Where does the energy we generate go?

When you flip a light switch, electricity reliably flows to your appliances. But how does energy get from the natural gas generating facility, wind turbine or solar panel all the way to your home?

Electricity and the grid

Whether the source is natural gas, solar panels, wind turbines or battery storage, the power goes to a collector substation that places the energy onto the transmission grid.

From there, high-voltage lines bridge long distances. Utility companies, like us, and transmission companies are responsible for ensuring there’s enough energy available to power the entire region at all times, including during peak demand. Companies from Louisiana to sections of Canada are members of Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), the agency that manages and oversees the entire region.

Within MISO’s territory are 65,000 miles of transmission lines. Local substations act as offramps to directly power your homes, schools and businesses.

Sharing makes us all stronger

We maintain a diverse mix of generation resources to support the energy our customers need – even during extreme temperatures.

The power we produce doesn’t just go to our customers. It’s available to customers throughout the MISO region should they need it. In turn our customers benefit from power other energy companies produce. MISO, as the regional grid operator, monitors the amount of energy demand forecasted each day in the footprint and directs generation facilities to produce enough electricity to meet demands. If we need help during an extreme event, we can receive backup from anywhere in the MISO region.

Learn more about the actions we take to provide reliable, renewable energy through our Energy Blueprint.