Supply and distribution of

electricity to buildings

B U I L D I N G S E R V I C E S – 2
BY CHAITRA KB
Brief introduction to various Sources for Electricity generation. Introduction to Transmission and Distribution system
(from generation to Building’s main) - Cables–HT/LT, Voltage Levels, Sub-Stations, Ring Main
Units, Metering Panels, HT Panel, Transformers.
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy. For electric utilities
in the electric power industry, it is the first stage in the delivery of electricity to end users, the other stages being
transmission, distribution, energy storage and recovery, using the pumped-storage method.

A characteristic of electricity is that it is not primary energy freely present in nature in remarkable amounts and it
must be produced. Production is carried out in power stations (also called "power plants").

Electricity is most often generated at a power plant by electromechanical generators, primarily driven by
HEAT ENGINES fueled by combustion or nuclear fission but also by other means such as the KINETIC ENERGY OF
FLOWING WATER AND WIND
Electricity is one of the finest inventions in our lives. Everything and anything that we see runs on one or the other
form of electricity. Electricity is a concept that many are unfamiliar with. Electricity for such people is to switch the
button on, the appliance starts to work, switch the button off and that’s it. The importance is understood when the
electricity goes off.

There are two main types of electricity, Static Electricity, generated by rubbing two or more objects causing to build
up friction, Current Electricity, generated by the flow of electrical charge through a conductor across an electrical
field.
various Sources for Electricity generation

•Solar Energy. ...

•Wind Energy. ...
•Geothermal Energy. ...
•Hydrogen Energy. ...
•Tidal Energy. ...
•Wave Energy. ...
•Hydroelectric Energy. ...
•Biomass Energy.
1. Solar Energy
Solar power harvests the energy of the sun through using collector
panels to create conditions that can then be turned into a kind of power.
Large solar panel fields are often used in desert to gather enough power to charge small substations, and
many homes use solar systems to provide for hot water, cooling and supplement their electricity. The issue
with solar is that while there is plentiful amounts of sun available, only certain geographical ranges of the
world get enough of the direct power of the sun for long enough to generate usable power from this source .

2. Wind Energy
Wind power is becoming more and more common.
The new innovations that are allowing wind farms to appear are making
them a more common sight. By using large turbines to take available
wind as the power to turn, the turbine can then turn a generator to
produce electricity.
While this seemed like an ideal solution to many, the reality of the wind farms is starting to reveal an
unforeseen ecological impact that may not make it an ideal choice.
3. Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy is the energy that is produced from
beneath the earth. It is clean, sustainable and environment
friendly. High temperatures are produced continuously
inside the earth’s crust by the slow delay of radioactive
particles. Hot rocks present below the earth heats up the
water that produces steam. The steam is then captured that
helps to move turbines. The rotating turbines then power
the generators.

Geothermal energy can be used by a residential unit or on a

large scale by a industrial application. It was used during
ancient times for bathing and space heating.

The biggest disadvantage with geothermal energy is that it

can only be produced at selected sites throughout the
world. The largest group of geothermal power plants in the
world is located at The Geysers, a geothermal field in
California, United States.
4. Hydrogen Energy
Hydrogen is available with water(H2O) and is most common element
available on earth. Water contains two-thirds of hydrogen and can be
found in combination with other elements. Once it is separated, it can
be used as a fuel for generating electricity. Hydrogen is a tremendous
source of energy and can be used as a source of fuel to power ships,
vehicles, homes, industries and rockets. It is completely renewable, can
be produced on demand and does not leave any toxic emissions in the
atmosphere.

5. Tidal Energy
Tidal energy uses rise and fall of tides to convert kinetic energy of
incoming and outgoing tides into electrical energy. The generation of
energy through tidal power is mostly prevalent in coastal areas. Huge
investment and limited availability of sites are few of the drawbacks of
tidal energy. When there is increased height of water levels in the ocean,
tides are produced which rush back and forth in the ocean. Tidal energy
is one of the renewable source of energy and produce large energy even
when the tides are at low speed.

Wave-power-energy
6. Wave Energy
Wave energy (or wave power) is the transport and capture of energy by ocean surface waves. The energy captured
is then used for all different kinds of useful work, including electricity generation, water desalination, and pumping
of water

7. Hydroelectric Energy
The power of the water is used to turn generators to produce the electricity that is then used. The problems faced
with hydropower right now have to do with the aging of the dams. Many of them need major restoration work to
remain functional and safe, and that costs enormous sums of money.
The drain on the world’s drinkable water supply is also causing issues as townships may wind up needing to consume
the water that provides them power too.
8. Biomass Energy
Biomass energy is produced from organic material and is commonly used throughout
the world. When the plants are burned, the water and carbon dioxide is again released
back into the atmosphere. Biomass generally include crops, plants, trees, yard
clippings, wood chips and animal wastes.

Biomass energy is used for heating and cooking in homes and as a fuel in industrial
production. This type of energy produces large amount of carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere.

9. Nuclear Energy
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions that release nuclear energy to generate
heat, which most frequently is then used in steam turbines to produce electricity in a
nuclear power plant. As a nuclear technology, nuclear power can be obtained from
nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions.
10. Fossil Fuels (Coal, Oil and Natural Gas)
Fossil fuel is a general term for buried combustible geologic deposits of organic materials, formed from decayed plants
and animals that have been converted to crude oil, coal, natural gas, or heavy oils by exposure to heat and pressure in
the earth's crust over hundreds of millions of years.
Introduction to Transmission and Distribution system
Purpose of Electrical Transmission System

The purpose of the electric transmission system is the efficient interconnection of the electric energy producing power
plants or generating stations with the loads.

Simplified Diagram of Power System

GENERATING STATION
The commonly used power plants are:
1. Thermal Power Plant
2. Nuclear Power Plant
3. Hydro Power Plant
4. Gas Turbine Power Plant
5. Combined Cycle Power Plant
Main Parts of Generating Station
Types based on Insulators
1. Circuit Breaker (CB)
A circuit breaker is an automatically operated electrical switch, designed to protect an electrical
circuit from damage caused by fault current or short circuit

2. Disconnect Switch
Provides visible circuit separation and permits CB maintenance.

3. Surge Arrester
Used for protection against lightning and switching over-voltages.

4. Current Transformers (CT) and Potential Transformers (PT)

Used to lower the magnitude of the current and voltage to be measured.
Transmission Line
Design Methodology
• Gather preliminary line design data and available climatic data
• Select reliability level in terms of return period of design
• Calculate climatic loading on components
• Calculate loads related to safety during construction and maintenance
• Select appropriate correction factors, if applicable, to the design
components
such as use factor, strength factors related to numbers of components,
quality control, and the characteristic strength.
• Design the components for the above loads and strength
Selection of Transmission Voltage
Standard Voltage: 66,110,132, 220, 400 KV
Tolerances - ±10% up to 220 KV & ±5% for 400 KV
Selection Criterion of Economic
Voltage• Quantum of power to be evacuated
• Length of line
• Voltage regulation
• Power loss in Transmission
• Initial and operating cost
Design Changes with material, voltage, Selection of Tower Structure
• Single circuit Tower/ double circuit Tower
• Length of the insulator assembly
• Minimum clearances to be maintained
between conductors, and between
conductors and tower
• Location of earth wire/wires with respect to
the outermost conductor
• Mid-span clearance required from
considerations of the dynamic behavior of
conductors and lightning protection of the
line
• Minimum clearance of the lowest conductor
above ground level

Height of tower is determine by

H = h1 h 2 h 3 h 4
h1=Minimum permissible ground clearance
h2=Maximum sag
h3=Vertical spacing between conductors
h4=Vertical clearance between earth-wire
and top conductor
Substation
A substation is a part of an electrical generation,
transmission, and distribution system. Substations transform
voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of
several other important functions

Ring main an electrical supply serving a series of

consumers and returning to the original source, so that each
consumer has an alternative path in the event of a failure.
Metering panels
Metering panels are a kind of control panels which are very
much required for the domestic as well as industrial purposes
for the measurement of amount of power used up and the rate
of power consumption

HT Panel is like LT Panel except that it is used for high tension

cables.

LT Panels :LTPanel is an electrical distribution board that

receives power from generator or transformer and distributes
the same to various electronic devices and distribution boards.

CABLES–HT/LT
L.T. means low tension use for below1000 volts normally pvc
cables H.T. means high tension cable use for more then1000
volts normally are xlpe shielded cables.
Transformers.
Electrical transformers are machines that transfer electricity
from one circuit to another with changing voltage level but no
frequency change. Today, they are designed to use AC supply,
which means that fluctuation in supply voltage is impacted by
the fluctuation in the current.
 Reference
• L. Uppal, ‘Electrical Wiring, Estimating & Costing’, Khanna Publishers, New
Delhi
• K.B.Raina & S.K.Bhattacharya, ‘Electrical Design Estimating and Costing’, New
Age International Publishers
• National Building Code, India, 2016
• Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC), India, 2007
• Indian Electricity Rules – 1972
• Time Savers Standards– Electrical Design Data
• Other Relevant Codes
• H. COTTON, ‘Electrical Technology’, CBS Publication, 7th Ed.
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