Electrical power is delivered from power generation plants to our homes and businesses through a nationwide network of electrical distribution equipment including cables, transformers, protective devices, switches, and other equipment. This network is known as the "grid." Traditionally, electrical utilities have managed this grid manually, which means workers travel to each user site to read meters. When outages occur, central office staff wait for user phone calls to learn where power is out and then send linemen to investigate. During heavy usage periods, staff may add generating capacity, purchase additional power on the spot market, or, most drastically, turn off blocks of users (rotating blackouts).
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