The National Grid Work Sheet

The National Grid

The national grid is the network used to transmit electrical power around the UK. It connects to over 180 large power stations. The national grid can supply 78 giga-watts of electrical power – that’s 78,000,000,000 joules of energy every second! The national grid gathers together the electrical power generated in the UK’s power stations and makes it available for use anywhere. This means no matter where electricity is generated in the UK, it can be used to satisfy demand anywhere. The national grid was introduced in 1933. Before this, there had been small regional networks, relying on the electrical power produced by just one power station. •

Answer these questions using full sentences in your book.

1. Your local power station needs to be shut for a week for maintenance. a. How would this affect you now? Why? b. How would this have affected you in 1920? Why? 2. Some power stations are kept idle, ready to start producing power if there is a sudden rise in demand. a. What do you think might cause this (hint - kettles use a lot of power)? b. How would the 1920 system be able to cope with this? 3. Can you think of any disadvantages of a national grid system? Extension: One day, the national grid runs at full capacity for 12 hours. How many kWhs of energy are delivered to homes and businesses across the UK? If each kWh costs 10p, how much will the UK’s total electricity bill be for these 12 hours?