Learn · TED

Talk5 min

What does the world's largest machine do?

Henry Richardson · TED

Watch At TED

About

In 1967, Homer Loutzenheuser flipped a switch and connected the power grids of the United States, forming one interconnected machine. Today, the US power grid is the world's largest machine, containing more than 7,300 electricity-generating plants. So how exactly do these power plants work? Henry Richardson digs into the delicate balancing act of how power grids supply us energy. [Directed by Anna Benner, narrated by Jack Cutmore-Scott, music by Raphael Tschernuth].

The talk

  1. What does the world's largest machine do? 5 min · TED's player

Credits and licence

Institution
TED
Department
TED-Ed
Speaker
Henry Richardson
Year
2022
Level
For everyone
Language
English
Subjects
Earth and environment, Teaching and learning
Source
TED
Licence
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, as TED states it. Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions. TED's terms
Attribution
TED Talks are licensed by TED under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International and are shown here in TED's own player, as TED's usage policy asks.
Who can watch
TED gives no rating. Invisible Network shows it to Tweens profiles and older, judged from what the source says about it. How courses are placed