It's out of here.
I got it, I got it.
Hey, I'll get it.
Ah, and so am I.
Where's he going?
Hey, is he leaving?
Where are you going?
We got time to hit a few more.
Not me. It's school work.
Gotta start that big energy assignment.
Start it? It's due tomorrow.
I know. That's why I gotta go.
It's gotta be done.
You have to.
Hey, just in time.
Sorry, Dad.
Got a big school assignment to write up.
Gotta hit the books.
It's due tomorrow, right?
Hey!
To conserve energy and minimize pollution,
we should use less electricity.
Wrong.
Where did that come from?
What's with this thing?
If you really want to delete something,
you might try that stuff you typed out just a moment ago.
Who said that?
At your service.
What? Who?
A what and a who, actually.
This is crazy.
Trust me on this one.
Reading the keyboard to death isn't the answer.
One thing I'm not is some sort of program bug or computer virus.
But how?
Allow me to introduce myself.
In ancient Greece, I was hurled by an angry Zeus.
The Vikings knew me as the Hammer of Thor.
In nature, I am raw and untamable.
But through science, my power can be harnessed
and bent to human purposes.
I am in the spark and the thunderbolt,
the atom and the stars.
I am the embodiment of pure electric energy.
You're what?
I'm electricity, kid.
You know, the one that makes your socks stick together in the dryer.
Electricity?
That's right, electricity.
But you can call me Zeus.
A lot of people do.
I'm talking to electricity.
Zeus.
Why are you in my computer?
I'm in all computers and televisions and light bulbs and toasters.
Anything that runs on Zeus.
That's where you'll find me.
But why are you here, now, talking to me?
Let's just say it's hard for me to let a personal attack go unanswered.
Personal attack?
This slander about using less electricity to save energy or reduce pollution.
Man, that hurts.
What is it that you're trying to say?
Look, Zeus, I didn't mean to insult anyone.
It's just I'm doing this energy report for school.
I'm kind of behind with it.
Not to mention backwards.
Huh?
What's this report supposed to be about?
What's the angle?
Well, we're learning about different energy choices.
We're supposed to investigate the advantages electricity has in terms of cost,
effects in the environment, and so on.
You're kidding, right?
No, that's the assignment.
I see.
Well, let me see if I can put this in terms you can relate to.
You like baseball, don't you?
I have a 350 batting average.
Impressive.
I like baseball, too.
Something about that big electronic scoreboard and all those lights.
In baseball, you can't get a hit or step up to the plate without a bat.
The point is, if you want to do a job right, you need the proper tools.
In this case, that means having the right information.
And frankly, judging by your first swing, you are empty-handed.
You need some coaching, son.
Coaching?
Not to worry.
It's your lucky day.
Your new manager has arrived.
Old Juice is going to lend a hand and at least get you going around the bases in the right direction.
Hang on, boy.
Here comes the pitch.
Everyone is familiar with the light bulb.
This one brilliant invention has come to symbolize electricity around the globe.
And as symbols go, it's not a bad one.
Light bulbs are reliable, clean, and inexpensive.
But the light bulb is only the tip of the iceberg.
You ever wonder why a light bulb over somebody's head means good idea?
Electric power.
That's the real inspiration that Thomas Edison and his pals came up with.
As late as the mid-1800s, 90% of this country's energy came from burning wood,
and people relied on fire, candles, or lamp oil for lighting.
Edison believed that electricity offered a cleaner, more convenient, and more reliable alternative.
I shall make electricity so cheap that only the rich will be able to burn candles.
And he did.
He found a way to generate electricity at a central station and then deliver it where it was needed.
The first power plant?
In New York City.
And when that first switch was thrown, a whole new industry was sparked, along with a lot of light bulbs.
The first power plants were created to provide exactly that, electric lighting.
But it wasn't long before I really went to work.
The electric fan, stove, and sewing machine were all invented before the turn of the century.
The electric refrigerator, washing machine, and radio came soon after.
In just a few short years, electric power had become the energy of choice for making people's lives easier and brighter.
You sure caught on fast.
I didn't waste any time.
But what do you expect from something that moves at the speed of light?
I can circle the globe seven times before you can even say, frequent flyer.
And that's not my greatest trick.
Electricity is versatile, controllable, and simple to use.
But the reason I've grown to become such a popular source of energy in today's world can be summed up in one word.
Reliability.
I'm not sure I follow.
Think about it.
When you flip a light switch, do you spend any time at all wondering when or if the power will arrive?
Nope.
I'm instantaneous and dependable.
You may not see me, but I'm there when you need me, and I'm always in the same convenient and familiar form.
With electricity, you don't have to be concerned about quality or variation like you do with gasoline for your car,
and you never have to worry about running out of electricity.
Electric utilities make sure there's always enough available to meet customers' needs.
You mean a power company always has enough electricity to go around?
Utilities try not to put all their eggs in one basket.
They generate power using a lot of different methods.
These can include steam electric plants, hydroelectric plants, nuclear plants, and, to a lesser extent, solar and wind technologies.
This combined generating capacity is usually enough to meet customers' needs and have a little leftover in reserve.
But in emergencies or during times of heavy use, like during a heat wave when everybody is running their air conditioners at the same time,
a utility may have to dip into the pool.
For what?
The power pool.
Just like a swimming pool is a large reservoir of water,
many utilities can be interconnected to form regional power pools that represent reservoirs of electrical energy.
Let me give you an example.
The Mid-Continent Area Power Pool, or MAP, is the pool that serves the Upper Midwestern United States and several nearby Canadian provinces.
Throughout the MAP region, all the pool members are linked by transmission lines, permitting them to share energy.
If a utility ever requires more electricity than it can generate, it can purchase the extra electricity from another generating plant in the pool.
Sharing resources like this means that throughout the region, the greatest possible efficiency is being achieved.
Regional power pools like MAP help ensure that electricity is available to customers year-round on demand.
And that's the definition of reliability.
The power pool is one reason we can bank on electricity.
That's not all you can bank.
The pooling arrangement saves consumers a lot of money by allowing the pool members to tap into the power resources of an entire region.
Utilities can buy and sell energy to each other at the best available prices.
Joint binding allows pool members to help with one another's needs so maintenance can be performed regularly and without interrupting service.
And pool members can share backup energy reserves rather than having to generate it entirely at their own expense.
These cost-cutting strategies save hundreds of millions of dollars each year,
a savings ultimately reflected in the power bill of every customer who uses the electricity.
So how much electricity do we use?
My popularity has grown with every passing decade.
Today, about half of this country's primary energy needs are powered by electricity, and that percentage is growing larger every year.
Lighting may have been my first job, and it's still an important part of what I do, but check out my current resume.
No pun intended.
Medicine.
Computers.
Communications.
I'm everywhere, and I mean everywhere.
So much so that I'm easily taken for granted.
Take your trip home today. Electricity is so much a part of modern life that it's easy to walk or roll right by without even giving it a thought.
Observe.
Wow. I think I'm starting to get the picture.
Sorry, kid. I'm afraid you're just getting warmed up.
Let me tell you about industry. Large industrial companies like mines, paper mills, and factories require a staggering amount of electric power just to carry out their day-to-day operations.
These things run on electricity?
You better believe it. They may not plug into the wall, but these kinds of machinery and heavy equipment all get their power from doors truly.
The reason these companies choose electricity is a common one behind any business decision.
Economics. Businesses have to make money, and to make money they must produce their products as cheaply as possible.
To keep operating expenses down, these companies need an energy source that is very cost-effective.
And that's my middle name.
I'm also energy efficient. Whether drying the paint on a new car, making steel, or condensing milk, a factory equipped with the latest electric technologies will use only a fraction of the energy consumed by a similar plant outfitted with fuel-burning machinery.
These energy savings are reflected in higher profit margins and the opportunity to offer products to consumers at lower, more competitive prices.
Another advantage is that electric machinery can be precisely controlled, metered, tracked, and turned on and off.
This saves money by reducing waste and improving productivity. And electricity is clean.
That's a big plus, both for the environment and the company.
There are no harmful emissions or pollutants at the point of use.
This allows companies to meet environmental goals and regulations easier and more cheaply.
The bottom line is that it costs these companies less to operate using electricity.
I bet the reliability doesn't hurt either.
Congratulations, you're getting a firm grip on that bet.
Reliability is crucial to industrial customers. These companies cannot afford sudden energy shortages or interruptions.
To stay competitive in a global marketplace, the machines must keep running.
After all, there's a lot riding on them. The health of the national economy is tied to the success of big companies like this.
They generate a lot of revenue that goes into building roads and schools,
and they provide jobs for lots of people who spend their money at other local stores and businesses, and so on and so on.
And all of them, from the largest to the smallest, are in some way dependent on low-cost, reliable electricity.
It's like the whole world runs on electricity.
Hey, Mr. Studyaholic. A telephone call for you.
Take the call. It could be the Major League.
I'll be right back. Don't go away.
Don't worry. I'm right behind you.
Hello.
Well, maybe not the Majors, but a big player nonetheless.
Jews?
Who else?
What are you doing on my phone?
I'm electricity. I'm everywhere, remember?
Look, you've been sitting a long time. I thought your legs could use the stretch.
Now, let's see. Where were we?
Oh, yeah. You were saying it seems like electricity makes the whole world go round.
As much as I'd love to take the credit, that nod goes to gravity.
A weak force, but a close personal friend nonetheless.
Still, that spinning blue planet does bring up an important point.
The environment. And in this respect, electricity is really pitching a double header.
Another key to my reliability is the fact that electricity can be generated by different methods.
Through the Power Pool Network, utilities throughout the region can share the benefits inherent in each.
Benefits that have payoffs in two places.
A customer's pocketbook and the environment.
Here's the roster.
Moving water has a lot of energy.
You can tell that by seeing or hearing any big waterfall.
Hydroelectric plants harness this power and convert it to electricity.
Twenty percent of all the electricity manufactured worldwide is generated in this manner.
Unfortunately, there aren't enough places to build dams to make all the electricity that's needed.
In Canada, however, when rivers are abundant,
over two-thirds of the electricity that's produced is generated from falling water.
Nuclear power accounts for almost another 20 percent of world electricity production.
In a nuclear plant, the steam that operates the generator is produced from the heat of a carefully controlled nuclear reaction.
Countries like France, that have fully embraced nuclear power, generate over 70 percent of their electricity in this way.
There is no greater energy source in the solar system than the sun.
Even I bail by comparison to this powerhouse.
Sunlight can be cleanly converted into electricity using photovoltaic cells.
Presently, the high costs associated with manufacturing these cells has pretty much limited solar power to a few applications in sunny climates.
But the sun's massive energy potential makes this a technology worth pursuing.
Scientists are constantly researching ways to improve efficiency and lower costs enough to make solar power competitive with other methods of generating electricity.
If they are successful, it'll be a whole new ballgame.
Then there's the wind.
Wind power was once a common method for pumping water.
But as electricity became widely available, windmills became obsolete.
It's ironic that today, wind power is making a comeback for the purpose of generating electricity.
Utilities have installed thousands of massive wind turbines along blustery hilltops and mountain sides in the western United States.
One limitation with wind power is that, like hydroelectric plants, wind farms can't be constructed just anywhere.
Nevertheless, in reliably windy places like Buffalo Ridge, Minnesota, wind turbines can supplement the energy supply.
And like hydro and solar technologies, the wind is a renewable and environmentally friendly method of making electricity.
Of course, steam-electric generating plants manufacture well over half the electricity in this country.
Coal is the common fuel, and like any fossil fuel, it must be burned to release the energy it contains.
As a result, some gases and soot are inevitable.
You mean air pollution?
The phrase, where there's fire, there's smoke.
But there are definite steps that electric utilities can take to minimize negative effects.
These controls include using low-sulfur western coal.
This fuel is the environmentally preferred choice because it releases fewer sulfur dioxide gases when burned.
In addition, power plants employ strict methods for monitoring and cleaning emissions before they are released into the atmosphere.
Cleaned?
Actually, many power plants use sophisticated and expensive systems called scrubbers to clean the smoke before it leaves the plant.
They can remove up to 90% of the gases and 99% of the ash.
As a result, most of what you see coming out of the stack is harmless water vapor.
Like clouds?
Well, there's still some gases in there, but researchers are always working to find ways to clean more and more of them out.
What about the monitoring?
It's continuous. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
And it's done both at the plant and throughout the surrounding environment.
Low-sulfur coal, hydro, nuclear, solar, wind.
There sure are a lot of different ways to generate electricity.
And thanks to the Power Pool Network, such a balanced mix of generating sources is possible even for the utilities who do not possess these resources.
For example, in the MAP region, northern utilities operate a number of hydroelectric stations.
Geographically, utilities in the south don't have access to a lot of river power.
But through the pool, they do.
Sharing resources like this means that throughout the region, less fuel has to be consumed.
Fewer new plants have to be built, and the greatest possible efficiency is being achieved.
I think we better continue this back in your room before she breaks something.
This kid has more energy than I do.
Oh, that's more like it.
Ah, peace and quiet again. Now this is my idea of energy savings.
All right, Juice. How does electricity stack up in terms of efficiency?
I thought you'd never ask.
We saw what a difference it can make in industry, but it can also make a big difference at home.
For example, a house can be heated with an electric heat pump using considerably less energy.
And there are other household applications as well.
Hey, what's all that noise?
Boy, your dad's really slaving away with that old, inefficient gas lawnmower, is he?
What do you figure the whole job's gonna take him? A couple hours?
What is this, a guilt trip?
Don't let your conscience get in the way of my example.
The fact is, if your father was cutting the grass with a cordless electric lawnmower,
he'd only be using a third of the energy he's burning with that gasoline-powered model,
and paying a lot less for it.
Electricity is the energy-efficient alternative.
And here's another important difference.
Look at all the exhaust pouring out of that engine.
That stuff is going straight into the atmosphere.
The fact is, one hour of mowing the grass with a gas-powered machine
produces as many hydrocarbons as driving a car 50 miles.
Now, multiply that by all the gas-powered mowers that are out there,
and you begin to see a serious impact.
And it's the same thing for every machine that relies on combustion for energy.
Because the fuel is burnt right in the machine, that's where the pollution is too.
This is called point-of-use cleanliness.
And it's another big advantage of electricity.
Electric appliances create zero point-of-use pollution.
They have no exhaust. They're efficient and clean.
With electricity, any fuel is consumed in one place, at the power plant,
where the exhaust can be cleaned and closely checked.
Bingo!
But what about the environmental effects of electrical generation on land and water?
Strict monitoring programs and pollution controls ensure they are also well looked after.
Water that is borrowed for cooling purposes and generating plants
is then itself cooled to minimize any thermal effects before being recycled back into rivers.
Aquatic biologists keep a close eye on water quality, reservoir levels,
and any impacts affecting fish and other marine life.
Land can also be recycled.
At the mines where the coal originates, land reclamation projects can return the countryside
to its original state after the coal has been extracted.
Topsoil is replaced, contoured, and seeded.
Using these methods, thousands of acres of native prairie and croplands
have been successfully restored.
A commitment to environmental stewardship means doing more than just complying with government regulations.
It also means finding new ways to put the utility's varied resources into good environmental use.
Here are just a few examples.
Ash from boilers can be recycled for use as an ingredient in roadways
and in building materials like cement and bricks.
At some generating plants, hot water from the plant is used to heat greenhouses
that grow tree seedlings for reforestation.
Birds and wildlife benefit from the unique habitats that are associated
with generating and transmission equipment.
Wetlands around reservoirs and power plants provide prime nesting sites
for geese, ducks, and other waterfowl.
Special platforms engineered into power line support structures
furnish nest sites for osprey and other large birds.
Utility-directed land management programs conserve forests, encourage recreation,
and create sanctuaries for all matter of wildlife, including threatened species
like whooping cranes, bald eagles, and peregrine falcons.
Reliability, efficiency, and cleanliness.
The advantages of using electricity can add up to real savings
both for consumers and the environment.
Congratulations, Skid. I think you just hit one out of the park.
I understand that we can actually save energy by using electricity.
The only question is, how do we rely more on electricity
in order to get these savings?
I'll be glad to feel that question, but this isn't the place.
Besides, you look like you could use a little infusion of energy yourself.
Grab your portable stereo and meet me in the kitchen.
But how can you... Oh yeah, your electricity.
You're everywhere.
Come on, let's take a walk.
Finally taking a break, huh?
How about a piece of pie and a glass of milk?
Juice?
Okay, it's your stomach.
I'm here, kid, but you're running me ragged, messing with that dial.
Leave it there and let me catch up.
Ah, the kitchen. My favorite place in the house.
A whole room brimming with electric gadgets and conveniences.
And the perfect place to answer your question.
You want to know how to rely more heavily on electricity?
This room is filled with answers.
Electrotechnologies.
Devices that run cleanly and efficiently on electricity
and which can, in many cases, replace older, energy-wasting alternatives.
You might want to warm that up a little.
Take this machine here.
The microwave oven.
It's not only convenient, it's energy efficient.
Cooking a two-pound meatloaf in a microwave uses a lot less energy than a regular oven.
And it's infinitely faster.
It's a simple, reliable method of cooking that saves energy and money,
offers it cleanly and makes life easier.
Here's more food for thought.
The fax machine.
Before this little beauty, the only choice was to send documents across the country by overnight air mail.
Now, thanks to this electrotechnology,
you can fax a document across the United States using many times less energy than if it went by air.
Plus, it gets there instantaneously.
The fax machine, the microwave oven, the electric lawnmower,
these are examples of electrotechnologies that can be found in many businesses and homes right now.
Other developments are on the horizon.
Clean, quiet, battery-driven cars will soon be hitting the roadways.
A successful electric model designed for urban use could eventually replace 50% of all the internal combustion vehicles on the road.
Imagine the impact that half of all cars going electric would have in reducing air pollution.
Electric trains in use around the world are already easing the burden on the atmosphere.
With new research centering on trains using super-efficient, superconductive electric technology,
the future benefits from this form of transportation look even brighter.
Other victories for the environment are being scored with electrotechnologies developed specifically for industry.
Sonically manufactured steel bearings.
Infrared paint drying techniques.
These are applications that previously relied on energy resources that were more costly to both the business and the environment.
With electricity, these companies can do more with less.
Everyone's a winner, including the Earth.
Doing more with less.
That's what electrotechnologies are all about, aren't they, Juice?
Batter up!
Well, slugger, I think you're ready to start that paper again.
And this time you've got the information to do it right.
But, at the risk of being immodest, I've taken the liberty of listing some of the important points.
Electricity. It's universal, reliable, efficient, cost-saving, and clean.
And with new electrotechnologies being developed all the time, relying more heavily on electricity has never been easier.
This brings me back to the very beginning. To conserve energy and minimize pollution, we should look to electricity.
Look to electricity in place of older, less efficient technologies.
A grand slam, kid. You've clinched it.
I can see you don't need my help to take this thing all the way.
This coach is taking himself out of the game.
You're not leaving?
Oh, I'll be around.
Whenever you need me.
Remember, I'm electricity. I'm everywhere.