Grid on a box

Grid operators work under this giant screen, made up of 27 individual plasma screens, which represents all the major power-generation units, transmission lines, and substations on the New England grid. The placement of places relative to each is approximate. But from an electrical point of view, this accurately represents the pathways for electricity to flow.

The small screen on the bottom with large yellow writing indicates how much power is being used. At the moment of this photo it was 20,183 megawatts. The highest ever this summer was 27,100 megawatts and the highest ever was 28,130 in August 2006.