Today was our first day out of the office-ROAD TRIP!! I was advised that we would be traveling to Lee, Chatham, Harnett, and Moore County substations. Every evening as the sun sets, we take for granted the “flick of the switch” to illuminate our homes. But how exactly does that happen? Today Eddie Oldham escorted me all over Lee, Chatham, Harnett, and Moore counties to explain exactly how this process works. Little did I know that Central Electric does not make their own electricity. They actually purchase it from Duke Energy and then provide the electric service to their members of the cooperative. The power is then sent to substations and distributed throughout their service areas. Through an intricate maze of transformers, wires, breakers, and meters the service is provided. Electricity is definitely not something to play with. The voltage that is transmitted through those wires is enough to kill you! From these electrical poles are many different safeguards to not only protect the linemen but there are systems in place that protect against large scale outages as well. Central Electric lines have power distributed through three lines (each pole is connected to a breaker box) to stop the flow of electricity in case of an emergency. The day was filled with valuable information such as the difference between above ground and underground electric service, residential and commercial services, as well as learning about the parts that are used in wiring transformers, telephone poles, and wiring required to provide services to homes and businesses in the service area. Today was filled with many topics that were not familiar however I really enjoyed the information I received today and look forward to the additional knowledge I will be gaining.