Our source of electric here in Eldred is PP&L - Pennsylvania Power & Light.  While looking at the giant power transmission lines that cross from one side of the road to the other, you may want to glance at the home of my neighbor on your right, a bit ahead - notice his array of solar panels - he is doing a good job of providing his own electric.

​

But most of us are among PP&L's 10 million customers and some of us are among the 13,000 PP&L employees. Here are a few dates of interest referring to PP&L:

​

1920 PP&L is formed by combining 8 companies with 62 power plants
1968 First female engineers join the ranks of PP&L
1979 PP&L introduces energy conservation programs 
1981 The company surpasses 1 million customers served
2010 PP&L expands to include the State of Kentucky
2011 PP&L expands across the Atlantic to the United Kingdom

 
Most electric power is created by either burning fuel, water turning hydroelectric generators (like Niagara Falls) or nuclear power.  Small amounts come from solar power and wind power.   Where it is made is far from where we need it in our houses & businesses.  So it has to travel over wires hundreds of miles.

Unfortunately, when electric travels through wires some of the power is lost - just like us walking somewhere - we use up power.  In the case of electric, that is lost power - it does no work for us.

​

It was found that if you transmit the electric at very high voltages, it loses less in the wires.  So the big transmission lines that we see are carrying electric in the area of 345,000 volts.  Your television needs voltage at 120 volts. Some household devices, like a water heater or large AC, can operate at 240 volts.  So it is crucial to reduce the voltage from the huge transmission amounts to household level.

​

This is done by transformers - transformers can make voltage higher or lower.  In this case, we use it to make it lower, but it is done in stages.  You may have seen a power substation (there is one on 209 in Gilbert) - a fenced in area with lots of "science fiction" like metal poles and "antennas".

​

At this substation, the voltage is dropped to 69,000 volts.  At least one or two more big drops are needed, as it gets closer to your house.  One drop is to 13,800 volts and then another to 7,200 volts.  I believe the last drop occurs on the wooden pole close to your house.  Near the top of the pole, there is a round barrel-like object - a drum transformer - that is the final transformer getting the electric voltage down to household levels of 120 and 240.  It is these "drum" transformers that often cause our power outages when they are hit by lightning or some issue makes them explode.

​

Continue on Church Road.  You will come to a stop sign (6.1m), continue across and shortly after that you will see the Frantz Schoolhouse on your right, pull onto the grounds.