Electricity systems and sources

Transmission and distribution substations

Substations are where electricity lines are connected and switched and where the voltage is changed by transformers. They range from the very large to the very small - see below for a guide. But in nearly all cases, the highest field is usually produced by the lines and cables supplying the substation and not by the equipment inside the substation itself. If the substation itself produces a field outside its perimeter, it usually falls away over the first few metres.