Pylons

Pylon

a tall metal structure to which wires carrying electricity are fixed so that they are safely held high above the ground.

How do electricity pylons work?

Pylons are used to support high-voltage overhead lines – the electrical cables that transmit electricity all over the country through the electricity grid.

Electricity originally comes out of a power station at a low voltage of around 10-30 kilovolts.   It then enters a transmission substation, where it passes through a ‘step-up’ transformer that turns it into high-voltage electricity – up to 400,000 volts.   This ensures greater efficiency and less energy loss as it travels around the national grid.

The electricity eventually reaches another substation where it is fed through a ‘step-down’ transformer, which converts into more usable, lower-voltage electricity.

Finally, a network of local operators transports this lower-voltage electricity through their own power lines and underground cables to supply homes and businesses.

What are pylons made of?

Pylons are usually made of steel, due to its strength. To avoid the steel conducting an electrical current from the high-voltage cables into the tower, ‘insulators’ are used. These are usually made of materials that won’t conduct an electrical current, such as porcelain or glass.

Are pylons dangerous?

As overhead lines are normally bare (uninsulated), it’s important that they’re high enough from the ground so neither human nor machine can come into contact with them.

The reason pylons are so tall is for safety purposes, so the overhead lines can’t be reached by the public and can easily straddle roads, rivers, valleys or railway lines without coming into contact with passing vehicles or people.

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