lines, the neutral wire is grounded on supports. This is done so that in the event of a short circuit, the current reaches a maximum sufficient to trigger the cut-off automatics. In addition, if a break occurs on the main neutral wire, the earth will act as a collector and an accident will not occur.
Some industrial electrical installations have an isolated neutral, as this is provided for by the operational features of the installation itself. In houses, the zero must be grounded.
Light / Electrical connection
Raise a son, grow a tree, build a house... But it’s not enough to build a house, it must be connected to the power grid. Without light - nowhere! But in our Russian conditions, connecting to power grids is always stressful, or rather, a small legal war.
We at EnergoVOPROS.ru try to the best of our ability to help people in their struggle for energy. When you are just at the beginning of your journey, you need to understand where to start, what the main pitfalls may be, and what you should be wary of? To clarify the main points of the difficult process, we have collected answers to the most common questions that people ask in connection with connecting a private home to electrical networks. Some of them were received from government organizations, some were given by EnergoVOPROS.ru experts
Connection to electrical networks: how much will it cost to connect a plot of land in a village to the electrical networks?
I'm physical. face. I bought a plot in the village. From my site to the nearest electric line pole. transmissions of 70-100 meters directly, if on the road bypass, then it will be 300-400 meters, a power of 15 kW is needed. Questions:
How much will it cost to join an email? networks? poles, meter, wires, etc. at whose expense?
What documents are needed to apply?
What is the time frame for technical connection in my case?
Answers:
In accordance with paragraph 2 of the Rules for the technological connection of power receiving devices of electrical energy consumers, electrical energy production facilities, as well as electrical grid facilities belonging to network organizations and other persons to electrical networks, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated December 27, 2007 No. 861 (hereinafter - Rules), regardless of the presence or absence of the technical possibility of technological connection on the date of the applicant’s application, the grid organization is obliged to enter into an agreement with persons whose maximum power of power receiving devices is up to 15 kW inclusive (taking into account the power previously connected at a given connection point) and owned by them on the right of ownership or on another basis provided by law for a capital construction project and (or) the land plot on which the applicant’s objects are (will be located), or the right of ownership or other basis provided by law for energy receiving devices, and also to take measures in relation to the energy receiving devices of such persons for technological connection.
According to paragraph 16. “b” of the Rules under the contract, the period for carrying out technological measures cannot exceed 6 months for an applicant whose maximum connected power is up to 15 kW inclusive, the power supply of which is provided from one source.
The technological connection of this applicant to the electrical networks of the network organization can be carried out with a voltage class of up to 20 kV inclusive, if the minimum distance measured in a straight line from the boundaries of the applicant’s site on which the connected power receiving devices are located to the nearest electrical network facility (power line support, cable line, switchgear, substation) having a voltage class specified in the application is no more than 300 meters in cities and towns and no more than 500 meters in rural areas.
The amount of payment for technological connection of power receiving devices with a maximum power not exceeding 15 kW inclusive is set based on the cost of measures for technological connection in the amount of no more than 550 rubles (including VAT) subject to the above the listed distances.
It is prohibited to impose on the applicant services and obligations not provided for in the Rules. In accordance with current legislation, the applicant is not required to make any additional collection in the form of a fee for the elimination of technological limitations, for the provision of any additional services or additional construction to the boundaries of the applicant’s land plot with a maximum connected capacity of up to 15 inclusive.
To conclude an agreement, the applicant sends an application to the network organization whose power grid facilities are located at the shortest distance from the boundaries of the applicant’s site.
An application submitted by an applicant - an individual for the purpose of technological connection of power receiving devices, the maximum power of which is up to 15 kW inclusive, which are used for domestic needs and other needs not related to business activities, and the power supply of which is provided from one source, must include indicated:
- Last name, first name and patronymic of the applicant, series, number and date of issue of the passport or other identification document in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation;
- Place of residence of the applicant;
- Name and location of power receiving devices that need to be connected to the electrical networks of the network organization;
- Time frames for the design and phased commissioning of energy receiving devices (including by stages and queues);
- Maximum power of the applicant's energy receiving devices.
The following documents are attached to the application:
- A copy of the document specified in the application identifying the applicant;
- A copy of a document confirming the ownership or other basis provided by law for a capital construction project and (or) the land plot on which the applicant’s objects are (will be located), or the right of ownership or other basis provided by law for energy receiving devices;
- List and power of energy receiving devices that can be connected;
- TIN of the applicant;
- A plan for the location of power receiving devices that need to be connected to the electrical networks of the network organization (copied on a scale that allows you to determine the distance from the boundaries of the applicant’s land plot to the electrical grid facilities);
- Calculation of consumer load;
- A power of attorney or other documents confirming the authority of the applicant submitting and receiving documents, if the application is submitted to the network organization by the applicant’s representative.
For more complete information on documents for connecting electricity to your power receiving device, you need to contact the network organization according to your territorial affiliation.
Connecting to the electrical networks of a private home: how long does it take to prepare technical specifications (TU) and who should fulfill them?
Hello. To connect to power supply networks, I have to contact the power grid organization and request technical specifications. In this regard, a number of questions arise.
Question 1: how much time is given to the power grid organization to issue technical specifications and on the basis of what documents?
Question 2: after receiving the technical specifications, who must fulfill the technical specifications, everything that is said in them (installation of poles, installation of a substation, laying a wire to my site.), I pay only 550 rubles. for technological connection 380V 15 kW (as I understand it, for connection on a pole)? And on the basis of what documents should all work be carried out by me, the ESO, the city authorities or anyone else.
Thank you in advance for your response.
Answers:
According to the time of issuance of technical specifications: a network organization, according to Resolution 861 of the Government of the Russian Federation, is given 30 days.
According to the implementation of the specifications: if the ESO line is located at a distance not exceeding 300 meters for the city and 500 meters for the village, from the boundaries of your land plot, then the construction of electrical networks to the boundaries of your plot will fall on the network organization, in accordance with the same 861 resolution and on All this is given to them for 6 months.
Connection to the electrical grid of a private house in the city. Distance - more than 300 meters. What should I do?
If the distance from existing electrical networks of the required voltage class to the boundaries of the applicant’s land plot, on which the connected power receiving devices are located, is more than 300 meters (approximately from 800 to 1500 meters), is PP-334 valid in the city? And within what time frame are the COs required to connect this area to the power grid?
Answers:
There may be two options here. You write an application for technical specifications to a network organization and they give you technical specifications at an individual rate, i.e. The network company itself builds a line for you during the validity of the specifications, which is usually 2 years. Or you attach a letter to the application - consent to build this line at your own expense and the specifications will cost you 550 rubles for 15 kW. And then everything will depend on you.
Connection to power grids in the Domodedovo district of the Moscow region. Where should I go, what documents are needed and how long will the registration take?
Good afternoon We have a plot of land without buildings in the Domodedovo district of the Moscow Region; to build a house, we need a connection point to the power grid. Where should I go, what documents are needed and how long will the registration take?
Answers:
First, you need to find the nearest 0.4 kV power line and find out whose balance and service it is in. After finding out the balance, contact the network organization with an application for technical assistance. accession. After 30 days you will be issued a technical agreement. connections and technical conditions. And then everything will depend on you, how quickly you can fulfill all the points of the specifications and legalize your electrical installation. From the editors of EnergoVOPROS.ru: Most likely you need the Domodedovo Distribution Zone of the Southern Electric Networks of the Moscow United Electric Grid Company (MOESK). You can see their coordinates
Connecting a private house to the power grid: the network company missed the deadline and refuses to connect. Where and how to complain?
On January 17, 2012, I entered into an agreement with the electrical networks for the connection of a newly built house, received the contract, technical conditions, fulfilled my part of the contract (connection within the site), paid 550 rubles, the contract expired on July 19, 2012. The electrical networks verbally say that no funding. Where to complain and what articles to cite as arguments? Is it necessary to require a written refusal to annex a house?
Answers:
You need to prepare a written claim for violation of the terms of the contract and send it to the electric grid company. You can hand it over personally to the office against the signature of the head (secretary) of the office on your copy of the claim. It is also possible by mail, but only with notification.
Please note that the claim must be addressed specifically to the legal entity, and not to its structural unit - RES (electric network district). To do this, look at the preamble of the agreement; it must indicate the correct (full) name of this legal entity. At the end of the agreement, where the addresses and payment details of the parties are indicated, find the legal and postal addresses of the company. It is better to send the claim to the legal address (these addresses usually coincide).
In your complaint, state your demand to fulfill your obligations and your promise to send your application (complaint) to the Federal Tax Service (the department of the federal tax service in your region) to hold the network company accountable. The claim should not include any demands that the network company refuse to connect. In the basis of the claim, it is enough to indicate articles of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation: 401 (grounds of liability for breach of obligation), 779 (general provisions on the contract for the provision of services). Also add a link to clause 16 of the Technological Connection Rules, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated December 27, 2004 No. 861 (it establishes the deadlines for the execution of the contract). In your claim, indicate the period within which the network company must fulfill its obligations to you.
It is clear that if she did not fulfill her obligations within a 6-month period, then she will not be able to do so in a month. However, indicate a month period after which you can send your complaint to the Federal Antimonopoly Service to bring the network company to justice.
What is alternative energy? The modern world offers ways to create free electricity. How to make it yourself?
Alternative
In 1901, the famous, brilliant scientist Nikolai Tesla designed the huge Wardenclyffe Tower in New York. JP Morgan took over the financial part of the project. Tesla wanted to implement free radio communications and provide humanity with free electricity. Morgan was simply expecting wireless international communications.
The idea of free electricity horrified the industrial and financial “Aces”. There were no willing revolutions in the world economy; everyone was holding on to super-profits. Therefore, the project was canceled.
So what did Tesla build? How was he going to make free electricity? In the 21st century, the idea of alternative energy powered by other sources is gaining increasing support. A kind of opponent to oil, coal, and gas here are the renewable resources of the Earth and other planets.
Where can you get free electricity from? Sunlight, wind energy, earth energy, the use of tides, and the muscular energy of the human body can change the future of the planet. Pipelines and reactor sarcophagi will become a thing of the past. Many states will be able to free their economies from the need to purchase expensive sources of electricity.
Much attention is paid to the search for alternative energy sources that are easily renewable. In recent decades, humanity has been concerned about problems of environmental cleanliness and resource efficiency.
Technology
Options for obtaining free electricity are discussed below.
Wind power plant. Holland proposes to build a huge wind farm in the North Sea, and an artificial island equipped with the necessary equipment, which will take on the role of an energy hub, distributing electricity between 5 countries.
Saudi Arabia has proposed creating "kite"-shaped turbines, and placing them in the air rather than on the ground. Several countries have their own wind turbine fields.
Solar power plant. There are roofs on sale that consist of solar panels, as well as photovoltaic glass panels that can be used to cover the exterior walls of houses. American scientists have produced solar panels in the form of transparent tiles that can be used to glaze windows to generate electricity for the home.
A thunderstorm battery is an energy storage device from discharges in the atmosphere. Lightning is redirected to the power grid.
The TPU toroidal generator consists of 3 coils. The magnetic vortex and resonant frequencies are the cause of the current. It was invented by S. Mark.
Tidal power plants - operation depends on the ebb and flow of the tides, the position of the Earth and the Moon.
Thermal power plant - high-temperature groundwater is used as a resource.
Human Muscular Strength - Humans also generate energy when they move, which can be harnessed.
Thermonuclear fusion is a process that can be controlled. Heavier nuclei are synthesized from lighter ones. This method is not used because it is very dangerous.
My own master
You can create free electricity yourself. There are many methods to build devices that generate energy. To do this you only need a little knowledge and skills. For example:
Make a Peltier element - a plate, a thermoelectric converter. Heat is obtained from a burning source, cooling is produced by a heat exchanger. The components are made of different metals.
Build a generator that collects radio waves - paired capacitors, electrolytic, film, low-power diodes. An insulated cable of 15 m is used as an antenna. The grounding wire is attached to the gas or water pipe.
To construct a thermoelectric generator, you will need a voltage stabilizer, a housing, cooling radiators, thermal paste, and Peltier heating plates.
Build a lightning battery - metal antenna and grounding. Potential accumulates between the elements of the device. The method is dangerous because it attracts lightning, whose voltage reaches 2000 Volts.
Galvanic method - copper and aluminum rods are inserted into the ground to a depth of 0.5 m, the area between them is treated with saline solution.
What else?
Among the usual ones, you can also find quite unusual ways of generating electricity. Recently, scientists around the world have been intensively working on the development of alternative energy. The world is looking for opportunities for its wider use.
Below is a short overview of the best methods and ideas:
Thermal generator – converts thermal energy into electrical energy. Built into heating and cooking stoves.
Piezoelectric generator – works on kinetic energy. They are introducing dance floors, turnstiles, and exercise equipment.
Nanogenerator - uses the energy of vibrations of the human body during movement. The process is instantaneous. Scientists are working on combining the work of a nanogenerator and a solar battery.
Kapanadze fuel-free generator - operates on permanent magnets in the rotor and biflar coils in the stator. Power 1-10 kW. One of N. Tesla's inventions is taken as a basis, but many do not believe in this principle. According to another version, the real technology of the device is kept a big secret.
Experimental installations that operate on ether - electromagnetic field. While the search is still underway, hypotheses are being tested, experiments are being conducted.
Scientists have calculated that the natural reserves used in modern energy may last for another 60 years. The best minds are working on developments in this area. In Denmark, the population relies on wind energy for 25%.
In Russia, projects are planned to use renewable sources in the energy system by 10%, and in Australia by 8%. In Switzerland, the majority voted for a complete transition to alternative energy. The world votes yes!
Photos of methods for obtaining free electricity
