This is one of my favorite books about the power grid!

The Visual Guide To The Power Grid – Inside The Greatest Machine In The World by Christian Dahl Winther is an illustrated tour through the power system. The book shows the ingenious and intertwined system of generators, physical infrastructure, trading activity, and grid balancing, which collectively make electricity available right when you need it.

But what goes on under the hood of a power station or on top of a wind turbine? How is electricity transported to your home? What drives market prices? How are cables laid at the bottom of the sea? What is inside a lineman’s toolbox? What does a grid controller do, and why are they particularly tense during the World Cup?

The exploration of the incredible electricity network is the goal of the Visual Guide To The Power Grid. Lushly illustrated and thoroughly researched, the book is a fabulous guide to the phenomenon that we cannot see, but we cannot live without. If you have a knack for knowing how things work, you will never look at your wall socket in the same way again.