High Voltage Power Lines Why?

Electrical utility companies provide our world with the electrical energy needed to operate most things that do not move (in our homes, schools, and offices), while fossil fuels provide the energy mostly for things that do move (cars, boats, airplanes). The existence of the electrical utility infrastructure is apparent to us when we drive cars or walk in our neighborhoods and see poles, towers, transformers, insulators and conductors, and when blackouts occur due to storm damage and vehicle accidents. However, many are unaware of the existence of, or reasons for, high-voltage transmission and distribution lines, and fewer still understand why such lethal potentials are present in our residential neighborhoods. While some introductory courses in Electronic Engineering Technology (EET) programs do provide an orientation to the electrical utility system, and some programs have courses, or a concentration, in electrical utility systems, the need for high-voltage lines may not be clear to most EET students. This paper describes a simple demonstration circuit which illustrates why high voltage is needed, and makes apparent the benefits of using it.