Grid connection

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In electricity distribution, grid connection is connection to the national grid of power stations, substations and transmission cables for the supply of electric power.

A power station is generally said to have achieved grid connection when it first supplies power outside of its own boundaries. However, a town is only said to have achieved grid connection when it is connected to several redundant sources, generally involving long-distance transmission.

This redundancy is limited. A national grid is not a grid in any strict or mathematical sense, but simply the interconnection of facilities that provides whatever redundancy is available. The exact stage of development at which the supply structure becomes a grid is arbitrary. Similarly, the term national grid is something of an anachronism in many parts of the world, as transmission cables now frequently cross national boundaries. The terms distribution grid for local connections and transmission grid for long-distance transmissions are therefore preferred, but national grid is often still used for the overall structure.