The National Academy of Engineering in Washington, D.C., once asked
its members to pick the greatest engineering achievement ever.
Their choice? The electrification of the country through what’s known as “the grid.”
Ernest Moniz, director of the Energy Institute at MIT, says they were right on the money.
“That
reflects what an amazing machine this is, spread out geographically,
always having to balance demand and supply because electricity is not
stored,” he says.
Every day, with the flick
of a switch, millions of Americans tap into the electricity grid. It’s a
web of power stations, transformers and transmission lines that span
the continent, distributing electricity like veins and arteries
distribute blood.
