Coordinating Power Across The Grid

A message from your general manager, Tom Wolfenbarger.

When you flip a switch, electricity is there – instant, reliable, and ready to power your day. Behind that simple moment is a carefully coordinated system made of many grid power players, all working together to keep the lights on. It’s important to understand how this system works and who’s involved in delivering the electricity you depend on every day.

It all starts with generation owners and operators. Power plants convert energy from a variety of sources, such as natural gas, coal, nuclear energy, and renewables like wind or solar, into electricity. These facilities may be owned by electric utilities, government entities, or private companies. A diverse mix of generation sources helps ensure reliability while also supporting affordability and sustainability goals.

Once electricity is generated, it needs to travel, often across long distances, to reach local communities. That’s where transmission owners and operators come in. Using high-voltage transmission lines strung along massive towers, they move bulk electricity from power plants to local areas. You’ve likely seen these lines along highways or across open land. Because electricity can’t easily be stored in large quantities, this system must constantly move power from where it’s produced to where it’s needed, all in real time. Butler Rural Electric Cooperative is a member of Buckeye Power, our generation and transmission cooperative, a not-for-profit wholesale power provider that generates and transmits electricity to all electric cooperatives in Ohio.

Coordinating the flow of large amounts of power is a complex job, especially across multiple states or regions. In Ohio, we’re part of a regional transmission organization, or RTO, that handles this responsibility. Our RTO doesn’t own power plants or transmission lines. Instead, it acts as a traffic controller for the grid, balancing supply and demand and directing which power plants should generate electricity at any given moment to help ensure reliable service and cost-effective energy for members.

Then, there’s the part of the grid most people are familiar with – your local electric utility. That’s where Butler Rural Electric Cooperative comes in. We take electricity from the high-voltage transmission system and deliver it directly to your home through lower-voltage distribution lines. We also maintain utility poles, power lines, electric substations, and other essential equipment in our community.

When storms roll through or outages occur, our crews are the ones working to restore power as quickly as possible. We’re proud to serve over 12,000 members across four counties and we’re committed to providing electricity you can count on.

Finally, there’s you — the end user. Homes, businesses, and industries all play a critical role in the grid. Your energy use directly influences how much electricity needs to be generated and delivered at any given time. During periods of high demand, like hot summer afternoons or cold winter mornings, the grid must work harder to meet increased use. Simple steps like adjusting your thermostat or avoiding running appliances from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. can make a meaningful difference.

Beyond these key power players, there are additional organizations working behind the scenes to ensure our grid remains reliable and secure. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation, or NERC, develops and enforces reliability standards through a collaborative stakeholder process that includes utilities, regulators, and industry experts. NERC also monitors the grid, trains personnel, and assesses risks to help maintain a strong and resilient electric system across North America. Meanwhile, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission provides oversight to ensure wholesale energy markets operate fairly and efficiently.

From generation, through transmission, to your local utility, it takes a coordinated effort to power your everyday life. We’re proud to be your trusted energy partner and to play our part in keeping the grid strong for the communities we serve.

Grid power players
Electricity is available with the flip of a switch, but it travels great distances and is coordinated among multiple entities before it reaches your home or business. Take a look at the grid power players that ensure you receive reliable electricity.

1. Generation owners & operators
Power plants can be owned and operated by electric utilities, government entities, or other private companies. Power plants produce electricity by converting energy from various sources like natural gas, coal, nuclear, or renewable sources into electricity. Ohio cooperatives own Buckeye Power, which generates ample electricity for the cooperatives’ needs.

2. Transmission system owners & operators
The transmission grid moves large amounts of electricity over long distances using high-voltage transmission lines attached to large towers. Like power plants, these lines can be owned by a variety of public and private companies.

3. Organized wholesale markets
A regional transmission organization coordinates the flow of electricity by balancing supply and demand in real time and managing the dispatch of electric generation and transmission across large areas with the participation of generation and transmission owners in our area of the country.

4. Electric utilities (That’s us!)
Electric distribution utilities like your local cooperative take electricity from the transmission system and deliver it to homes and businesses through lower-voltage distribution lines. They also maintain local power lines, poles, and other essential equipment.

5. End users (That’s you!)
End users consist of the homes, businesses, and industries that consume electricity. Their demand drives how much electricity is generated and how the grid is managed in real time.

Other key players:
NERC: The regulatory authority that develops and enforces mandatory, reliability standards for the North American bulk electric grid.
FERC: Independent federal agency that oversees interstate transmission and wholesale electricity sales, ensuring fair access to the grid.