this post was submitted on 28 Jul 2024
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Explain Like I'm Five

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Power Networks in the USA (lemmy.ml)
submitted 3 months ago by abeorch@lemmy.ml to c/explainlikeimfive@lemmy.world
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I know that the US has three or four major electricity networks (East, West, Texas, Hawaii) but I dont understand how they are they are regulated or operated.

In many countries there are generators who produce power, retailers who sell power to retail customers and network operators who 'move' power between generators and consumers either through high voltage or local transmission lines but these roles are separate and you pay a separate fee for the connection/transmission vs the power you buy. Retailers pay to 'move' power from where its produced to where their customers are.

The transmission companies in most cases regulated natural monopolies. Retailers and producers can be the same company.

How does it work in the United States? Does one company own everything in some areas? Do you usually have a choice of energy retailer?

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[–] Shawdow194@kbin.run 9 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Regulated private monopolies

Pdf warning - https://pubs.naruc.org/pub/B284311B-1866-DAAC-99FB-C52B7A570087&ved=2ahUKEwiH0cXQ1smHAxWbFVkFHWNYCfYQFnoECBsQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3ltturEUjTeQH3DZ_o8UOg

[–] Shawdow194@kbin.run 7 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Sorry not very ELI5 I'm seeing now

More simply private companies own the transmission and generator sections and are regulated to standard rates set by local governments

[–] trevdog@lemmy.world 0 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

chat gpt read your pdf and produced this:

Alright, here is a very simplified summary of the document for a five-year-old:

Imagine you have a toy box that only you can use, and you get to decide what toys everyone can play with. This is like how some companies control the electricity that comes to our homes. They are the only ones allowed to do it, and they make sure it's fair and everyone gets what they need. Sometimes, special people called regulators help these companies to make good decisions so that everyone has electricity at a good price and new ideas can still be used.

[–] BackOnMyBS@lemmy.autism.place 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

How'd you get ChatGPT to read the file?

[–] trevdog@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago

on mobile I shared the link and it said if you upload the pdf I can summarize it, so I downloaded the pdf and attached it