The ABCs of the Smart Grid

Smart Grid-Improved Reliability The U.S. electric power grid consists of more than 300,000 miles of transmission lines weaving there way across the country that despite its age performs remarkably well. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) assigns it a reliability rating in excess of 99.9 percent However, the relatively few outages that do occur each year in the U.S. cost the American economy an...

An Introduction to Capacitors

Electric Capacitor Like batteries, capacitors store electrical energy. However, unlike batteries they do not produce electrons. Capacitors consist of two terminals, each connected to a metal plate which is separated by a non-conducting substance referred to as a dielectric. The plate that is attached to the: Negative terminal of the battery that accepts the electrons that the battery is...